Outer Island Expeditions

I had an incredible time on the three-​hour guided Point Doughty kayak tour. The tour guide was excellent and knowledgable and we got to kayak past the cutest seals! Highly recommended, can’t wait to go again on the day-​long trip.

Excellent kayaking, great guide, a wonderful day on the water.

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.

We enjoyed a fantastic whale watching trip out of Anacortes with Outer Island Expeditions. Our three-​hour tour took us out through the San Juan Islands (nearly to the Canadian border), and we were able observe seals, sea lions, porpoises, tons of sea birds, and ORCAS!
Our journey began at the Skyline Marina, which is located near the San Juan Islands ferry terminal in Anacortes. The crew consisted of the ship’s skipper and a naturalist, each of which had a friendly, outgoing personality and a wealth of knowledge about the local area, the animals, and their habitat.
Apparently all of the local tour operators communicate with each other so that on any given day they all know where the whales are hanging out. Our ship got up to speed (like, «hold on to your hats!» speed) once out of the marina, and headed straight for the Orcas that had been sighted West of San Juan Island. The skipper did slow and stop several other times too, though, to observe other wildlife such as harbor seals, Stellar sea lions, and cormorant colonies en route to the ‘main attraction’.
The whole expedition was a delight; I would recommend this trip to anyone who interested in getting out on the water and viewing some of the Salish Sea’s native inhabitants in their natural environment!
Tips: bring a camera, some warm layers, and snacks/​lunch for sure; sunblock and binoculars might be a good idea as well. Also: bring some cash to tip the hosts; they deserve it!

There are not enough stars to rate how amazing this experience was!!! Truly once in a lifetime trip. Matt and his co captain are great at what they do and excited to share their knowledge on the orcas and sea life. My daughter said it was the best day of her life and I couldn’t agree more. We would and have recommended this trip to everyone we meet. :)

We had an amazing full-​day kayaking trip around Sucia Island with Benson last week. The best part by far was how incredibly knowledgable Benson was about the wildlife. We saw tons of eagles, seals, deer, and more and he was able to speak eloquently about each, providing tons of information we would have never thought to ask.
Our group was just 4 people (2 people in 2 kayaks) which was a perfect, small size. In the end, although it’s called a full-​day trip I think we only did around 4 – 5 hours of actual paddling. 3 hours in the beginning with an hour for lunch followed by 2 hours or so after lunch broken up by a small hike.
I would absolutely recommend kayaking with Outer Island and if possible, ask for Benson to be the guide.

I bought 5 prepaid tickets through a coupon promotion for a Monday 5 PM trip, thinking this would be the highlight of my family’s visit from Maryland. I expected a 3 hour drive to get there, but the ferry was late and the local traffic was heavy, so it became evident that I might be as much as 5 minutes late. I called from the car when I was 30 minutes away, and again at 15 minutes out and at 5 minutes out, to ask if I should give up or keep trying. The pleasant guy on the phone said he would do everything he could to make this work. I arrived at 5:03. I could see the passengers walking across the parking lot to the boat. My party approached the boat, but we were turned away by the Skipper. He explained that he had sold our (prepaid) seats to customers on standby, so there was no longer room for us on the boat.
This should have been handled better. Either the guy on the phone should have told us that he was going to sell our seats to others by a certain time, so I could stop speeding and we could give up, or he could have not sold our seats to others, knowing that we were on the way and only a few minutes late.
Two locals watched all this from the dock. Afterwards they told me they were shocked at how I had been treated. They advised me that there are two better whale watching companies in Anacortes that would never treat their customers so poorly. They advised me to book with them next time. I’m passing that advice on to you.
The next day Nathan Brandow sent me 5 standby tickets by email. I guess he felt a little sorry for what had happened. Though this was a nice gesture, it was of no practical value. My family was on the way back to Maryland, and it makes little to no sense to drive 3.5 hours (each way) for standby seats, knowing that anyone else could displace us merely by buying regular tickets.

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.

Excellent whale watching with Paul and Lindsey. They were great! Dress warmly and bring snacks. Totally worth the time and money.

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!

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!

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.

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!

Had a great time on a 3 hour kayak tour with Katie this past Sunday!
My 16 year old daughter got ride with Katie and had a great time picking her brain about kayaks and life.
We saw all sorts of wildlife and the weather was perfect! We’ve never kayaked before and Katie did a great job getting us orientated and ready to go.
Would definitely do it again!
(PS don’t forget to tip your guides if they did a good job)

Amazing & Easy!
I can’t believe how easy this was. Since it was a first time trip for my family, I wanted to keep it simple. If you leave from Anacortes, no ferries needed. I made all arrangements online (thanks Amazon Local!). We parked the car at the marina and met the staff at 12:30. By 1pm we were on the water. We returned about 5pm.
Captain Matt is friendly and accommodating. One passenger was celebrating her 83^rd birthday (!) Matt slowed the boat whenever she needed to move about. My son threw up over the side of the boat and Chelsea & Elycia were abundantly cheerful and discrete about cleanup!
So yes, motion sickness: the boat travels at high speeds to open water & then will slow or drift silently in proximity to wildlife. I found this delightful! Me + the quiet water + whales = a dream come true. However my sensory-​challenged 10 yr old found the rocking motion made him very seasick. Bring a bag/​7-​Up/​meds as needed. We had best luck when we could keep him upright. The bracing wind is helpful
We saw humpback whales, seals, a variety of bird life, and dolphins playing in the distance. Additionally a fine show was put on by a bald eagle stealing a fish carcass from two angry crows. The crew knew the individual whales by sight and shared tons of interesting facts.
In short: do it! Great boat size (about 24 passengers) sweetheart of a crew, limited snacks available for a dollar (best to bring your own). Bring sunscreen! Enjoy!

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!

What an amazing experience! Everyone has to try this at least once in their life. Paul and Benson were awesome! They made everyone feel right at home on their vessel and was very knowledgeable about marine life and the area. They were great tour guides. At one point, we got to experience a couple of playful humpback whales up close coming right at us. Thank you guys for making it such a memorable experience

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.

We had the most amazing time with Outer Island Expeditions. Our guides were incredibly knowledgable, recognizing whales by their dorsal fins instantly. On our way out, one of the guides spotted a group of three transient Orcas. We had the opportunity to follow them without other boats being around for awhile. During our tracking of these whales, we saw them corner a pod of porpoises and actually saw blood in the water from a kill. Talk about a dream come true!
If you have the opportunity, go to Orcas Island and take a charter with Outer Island Expeditions. You will understand then and there what makes the Pacific Northwest so amazing.

This was mine and my boyfriend’s first whale watching tour. We found a deal on Groupon for pretty much half off, which was awesome. However, you do have to pay attention to when they’re doing tours. I had originally picked a Saturday when they weren’t doing them! And once you get your Groupon voucher, you have to get in touch with the tour people and book your actual tour.
It was so awesome, and never really had a dull moment. At least not to me. Our guide was really laid back and humble. We had the 5:00pm tour, so by the time we got out to where we saw our first orcas, it was their time to come in and rest. There were so many! I think I had my hopes a little too high, thinking they’d come to the boat like you’d see at SeaWorld and in «Free Willy» and stuff. But they did come pretty close to our boat. It was just a very awesome and incredible experience. I would definitely and hopefully will, come back for another tour. If you do the later tours like we did, you’ll definitely want some close toed shoes and a pretty warm jacket. I’m pretty sensitive when it comes to cold weather. I wore some Ugg boots and jeans and a thick hoodie and it did fine for me.
We also stayed overnight. I would suggest it to anyone, no matter how close you’re traveling from. We drove three hours from Bremerton and reserved a hotel about a week or two in advance from our tour date. Their downtown area is really nice and has a good variety of places to eat and hang out at (their Thai restaurant is amazing).
I forgot to mention that there were dozens of sea lions! There were rocks covered with them. And some swimming with the boat, as well. They were very sweet. Overall, I loved the tour. I suggest bringing a good camera. I got decent photos and videos from my iPhone, but I wish I could’ve had a real camera at the time.
If there are families going, don’t worry about your kiddos going hungry. We were out on the boat for about four hours. But in the boat they have a huge storage box filled with snack foods and water bottles. I also suggest that you eat before the tour. We hadn’t eaten since (late) breakfast and thought we’d be good until dinner. We just got a little sleepy towards the end.
Outer Island Expeditions, you were great! Thank you for the awesome experience. It was a lovely way to see our first orca whales who are actually in their natural habitat. Thank you, thank you, thank you!