San Juan Safaris Whale Watching

Friday Harbor, United States

5

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 360-378-1323
Website:
www.sanjuansafaris.com
Address:
2 Spring St Landing Ste 6, Friday Harbor, WA, 98250
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
800 ftFriday Harbor
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Today

Today –
Local time (Friday Harbor) 17:02 Monday, 2 June 2025

Business hours

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Tuesday –
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Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Whale Watching is Great for families with kids, private charters and independant travelers.

Attention to details and personalized service. Since 1994 operating from same location with same owners.

This company is known for providing high quality, small group size whale watching & wildlife tours. The boat, Sea Lion, is a new 55 ft vessel, warm and comfortable, walk around deck, U.S. Coast Guard Certified and fast. The faster speed gives greater range and more whale sightings. No one sees whales more than San Juan Safaris. Enjoy the thrill of seeing one of the most impressive animals on the planet — the orca whale.

Serious Fun. Limited space, reserve your adventure now!

History

Established in 1994.

Bill Wright, president, started outdoor adventures in Alaska in 1977 which offered natural history tours, fishing tours, rafting tours and outdoor adventures.

He and his wife, Colleen Johansen — a naturalist, have been operating this business on San Juan Island since 1994. The two of them run all aspects of the business and have highly educated naturalist join them in the summer months.

Meet the Business Owner

Bill Wright W.

Business Owner

President, Kenai River Sport Fishing Lodge

Puget Sound Attractions Council —

People for Puget Sound — Board

Owner/​Marketing consultant, Kenai River Sport Fishing Lodge, Cooper Landing, Alaska. Assist partners in marketing and operating a sport fishing lodge on the Kenai River.

Owner/​Marketing Director, Alaska Seacoast Charters, Inc. Assisted partners in the development of unique natural history charters and fly fishing trips throughout Prince William Sound, Alaska, utilizing our newly renovated 65 foot motor vessel «The Discovery».

Owner/​Operator/​Marketing Director, Action Alaska, Inc. Created and operated an outdoor activities point of sale retail business, selling trips and lodging throughout the state of Alaska.

Superintendent, Chugach State Park & Kenai/​Kodiak Park District, Anchorage, Alaska.

Operation and management of over 750,000 acres of Alaska park lands.

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Nearby

Browse nearby places:
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Cedar Fishing Charter
130
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Friday Harbor Seafoods
Port Dock Main Pier 204 Front St
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San Juan Island Water Taxi
204 Front St
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Public Laundry at The Port of Friday Harbor
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San Juan Canvas Co
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Port of Friday Harbor
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20 reviews of San Juan Safaris Whale Watching

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
Where do I start? I have so many great things I want to write! My husband and I went to Seattle for our anniversary and decided we wanted to go Orca whale watching. I found San Juan Safaris after browsing the web. I called to make the reservation and they were polite and helpful. I got the packaged deal where you fly from Union Lake in Seattle to Friday Harbor. The day of the tour we fly to Friday Harbor and we were greeted by Brittany, I believe. Sweet lady. She checked us in, gave us our passes and told us to be back at the same place 20 minutes prior to our whale watching adventure. We had just enough time to grab a bite to eat and buy a couple of snacks. They do not sell water or snacks on the boat. We go back to our meeting place and hop on the boat. It was a beautiful day! Clear, blue skies and I won’t lie, it was chilly! Remember: bring a hat, gloves and jacket! You’ll need it! The crew provides blankets too! Thumbs up for that! Our guides were Brittany, Emily and Captain Mike. Hope and pray that you get these three on your trip! Brittany and Emily were exciting, enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable! The first mammal we encounter is a humpback whale. It was a sight! After about an hour or so we finally see orcas! They were everywhere! We had the honor of seeing the oldest living Orca called Granny who I believe is 104 years old! One Orca swam directly towards and under our boat! My husband and I were on the opposite side of the boat so we missed it! That was a bummer! But we did witness a baby Orca tail splashing, spy hopping, breaching and flipping! It was an amazing site! We were also lucky enough to see Dall porpoises race in front of the other boats. It was the perfect view! We also saw a ton of sea lions and various birds. This trip was extraordinary and I thank Brittany and Emily for their extensive knowledge of these beautiful whales! I can’t wait to do this again!
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
I really enjoyed my tour. Our guide was as good as one could possibly hope for. She was incredibly enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. I’d recommend them to anyone interested in this type of activity. I also brought my 9 year old and he had a blast.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
PERFECT Whale Watching Trip! Partnered with Kenmore Air, this was THE best way to get to San Juan to go look for wildlife. Kenmore and San Juan Safaris will make sure you don’t miss the boat or the plane. The naturalist onboard were THE BEST (we’ve been to quite a few of them). They are there to answer any questions and very friendly and knowledgeable. The captain was also the best! While following the orcas, he always put us in the BEST positions without violating the space needed for the animals. (vs. other outfits that kept getting too close and had to duck out of the way). I’d DEFINITELY recommend going with this outfit instead of the others we’ve been on on the island, even if you don’t fly there. (They are right next to the ferry terminal so still close by if you don’t fly). A+++++
Place rating: 5
Montpelier, VT
In addition to perfect autumn weather, this whale watch was superb. The excellent crew was informative and very successful finding two pods of orcas. The naturalists were very helpful, the boat was the perfect size, and the skipper excellent at positioning us while staying respectful of the wildlife. I can’t imagine a more perfect whale watch.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
This was a dream come true! The whole experience was amazing. The knowledge from the naturalists were a great addition to the tour. They were super friendly and just as excited to be there as we were. We got to see so many orcas and they were able to point out which was which. The boat was clean and very accommodating, rain slickers, blankets, and wind breakers were all available if we wanted. Really couldn’t have asked for anything better!
Place rating: 5
Fullerton, CA
Cannot overstate how great our trip with San Juan Safaris was. Our booking was done through a ‘whale watching day trip’ package with Kenmore Air, so we were able to fly into Friday Harbor in the AM, go on the tour, and then fly back to Seattle in the PM. The entire package was tremendous, but the San Juan Safaris staff, in particular, made this one of the more memorable things I’ve done in a long time. Not only were they extremely knowledgeable, but they were super excited to be on the boat with us and were just as eager as we were to get great views of orcas. So, if you’re interested in seeing some whales and learning a bit about the local wildlife, this is a great way to go.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
This ended up being a really great, it a bit pricey, experience for us. We saw a lot of whales, a walrus and a few dolphins. You have to bring your own food and dress warmly even in the summer since the best whale watching is done in the evening. Seeing orcas in the wild is definitely something to be experienced.
Place rating: 5
Hillsboro, OR
I’ve been meaning to do this trip for 7 years. We drove from Oregon which is about a 6 hour drive just to do this tour. And it was worth every second. They could find anything orcas in American waters so they took us up into Canadian water where there were about 12 orcas. Most of them were sleeping at the time but we were able to watch them for quite a while as they came up to the surface. We even out to see a orca breech. It was amazing. I would love to do it again
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
This was a fantastic tour! We not only saw an orca, we saw a whole pod of orcas! And some harbor seals. This is one of the prettiest places ive seen while living out here on the west coaat. Our «guides”/wildlife experts were so knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The captain new just where to go to give us the best view of the orcas. Definitely worth the trip. And if you have time before or after check out Friday Harbor — theres plenty of shops and yummy eats!
Place rating: 5
Danville, IN
My husband & I went on the Whale Watch Tour as part of our 35th wedding anniversary celebration. We were very impressed with the staff of San Juan Safaris from the very beginning as they were super pleasant and very knowledgeable. We were very fortunate to be able to see whales from three different pods and there were 30 to 40 whales surrounding our boat! It was AMAZING! The two young ladies with San Juan were just as excited as all of us were! The captain even came down when we got back and said «wow, wasn’t that amazing!» It truly was a great trip and well worth the money! We got a lot of great pictures and video, so make sure you bring your cameras! We feel very blessed to have chosen this company to whale watch with & highly recommend them to everyone!
Place rating: 5
Cayucos, CA
San Juan Safaris was a great experience! The boat (Sea Lion) is clean and well kept. The naturalists were wonderfully knowledgeable, obviously passionate about their jobs. Every stop they were identifying wildlife and giving us interesting information. We watched a group of orcas for a while, which was magnificent and unforgettable. Definitely recommend!
Place rating: 5
Sisters, OR
Great Great Great experience. We went a long way to a bay the captain had in mind.
Many whales — feeding and socializing. It was so wonderful — they breached — did cartwheels,
traveled together — one picture I have six whales in the shot. Mama’s and babies.
The captain turned off the boat engine and you could hear the whales blowing the water out of their blow holes to breathe. Really LOUD
Put this boat on your list if visiting San Juan Island. They are located right where the ferry comes in.
Place rating: 5
Battle Ground, WA
Staff was great and the boat wasn’t over loaded. They knew right where we needed to be to see the whales. We probably say 8 or more. Saw the biggest bald eagle I had ever seen. Can’t wait to do it again!
Place rating: 5
Medical Center, Houston, TX
Unexpected delight! Found this company by accident on google and I’m so glad I did so. They allowed me to arrange a seaplane to and from San juan islands. Inclusive in the price. The tour itself was fantastic and we saw plenty of Orcas as well as sea lions.
Our boat had a much better advantage to view the whales and most of the competitors. The overall experience was fantastic. I highly recommend this tour.
I took the earlier flight so as to have more time at Friday Harbor. This allowed me to rent a moped and tour the whole island seeing both of the historic forts. I can’t wait to return!
Place rating: 5
Parker, CO
Absolutely wonderful experience. Everyone was so professional and knowledgable. Sarah was our naturalist on the boat and she made an amazing trip even better. I also recommend flying in with Kenmore air on a float plane.
Place rating: 5
Scottsdale, AZ
I highly recommend San Juan Safaris for whale/​nature watching in the San Juan Islands! I really enjoyed my Sunday afternoon trip! The staff was extremely knowledgeable and positive. Bonus: they have blankets and binoculars on board that you can use!
Note: I almost took the 5:30 evening trip before I realized I wouldn’t get back to Anacortes until midnight. Just something to consider if you’re not staying on the island.
Place rating: 5
King, WA
This was a wonderful experience! I have taken other whale watching tours and this has been the best! I highly recommend them. We saw Orcas, two Minke whales, seals, eagles, etc. I want to do it all over again. The guides were knowledgeable and engaged. I think they were more excited than we were!
Place rating: 5
Phoenix, AZ
Great trip… saw two separate pods of Orcas today. Great, informative crew and just a great all around experience.
Place rating: 5
Mission Valley, San Diego, CA
Great experience! The crew even let us stay out for longer so we could spot a pod of orca. Super knowledgeable staff that’s eager to inform their customers! It was a long trek from Seattle but it was definitely worth the trip!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
We had a wonderful experience with this team. The naturalists are well experienced and loaded with information about the wild life. They give more information than wiki. Though April is not the best season for whale watching, this crew extended the trip for two hours and traveled farther to watch transient orcas. That was the best part about this team. We had a good sighting of sea lions, seals, bald eagles. Over all it was a very memorable experience.