This company was not an honest company to deal with. We bought a Groupon but when we went to book, we were told they didn't have any "available Groupon seating" so we paid them full price for the tickets. That was frustrating. But not as frustrating as 2 days later when they called to cancel our booking since they only had 7 seats booked and they weren't willing to go out for only 7 people. So much for having all "available Groupon seats " taken..that was not true. Then they refunded a partial payment only and told us be would have to deal with Groupon for the rest of the money. Talking to Groupon, they said coupons were already redeemed by outer banks. Another shady move. Thankfully Groupon did fix the problem for us, but what an unnecessary set of circumstances. This company does not do what they should and do not deal honestly. Save yourself the hassle. Use Puget Sound Express. They were out of this world fantastic, top to bottom. read more

Friendly staff, clean boat, snacks on board for $1 each, knowledgeable marine biologist aboard, lots of orcas- what more do you need? 5 stars! read more

What a great day of kayaking! We showed up in the morning and were able to quickly rent kayaks after the guests for whale watching checked in. Staff were friendly and helpful. We rented kayaks for a half day. That was plenty of time to kayak to Point Doughty, explore, eat lunch, and kayak back. We saw lots of seals and 2 eagles. Beautiful day on the water. Fun to have a destination and spot to rest. Definitely a highlight of our trip! read more

We love the smallness of their boats. The captains and crew are always concerned that we are having a good time. We saw lots of orcas on our first trip out and humpbacks on our second! Highly recommend this company. read more

Bo (spl?) was the most unprofessional human I have ever attempted to do business with. I booked tickets for my family to go whale watching (first time for all of my family members except myself), and shortly after my brother-in-law tested positive for COVID. Out of an abundance of caution we called to cancelled all of our tickets (an hour after booking them), in case any one of us were also potentially positive or exposed, even though we were very excited to go. Rather than refund our tickets and thank us for not exposing crew and other passengers, Bo choose to be rude, passive aggressive, condescending, and incredibly unprofessional. To cap it off, he said not only would he not refund our tickets, he would also call the police if any member of our party attempted to come onto their property and attend the trip or speak to them, since I told them a family member had tested positive. I felt like I was speaking with an arrogant teenager rather than a representative of a company, when attempting to have a civil conversation about options. In the end I have no refund at this point, even though his site showed that he was able to sell all available tickets in full for the day/time I had booked. So he essentially got paid for 5 additional tickets, on top of those for a full boat. I would have loved to work something out with this business or feel appreciated that I made a decision to keep people safe (including their staff), but rather I was left feeling very disappointed, offended, and taken advantage of by a company I was supporting. What a shame, I expected better from a place I visit regularly. It's important that I share this with other potential customers however, so people can understand just how poorly Bo handled this experience and how terrible he made me feel, to hopefully prevent similar circumstances for their trip. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else however. And I hope Bo can read this and take an honest look at his behavior and actions, and choose to do better in the future, for the sake of the company (Outer Island Excursions) and their customers. read more

My sister bought a $59 Groupon ($90 value) for a three hour whale watching tour through Outer Island Expeditions to accompany our stay at a cabin at Salish Seaside Escape Cottages less than a mile away. Easy to find, just a short drive north of Eastsound, which was about 20 minutes from the Orcas Island ferry dock. Highly recommend staying overnight to take advantage of the ferry trip all the way out here. Make a weekend out of it, reserve your ferry tickets in advance, and be patient because it is an island... Being prepared for island time and having a laid back island attitude is key to a relaxing weekend. The whale watching boat was a double hulled catamaran, non-diesel 23'+ boat. Very stable, smooth ride, larger than most of the other whale watching boats we saw on the water. Diesel boats are louder, so I appreciate that we weren't disturbing the waters as much as some others out there for the whales we were chasing. After seeing the "Whales Guaranteed" sign, I was a little worried we would seriously be chasing the whales. I was definitely wrong. Captain Paul and his crew demonstrated the utmost respect for all of the magnificent creatures we got the honor of viewing in their natural habitats. They kindly and candidly expressed a depth of knowledge of the animals and the area, explaining the shared knowledge from the Whale Watcher's association, as well as how they abide by the protective measures to respectively view whales, sea lions, seals, eagles, etc. It is really incredible to a) be on a boat in the gorgeous San Juan Islands and b) see some amazing creatures in the wild. Water, soda, and snacks are available for $1 cash purpose. Bringing your own snacks seemed welcome (another couple brought beer... Unsure if that's kosher, but I was jealous). It WILL be windy, any time of the year, so dress in layers, maybe bring a blanket, wear sunscreen, and bring your sunglasses.... And a good camera! Tip your guides for a job well done. read more

I love whale watching and this was one of the best. The Orcas we saw were fantastic and the other sights we saw were added bonus. The crew was very freindly and welcoming answering all our questions with enthusiasm. Delightful day out on the water! read more

I bought 2 groupons for $59 each to try out the whale watching tour. I live in Seattle, so this is going to be a trip of course, so I scheduled to go for the tour on Saturday. The tour starts at 1pm, and from Google map I saw that it will take me 3hrs including Anacortes ferry which goes at 10:30am. I left home at 8:30am to make the ferry, then I got to the ferry at 10 and they had us on standby because there were too many people apparently. So I called their office, and told them about the situation, the guy was nice enough and said it's ok this always happens, if you don't make the ferry call me back and I'll reschedule you. Needless to say, we missed the ferry, so I called back, but now it was another guy on the phone, and he didn't care much. He said he will reschedule us but we need to pay the difference between the groupon and the regular price. Basically another $90 for both. The ferry costs $50 and round trip seattle-Anacortes is about $30 gas. so basically he asked me to fork out another $170 to see the whales!!!! and I've already spent $170 including gas and taxes. Basically here is the deal, if you live on Orcas island then try them out, but if you have to take the ferry etc... then you are better off paying full price ( around $100) and go from the Seattle side. That way you are not wasting 3hrs each way in traffic, that is 6 hrs that you can use for something else that weekend!! Since I can't rate them on the tour because I never had a chance to do the tour, thanks to the unreliable ferry, but I can rate them on customer service which is not that great. The guy on the phone blamed me for missing the ferry, he said there was an earlier one at 8am!!! . Really??? I have to leave Seattle at 6am to make the 8am ferry to go whale watching at 1pm??? that is just ridiculous!!! All I asked for was reschedule without having the pay the difference!! that would have been the decent thing to do as a business. This way you will get customer satisfaction and many recommendations to out of town friends and family. Also, beware of false advertizing, they say in their website that they pick people up from the other islands, but they actually don't. they mean if the office on Anacortes is open then go from there. I even said I could leave the car at the parking lot and walk on the ferry if they would pick me up. They said nope, you need to take a round trip cab which will run you around $50. In Summary, they took $120 for the groupon and $18 taxes and fees, and I have nothing to show for it!!. If you live in Seattle do yourself a favor and take one of the many tours offered in Seattle. they will take you with a boat from downtown Seattle and bring you back, without any hassles!! Bliss read more

TLDR: My girlfriend and I were denied entry to the whale watching tour and had to purchase tickets for the next day. We were promised a refund then ghosted. I purchased tickets for the wrong day. I consider this an honest mistake. I was made aware of this by a confirmation e-mail I received that was sent 1 day after their cancellation window. I reach out and explain the mistake. I'm told that if they're able to sell my tickets to another group that I'll be refunded. I purchase a set of tickets for the following day in good faith and travel to Lopez Island. I get to the island and realize, "Hey, we can actually make the whale watching tour! Let's go down to the pier and see what's up babes!" I arrive at the pier and head down to the boat as it's boarding and inquire about going on the excursion. A woman and the curly haired captain inform me that the boat is at capacity. I think to myself, "Ahhh, well. We can just go tomorrow and at least I'll get a refund as communicated." We were able to board the boat the next day and we did see some whales from a tremendously far distance. Overall, it was not overly impressive and the people running the tour didn't seem overly knowledgeable. It was pretty bare bones. I reach out to Outer Island Expeditions DBA Peek.com and they stop responding to my e-mail. I give them a call and no callback. At this point, I'm thinking, "C'mon these guys wouldn't go back on their word. Small businesses generally go above and beyond." I thought wrong. I continue to e-mail and call with no response. I end up having to charge back my credit card which was promptly contested. Book with them at your own risk but know that they're not customer centric or even decent when it comes to their business practices. read more

We made very specific reservations In order to accommodate our vacation. Since the ferry schedule is limited in the islands, we had only one day and one time that would work. We received a confirmation email and booked the rest of our trip. One day before our trip, they called and cancelled because there wasn't enough people. Okay... That's understandable, but why send a confirmation letter and email stating that we would be able to go...? Travelocity gladly gave us a refund because of the issue, however, when we asked for the 15 dollar reservation refund from Outer Island, we had to fight tooth and nail. Outer island complete wrecked our plans and weren't apologetic for completely flipping our plans. Also, heads up, the kayaking tour doesn't including seeing Orca Whales. We read that in the fine print. read more

I took my family for a whale watching tour with this company because they guaranteed whale sightings or would allow you to return for free. Just our luck no whale sightings were spotted today. Also wish I would've known alcoholic beverages were allowed on board. Not a very fun boat ride and we were given vouchers to return for free ON STANDBY ONLY. That was the fine print I wish I would've known about before purchasing a guaranteed whale sighting tour since standby doesn't guarantee you'll be put on board the day of... read more

Amazing Time! You can't put a price on the memories we made during this part of our trip! The staff was very professional and knowledgeable. My family lived on Maui for 4 years and we have done plenty of whale watch tours, but this is just as good if not better then ones we've done before. We were on the water for 3.5 hours doing the evening trip. We saw humpbacks, eagles, harbor seals, and plenty of other birds... the only thing we didn't see, which we really had hoped too was orcas! :( But not to worry, we will be back and will be happy to search for them again! read more

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Had an amazing time on my first whale watching expedition this past weekend. The hardest part was finding the signage to the check in since they only face one direction, but I know they are working on this! Other than that, the check in was easy with picnic tables for people to eat and wait. Due to the size of our group, we were split into 2.. One on a smaller boat, so I can't speak as to what their ride was like but on the top deck of the larger boat, the ride was pretty smooth and dry ( the day we went, the water was pretty calm except for the sporadic waves in which the people on the bow got splashed :) )... There was a bathroom on board for those who needed it; snacks and water for $1; boats were pretty new, fast and clean; trips left and came back on time; we were able to see a diversity of things while out on the water...And the staff were friendly and incredibly knowledgeable... Both about the area, geology, whales themselves, other birds and sea life around, etc. Not only were we the first boat of the day to find grey whales, but I gained a huge amount of awareness and respect for what I was even seeing. So amazing. Sadly I was not able to see any orcas this trip, but that just means I will go again! Thank you so much Katy and Paul for an amazing time and tour! read more

My sister & I loved the whale watching trip. Our guide ("Dr. Spandex") was super knowledgeable about all things marine biology. She was able to answer any and every question asked by passengers. She even pointed out some geological things about islands we passed on the trip. We saw a good number of orcas (2 different families). It was a surreal and special experience. Of course, I most enjoyed seeing the orcas, but the boat ride itself and scenery along the way were pretty spectacular too. We could see Mount Baker in the distance. read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

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We found a Groupon for a whale watching trip and since none of us had ever been (despite all of us being from the PNW) a group of us decided to go. It was great! We saw a ton of orcas (I forget which pod) including a few babies, as well as catching a glimpse of a pilot whale. We also saw multiple seals and sea lions, plus a pair of nesting bald eagles, so all in all, a very successful trip. The team running the excursion was very knowledgeable and despite it being a relatively crowded boat we felt like there was plenty of room to move around and see the whales. The Groupon made it an especially good deal and we got lucky with the weather the day we went. Would definitely recommend this company for future outdoor excursions! read more

I'm very happy I took this trip for myself and my parents. Mat did an awesome job as a guide, he obviously loves the area and is very passionate about this job. He was very friendly and answered lots and lots of questions. He also recommended some good photo opportunities, slowed down the boat and positioned it to provide the best angle. Chelsea was very helpful, she babysat us for a while as group was waiting for us. - do bring extra clothes no matter how hot it seems to be. I had a blanked and enjoyed it on our speedy ride on the way back to Anacortes. - bring snack and drinks. I had thermos with tea and it worked awesomely. - go to Marina and order some coffee from Ashley. She is a super nice girl and tips would help her with her education. - be careful with you caps and eyeglasses, high chance of losing it to the wind. Makes sense to have a hood that can be tightened. - bring cash for tips. Always. - it was hard to find them since they don't have an office - it is just a truck on a parking lot. As you reach the meeting point at Anacortes - walk around - there is a nice beach near with some birds and photo opportunities. - come early. Group might depart earlier once everybody has checked in. read more

I recently booked a three hour kayak tour at Outer Island Expeditions with six of my girlfriends. It was a very informative tour, we learned about local plants, birds, orcas and invertebrates. We also had the opportunity to explore the tide pools. Our guide, Benson, created a memorable experience that far exceeded our expectations. From start to finish the tour was well executed and worth every penny. Thanks Benson! read more

BUYER BEWARE! There is no doubt they knew where to find the Orcas. However, included in the $600 was an hour and a half going to and from another island in the opposite direction from the Orcas in order to pick up more passengers. Three hours riding and 30 minutes on site. Family members in another Outer Island boat at the same time were on site for almost 2 hours for the same price. What really gets my goat is that the skipper told us we'd be going to Lopez Island to pick up people, but "It's right there were the whales are"; an absolute lie. It is obvious that money is more important than providing a good customer experience. BUYER BEWARE! read more

Our party of 3 thoroughly enjoyed this whale tour. We've done a few companies and this one was fantastic. The Blackfish group was very informative and funny. Definitely recommended this to anyone interested in a whale tour. read more

Great shop, people and ethics. Honest,comfortable with a focus on the environment and sustainability. Safety was a priority for the dive instructor, reception was warm and friendly and the boat captain did a fantastic job getting us to our locations. read more

So I write a review 8 months ago and you only reply to it now? And to add insult to injury you accuse me, essentially, of lying. There was no safety briefing going on when the owner went ballistic. The man he was speaking with was also not 70 years old. Instead of admitting fault you deflect valid criticism. I stand by my original post. You people, clearly, should not be in the hospitality business. read more

I went on one of their tours with my family and, thoroughly, enjoyed the experience! The tour was just long enough and our captain made sure we had excellent views of two humpbacks in the area. We, also, spotted bald eagles and a bunch of adorable seals! Seeing all these beautiful creatures up-close was a, truly, magical experience. It was a beautiful and relaxing trip through the islands and was one part invigorating and one part relaxing. The crew was knowledgeable and seemed to know everything about the area, ocean, and the sea life. I'd, definitely, love to experience a tour with them, again, soon! read more

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We wanted to go whale-watching while we were on vacation & found a Groupon for Outer Island so we went! We had a big, diverse group...it was my husband, our 4 kids (ages 1-15!), my best friend, her teen son, our 20 y/o friend & me. We all had such a great time, loved our guides, & saw TONS of whales! Of course we wish we could've gotten closer but understood the ecological reasons we couldn't. We really were all so surprised that we saw so many whales, birds, gorgeous scenery, & a bunch of seals too! I would definitely recommend & would go again! read more

This was a fabulous trips. Our guide, Demi, was very knowledgable and happy to share all her thought with us, as was our captain. We spent three hours on the water and we saw ORCAS! We went out by Pedder Island and found a family of five transient orcas. We learnt that Orcas spend their whole lives with their families. We learnt that there are three types of Ocras, resident (they eat salmon), transients (they eat seals and seal lions), and outer sea orcas (they eat what ever they want). I highly recommend this company and will be going out again with them next time we visit Orcas Island. read more

Spent the whole day alongside a transient pod of Orcas at a respectful distance. Surreal experience. Experienced guides had insightful knowledge of the orcas and other wildlife. Wish I had known it were a bring your own food/drink(alcoholic beverages even) however hope to take advantage of this next time we are touring with Outer Island Expeditions! read more

We went out Saturday, August 20, 2016 on the Blackfish III with Captain Steve and Naturalist Maria. I'd only been on one whale-watching excursion before, and there was NO comparison. Captain Steve had us with the whales in just 20 minutes - a beautiful group of 12-15 Orcas from resident J-Pod! Maria was quick to identify the members of the pod, their ages, and their place in the matriline (family). We cruised along with the Orcas for two-and-a-half hours...watching them break, spy-hop, cruise, and interact. In addition to Orcas, we saw harbor porpoise, a river otter, seals, sea lions, and bald eagles! Steve and Maria let us know that our trip was atypical in the amount of wildlife we saw, and the time we got to just turn the motor off and drift alone with the Orcas. We had clear skies, 80 degrees, and very little wind. It was just the perfect day. I can't recommend Outer Island, Captain Steve and Maria highly enough! If you are looking for an excursion to see whales - this is THE PLACE! One word of caution - there is NO FOOD in the vicinity of the launch. Plan to bring your lunch, or give yourself extra time to go into Eastsound - a mile away - to get food. If you don't bring your car on the ferry, the best taxi service is Orcas Island Taxi run by Eric. But, he works on reservations, you'll NEED a reservation. It's expensive enough that it's worth bringing your car on the ferry for the convenience. If you don't have a car, let Eric know that you'll need to stop in Eastsound to grab some food, then go to the resort for the excursion. We didn't know about this, and went without food (except for the snacks on the boat) for the four hour trip. Thank goodness the whales were active and constantly with us...or hunger would've been an issue! read more

The boat was comfortable enough. The people were excellent! Very knowlegable, and nice. The boat was warm. We SAW WHALES! You could hang out in,out, or up top. Boat drove fast to get to the sight and alowed or stopped for wildlife, seals, ravens nest, etc read more

I used a yelp voucher here with a group of friends during a weekend out on the island for camping, kayaking, and hiking, with a weekend in the end of the summer to get away from the city a bit. To be short: it was awesome! The 7 of us chose to do the kayak tour, and both guides we had were knowledgeable about the area, kept us engaged, and HILARIOUS. We all were laughing as they told us about the aquatic life, surroundings, islands, and took us on a little hike to see some gorgeous views. It was a nice touch that they were fully accommodating with bottles of water, granola bars, and had used but good quality equipment for everyone to use comfortably. I definitely plan on going back again with my group, and look forward to next summer! read more

We had an amazing day with Drew, Alex and Brook on Blackfish 4. We saw humpbacks, pinnipeds and orcas so we hit the trifecta. Helping was flat-calm water, blue skies and amazing views. But frosting on the cake was a VERY close encounter with Stitch the humpback. In the words of The crew, "we were mugged by a whale"! Stitch blew whale snot on us; he peeked at us from under the boat; he lolled around us for about 30 minutes, allowing everyone closeups. WOW! Highly recommend this tour, boat and crew. Best whale watch ever. read more

What a great trip!! Whales whales whales!! Orcas and Humpbacks galore!! Crew was entertaining and knowledgeable with all of our questions. Loved every minute of it. Can't wait to go back!! read more

I was so impressed with captain Matt and the rest of our crew. I was with my wife and three kids (7 months, 3 and 6) and it was great for us all. We were on blackfish 4, which was just a couple weeks old. They had binoculars and laminated maps that you could use. I would recommend even in summer to have a coat with you, it started out very cold. read more

What an amazing experience! When Kevin spotted a pod of whales quite a ways off shore, he gave the group the option to row towards them for a closer look. Not so Close is to be dangerous, we're outside the bounds of what's allowed, but close enough to see much more. We did, and what we saw will be a memory for our whole lives. If he hadn't allowed us the flexibility, and stuck only to the tour in front of us, we would've missed something very special. This is our second tour with Kevin and the second time we've seen him demonstrate flexibility. I don't know how it works with all tour companies, but in this case, we felt like Kevin had as good a time as we did. We are very grateful experience. read more

Rating whale-watching expeditions is a bit tricky, because most of your experience revolves around weather and water conditions (which were amazing when we went), and whether and how many whales you see. We used this outfit due to a Groupon, for a 3-hour whale watching trip. The guide, Justin, was very sociable and made us feel right at home, and helped us understand what to expect. He guaranteed whales and he delivered! Justin was very knowledgeable about the Orcas pods in the area, and was able to identify them when he first saw them from fairly far away. I was extremely impressed. Not only that, but he genuinely was excited to witness them (which I'm sure he's seen time and time again) as we were. After the group decided we should move on to find different whales, he took us to the spots where the Minkes were feeding (though it was brief as there weren't a lot of Minkes), and then to some very small islands where the seals, sea lions, and birds like to chill out. Overall it was a very satisfying experience. My slight beef was that we picked up and dropped off some folks from Lopez Island, which seemed to take us out of the way (even though they said it didn't), and prolonged the commute time on the boat. read more

This was such a fun trip to take with my 12 year old grandson! He had a great time. The guides were so sweet informative! Highly recommended! read more

We had Bobby! It was an awesome time. Started off with the basics, and then safety, and then we were off. He helped everyone load in, and then pushed us off. We were a group of 9, and he rode tandem with one of us. Started off slow so we could get used to the kayak and paddling, as well as turning with your feet. He was super nice, really chill, and funny too. Joked with everyone and we all had a great time. I don't think I'll get into the details, so that you can go and experience it yourself and have a nice little surprise. But the tour was 3 hours long, we stayed probably within 200 yards of the coast line. Ended up at the coral reef, and then stopped for lunch. The bathrooms on that part were super sketchy. The door on one of them didn't close right. But I'm a guy, so it doesn't matter to me. Wife didn't like it so much. The top was chilly. Since you're on the peak, but awesome views. Lunch, chill, and then back down. The water got kinda choppy on the way back near the point, but Bobby told us to power through and we all made it, except for one couple who didn't have enough power, so Bobby and our friend had to tow them. Got back to where we started and Bobby once again helped everyone get onto shore and unload. Terrific people there, very informative tour and a blast. You will not be disappointed. Just keep in mind that the kayak tour usually doesn't see orcas. Outer island expedition does boat tours for that. read more

The tour was wonderful; it was a beautiful day and we say lots of porpoises and one gray whale. Our tour guide and marine expert were a wealth of knowledge. I'd go again! read more

We had our first visit to the San Juans for our honeymoon in April 2017 and we went with Outer Island because they had great ratings, a nice Groupon deal, and excellent availability early in the season (April 1). Our captain, Paul, and naturalist, Ryan, were diligent about finding out where whales were currently located and taking us straight to those spots. They were friendly, informative, personable, and VERY careful about safety. It was a lifelong dream for me to see orcas in the wild and, because Paul radioed ahead and found out where they were, we were able to spend 40 minutes to an hour observing two orcas, not to mention numerous other marine mammals and birds. Totally, completely, entirely a dream trip and worth every penny. read more

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We had a great time on this tour. Totally worth it if you are visiting in the area and not too far from Seattle. The weather was beautiful and the guides knew so much and told many interesting stories. And once you are done there is so much more to explore on the island!! read more

We had an excellent guide in Matt. He grew up around here so knows the waterway like the back of his hand. We got lucky and watched Orcas that just arrived including one that had not been around for 10 years. This brought out the scientists to monitor them and to check if they all had been identified before or if it was a new pod. We also went through Deception Pass and saw the Bald Eagles and their nest, sea lions, ducks and birds that you don't normally see landslide. I would use this company again. Boat was clean and comfortable. read more

Beau the manager is rude and not customer service oriented. Read the reviews below. There is a reason there are a lot of one star reviews. It starts with the manager - he sets the tone for the employees he supervises. I'm surprised he is still employed given how many customers have complained. read more