For those who are especially passionate about Orcas, this trip is for you! Be prepared for up to five hours on the water in the diligent quest for the region's Biggs killer whales. This population of orca is healthy and thriving and can be found year-round in the Salish Sea. They are incredible to watch and can travel over 100 miles in a single day. We load up on our on fastest vessels and depart in search of orcas. We may also encounter the regions other species of whales and wildlife, but the focus is finding orcas. Our success rate is very high, over 95 percent! Tours typically last between 3 to 5 hrs. It can often be a cold trip so bundle up. Don't forget your camera!
Come join us for our orca only tour departing from the north shore of Orcas Island! We head out in search for the region's Biggs killer whales. This species of whale has a healthy and thriving population that can be found year-round in the Salish Sea.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Orca whale tour from Orcas Island lasts about 3–5 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $199 per person for this San Juan Islands experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 3 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 49 participants.
Tour not for children 11 and under
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 16 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Outer Island Excursions.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
We had a wonderful trip on a great boat that is well designed for touring and watching wildlife. The guides and crew were all knowledgeable and enhanced our experience. We saw many orca whales. In addition, we were highly privileged to see puffins and to photograph them before they dived underwater. It was a beautiful day.
Great crew. Lots of fun and enjoyable experience. Nice to be out on the water. we saw a couple pods of orcas.
Expert knowledge and piloting gave us marvelous views of 10 orcas, a Stellar sea lion, and dozens of harbor seals— I highly recommend them!
On June 3, 2026, our family recently toured around Orcas Island with your company in hopes of seeing a few whales. Not a common experience for folks from Arizona and Illinois! Our guide was Katie and our captain was Jarrett. We would like for you to know what an overwhelmingly positive experience we had with Katie and Jarrett. They were so professional yet fun; knowledgeable, yet engaging. We learned more about humpbacks and orcas; ocean currents and navigating them than we landlubbers could immediately pack in. Such a wonderful experience! Oh, and yes, we did see both humpback and orcas. Was there any doubt? Katie tried valiantly to identify the orca pod but they were apparently new to the area. We were excited for her and wished she could name them (number them?) in honor of her find. Thank you for providing a way for the general population to see up close the wonder of whales in their natural habitat while promoting their safety and ours. More people should experience this if we are to be responsible stewards of this planet. Thank you, Mark and Julie Samaras Catie Samaras and Alban Shemsedini
This whale watching experience was the best ever! We saw Orcas and hearing them breathe so touched my heart. Gabe and Jake patiently answered questions and added interesting wildlife facts. They took their time on the return trip to show us sea lions, eagles and even big horn sheep. It is evident that running these tours is more than a job to them. Do not hesitate to book this experience of a lifetime!
Special thanks to Captain Matt and Naturalist Kate for an incredible Afternoon on the Blackwater 2. My family, 7 of us including grandson Finn had the best time. We ended up seeing 11 orca and many other seals, birds, etc., including a harbor porpoise that probably wished he wasn't there that day. It was amazing to see them with their young and older members of the pod. Whether they were just out there swimming gracefully, or on the hunt, it was nice to see them doing what they do in the wild. We definitely recommend this excursion for everyone! It did not disappoint anyone! Take a ride with Matt and Kate, it was great!
I went on this trip with my girlfriend and mother! Overall it was breathtaking and beautiful scenery the whole way. We ended up seeing two pods of orcas lounging around and playing with one another. It was an amazing sight to behold. The thing that really made our trip however, were our captains. Brock and Jarrett are the TOTAL package, they made the whole thing worth it even if we didn’t see any whales or orcas. They were friendly, knowledgeable and overall just created a friendly and fun atmosphere for the trip!
Brock and Jarrett were amazing captains for our whale watching tour! They took extra time and made sure we saw so much wildlife! I would go again in a heartbeat 💓 Absolutely amazing experience with my son and his lovely girlfriend!
Great experience, Both the Driver and instructor were super friendly. Very knowledgeable tour guide. Anyone would definitely love this experience. Do not miss!!
Sam and Chaz went above and beyond to get us an orca sighting, and when we found one it was thrilling! Organized, safe and fairly priced we stayed warm and dry until it was time to trail an orca. Thanks!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orca whale tour from Orcas Island | 3–5 hours | 4.9 (16) | $199 | |
 Orcas Island Whale Watching | 3h 30min | 4.7 (498) | $119 | View |
 Whale Watching from Friday Harbor | 4 hours | 4.8 (852) | $135 | View |
 Whale Watching Tour from Anacortes | 3 hours | 4.8 (806) | $119 | View |
 Guaranteed Whale Watching Tour | 3h 30min | 4.8 (261) | $119 | View |
 The Orcas Project Wine Tasting | 30 min | 5.0 (12) | $29 | View |
 Full Day Orcas Island Tour from Bellingham | 9 hours | — | $595 | View |