Whale Watching Tours

Three kids with binoculars (Photo taken by guest from 2011 flickr competition)

Three girls (Photo taken by guest from 2011 flickr competition)

Breaching Humpback (Photo by Bart Roulon — www.bartrulon.com)

Eagle (Photo by Bart Roulon — www.bartrulon.com)

Gray Whale tail (Photo by Naturalist Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

The San Juan Islands (Photo by Captain Shane Aggergaard)

Seal face (Photo by passenger Doug Shurman)

Sunset (Photo taken by guest from 2011 flickr competition)

Naturalist Brooke McKinley talking (Photo taken by guest from 2011 flickr competition)

Bow picture (Photo taken by guest from 2011 flickr competition)

Sunset (Photo by Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

Lighthouse and Mt. Baker (Photo by Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

Osprey (Photo by Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

Eagle with Rockfish (Photo by Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

Juvenile Eagle (Photo by Michael Colahan — www.picturepangea.com)

Island Adventures is so serious about finding whales for our guests, we guarantee sightings on every whale watch tour from March through November. The Pacific Northwest is home to a huge diversity of wildlife, incredible scenery and calm protected waters. In addition to whales, our guests often see harbor seals, Stellar and California Sea Lions, Harbor and Dall’s porpoise, Bald Eagles and a wide variety of Seabirds.

Island Adventures Whale Watching Tours are a great value for such a world class experience. We are easy to get to, our Everett location, from March to mid-May, is only 30 minutes from Seattle, and our Anacortes location, from mid-May through November is an easy 90 minute drive, with no ferry required from Downtown Seattle or Vancouver B.C. Island adventures whale watching tours have been voted #1 in Western Washington by King5, Evening Magazine (the local NBC affiliate) two years in a row.

As defined by the Seattle Aquarium, we are in core-orca whale viewing waters as soon as we leave the marina! Island Adventures runs an extended whale watch season.

Guaranteed Whale Sightings
See up to 4 whale species!

• March 2 – May 10, 3 hour tours
  Best time for Gray Whales
• May 11 – September 30, 5–6 hour tours
  Best time for Orcas and Minke Whales
• October – November, 5–6 hour tours
  Best time for Humpback Whales
• Private Charter Opportunities 

The Island Explorer 3

…Is the Best Wildlife Viewing Vessel in the Area!

The Island Explorer 3 was designed specifically for whale watching, as opposed to a ferry, dinner cruiser or converted fishing boat like most of the other tour boats in the area. Our boat has lots of amenities to make your trip more comfortable, including three on-board restrooms, a large heated cabin with over-sized windows, custom-designed interior with cushioned seating, and a full snack bar. There are full walk around upper and lower viewing decks and our guests enjoy over 400 feet of outside rail viewing space. The quality of our boat will enhance your entire whale watching experience.

All guests will receive a complimentary 64 page color wildlife viewing guide with species checklist. It is our goal each and every day to check off as many as possible! Our viewing guide also includes a map of the San Juan Islands area to keep track of that day’s route. Because of our vessel speed and departure location, we are able to experience more wildlife and island scenery on our way to and from the whales than other tours in the area. Other wildlife typically sighted includes harbor seals, California & steller sea lions, Dall’s & harbor porpoises, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, vultures, and a huge variety of seabirds. Birders love our trips as they often get to add a few species to their life list.

When is the best time to go?

Plan your trip according to the wildlife you’d like to see, using our chart below.

20 years of Creating Magical Memories

There are many companies to choose from while searching for the right whale watching tour. Since 1992, company founders Shane and Jennifer Aggergaard have been committed to offering our passengers much more — striving to exceed our guests’ experience each and every day. Island Adventure’s offers the best boat, best location, guaranteed whale sightings and lots of extras, but it is our highly qualified staff the really separates us from the rest. Our friendly and knowledgeable team is eager to provide outstanding service form start to finish. On board, we’ll entertain and educate you throughout the tour, in hopes that you take away magical memories — and a renewed respect for nature. Many, many lives have been touched by witnessing whales in the wild. We feel privileged to be able to provide this unique and wonderful opportunity.