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    Outer Island Expeditions

    4.3 (427 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Outer Island Expeditions Photos

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    The Beacon
    Janelle B.

    We did a sunset kayak tour with guide Dom that was absolutely stunning. We saw 3 Bald Eagles, (a pair in their nest, and then a single one a bit later) along with seals and jellyfish and an amazing view from Point Doughty for photos. Dom was knowledgeable, fun and made sure everyone was safe. Then later in the week we had a terrific whale watching experience on The Beacon with Captain Elliott, crew Jenny and Dom. They were highly skilled, answered all our questions and taught us much about this beautiful part of the world. We saw a momma humpback and her baby for about 30 minutes! This company was efficient, knowledgeable and super fun. Would highly recommend.

    Herd of Sitka deer on Spieden Island.
    Elaine S.

    We had a perfect tour on Outer Island Expedition on the double-deck Blackfish boat, with captain Trevor and naturalist Sam. We saw an Orca Whale, three Humpback whales, and Stellar seals. Then we passed Spieden Island and saw a herd of Sitka deer.

    A lot of room all over the boat to get a good look at the marine life
    Niki W.

    We had a great time on our whale watching excursion! The boat crew-Matt and Becca were so knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this company to go whale watching! I'll be back!

    Sea lions
    Danae S.

    This was my second excursion with Outer Island. Both times we left from their site on Orcas Island. This last trip we took it the last week of May. I would have to rate this trip as better because we had beautiful weather and we had such great success with the whales. Even out boat driver said he had never see the whales act like that. Outer Island really cares about the whales and they really want you to see whales and will do what they can to help you see them. They have a great network so they can find out where the whales have been spotted and don't waste anytime getting you there. We were on the Blackfish III with Nate and Austin. They were both very nice and knowledgable about the wildlife we saw. I got my tickets for my party of 7 through Groupon and as able to book it easily on their website. There is a tip jar on the boat, so I highly recommend tipping your guides when there. This is such a fun thing to do whether you live here or you have out of town guests. Everyone in my group had the best time and I know we developed some great memories!

    Spirited R.

    This is what the doctor ordered for us. We came to the island in 2020 and seen not a single whale or a killer whale. We received a rain check for the two of us to go back on the charter group out of Friday Harbor. We had everything planned out that we were going to catch a ferry on Tuesday morning to Friday Harbor and see the whale watching tour. We arrive at 655 am to find out that the ferry doesn't have a captain for the day. We had to cancel our whale watching tour and stay on Orcas Island. Then I seen this place somewhere and grabbed the discount code and said mine as well not ruin our day and see if one is available. We went out on the 3 pm. Let me tell you this charter does an outstanding job. They provided us with jackets. Nobody does this. They are the first that we've seen. We've been on a dozen whale watching tours. They provide a spill about what they are doing. The captain and the mate does an excellent job and goes around and chats with everyone. He provides answers to any of the questions that you may have. They don't bother wasting everyone's time by going and checking out seal island like all of the charters do to provide some sense of happiness. We went straight out to Canada to see the orcas traveling through. It was an outstanding performance. We never gone this far with any charter before. We were as far as Swartz bay in Canada. This is the best tour that I've been on since 2015. This crew does an outstanding job to take you where you want to be.

    Bald Eagle fly by at eye level
    Sheila B.

    Got to go out from Orcas Island twice this week and it was a-ma-zing! Crew was knowledgeable, kind and entertaining and the amount of wild life is incredible. They know where to go to see all the best stuff. Breathtaking views are everywhere you look. Can't wait to go again. Oh and baby Orcas are the cutest

    Strait of Georgia
    Taylor S.

    Worth it! I booked two tickets through Groupon and had a very easy time scheduling our guide. The captain and naturalist were both very friendly. We had a very wild ride out to Canadian waters to view a set of humpbacks. We were able to see three humpbacks and followed a mom and her baby around as they dove for food. Beware of the spout! The scent of dead fish the whales spew from their blowhole will definitely wake you up in the morning. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any Orcas but I enjoyed our experience nevertheless. Will definitely be rebooking this company next season!

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    5 years ago

    Captain Dave and his crew were amazing and he was super funny. The tour was successful and very enjoyable. Thanks

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    6 years ago

    Fantastic crew and experience. We saw the Orca Pods from a distance but also saw other wildlife as well. Highly recommend this company!!

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    Page 2 of 11

    Ask the Community - Outer Island Expeditions

    Review Highlights - Outer Island Expeditions

    Bobby, our guide, and Paul, our boat captian, for the whale watching excursion yesterday, were both terrific!

    Mentioned in 24 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Coho Preserve - Looking but not touching.

    Coho Preserve

    (1 review)

    This is a very cool place that I recommend visiting if you like the outdoors and are on Orcas…read moreIsland. I saw two deer foraging in a neighboring field as I neared the Coho Preserve. My navigation sheet was the .pdf the San Juan County Land Bank website provided with a map of the Preserve, parking marked, and directions to the Preserve's entrance. One of the neat things I read on the Preserve's webpage was that the area had trout and salmon. So definitely something to watch for on your walk/hike. There are numerous benches where you can stop and rest, several of which look out over the stream/creek (Cascade Creek) running through the Preserve. I can see myself with binoculars sitting and waiting for hours if need be to spot me some trout and/or salmon. The parking lot is visible from the road and easy to spot. There are a number of spaces, though I imagine it could fill up pretty quick. There was one other car there when I arrived, and three others when I got back to my car. On the trail itself I saw no other people. The trail has two parts, an out-and-back and a loop that loops back round to the out-and-back part. The out-and-back segment is mostly flat with only a slight incline in places. You cross a small bridge before you get to a fork. You can take a left or a right to go around the loop portion of the trail. I took a left at the fork and am glad I did. I hurt my knee about a month ago and going downhill can be difficult and if the land I am walking on is too steep I can't walk. The trail to the left of the fork is steeper with a bunch of little switchbacks and a few benches where you can stop and watch the creek. The creek ran fast in some portions of the trail and I had fun looking for fish. Towards the top of the loop, the waterfalls get pretty big! By the time I reached the top of the trail my knee developed a pressure around the kneecap (not a good sign for going downhill). However, the trail evened out and was not as steep on the way down back to the out-and-back portion of the trail. By the time I got back to my car the discomfort in my knee had almost completely alleviated. The day after the hike (I went to the Preserve on 21 April 2020) my knee was fine, the fastest it has recovered since the injury. This is a healing trail to hike! Signage is very well done and looked after. As was the Preserve trails and land therein as a whole. Public/private land boundaries were made clear and so were the expectations for hiking on the trails. Coho Preserve is a gem of a place tucked away in the greenery of the Island.

    Discovery Sea Kayaks - Kayak Tours San Juan

    Discovery Sea Kayaks

    (193 reviews)

    An absolutely perfect day; a perfect experience with wonderful guide. We can't give Brandon credit…read morefor the weather, but after such a breathtaking experience, we were praising him for the perfect weather, too. Booking was a breeze, advanced communication was timely and informative, check-in was friendly and easy, and even the drive across the island from Friday Harbor was engaged and informative. But the real magic happened on the water, where we started under mild, overcast skies, and ended with sunshine and perfect weather. Along the way we saw: 1 black fox, 2 harbor seals, 1 harbor porpoise, a rhinoceros auklet (unique diving sea bird), 13+ Bald Eagles, AND TWO HUMPBACK WHALES! The beach side lunch was fantastic... the best turkey sandwich I've ever had, made exceptional by the views and the company. The lack of an Orca sighting made this full day trip an eyelash shy of perfect, but we could not have otherwise been more thrilled with our experience on the water with Brandon and the Discovery Sea Kayak team. Thank you for a magical day on the island. PS - we paid half as much for a full day tour with Discovery as we did for a half day tour on Orcas Island, so this group gets our strongest recommendation!

    Did a two day trip. The guide was fantastic. with knowledge of plants, animals, geology and…read moreislands in the area. And the food was excellent, thoughtfully prepared and sensitive to peoples food allergies. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend. Also of note is that the equipment was good quality and well maintained, with the kayaks being stable and relatively easy to steer with an added rudder.

    Western Prince Whale Watching - Orca family

    Western Prince Whale Watching

    (373 reviews)

    This experience was better than my wildest imagination! I booked weeks prior for Thursday May 28th…read more I got there early to check in. The location is on the dock on front street above an ice cream place. The staff is super friendly and appreciated my early arrival. We got a short talk about safety and what to expect. Then we donned suits to keep us warm and dry. Tip: use the hat they offer and gloves. The hood doesn't keep the wind from making your ears cold without holding it tight around your face. I ran to the dock and met Captain BJ who would be working with Allison our guide. The was helpful and allowed me to sit up front. I was more excited than a kid on Christmas morning. The boat starts and we leave the harbor. Then we started going really fast which was so awesome! We saw a sea otter playing in the tide current. There were harbor porpoises. But the steller sea lions were enormous and stunning. They were subbing themselves on the rocks. The piece de resistance was the orcas! A pod of orcas was hunting a lone steller sea lion. We must have sat there over an hour. Other boats gathered and we all watched. I'm not shy in admitting I was deeply moved. I cried a bit at how awesome this experience was and seeing beautiful orcas was on my bucket list. My favorite part was that this is a small business. They are locally owned and have a focus on conservation. The boat pulls water from the ocean to propel itself forward which means no gas, propeller or noisy engine that stresses out whales. We stopped to remove a mylar balloon from the water. I love when people practice what they preach! We continued and saw more eagles, rhiocerous ocelot, and more harbor porpoises. By the end my heart was full. Captain BJ said this was his second favorite trip of the year this far. I beamed all the way back to the office to return our gear. Tip: go to the whale museum when it opens at 11am then come here to see real whales. Do this whale watching tour! Best bang for your buck you will ever get!!

    We had an absolutely fantastic afternoon touring the waters around the San Juan Islands courtesy of…read morethe wonderful captain and crew. We had amazing opportunities to view a variety of wildlife ranging from bald eagles to otters to several species of whales. The team's knowledge about the whales was truly remarkable- including knowing individual whales' histories. The scenery was spectacular and the gear provided made a chilly spring day extremely comfortable. We can't thank Western Prince Whale Watching enough for this experience that we will look back on and treasure!

    Outer Island Expeditions - fishing - Updated May 2026

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