Hands Down – my favorite place to watch whales is from the beautiful San Juan Islands, off the Washington coast in the Pacific Northwest. These small unassuming islands are world-famous for their resident orca population. During our weeklong stay in September of 2018, every plan we made revolved around spotting wild orcas. We booked a guided boat tour, a day-long sea kayaking excursion, mapped the best shorelines to watch from, and even stayed at a rental house right on the water for prime whale watching. As luck would have it, we saw orcas on a handful of occasions. Here are my tips for seeing wild orcas from San Juan Island, all while supporting ethical whale watching practices.
Whale Watching Ethically in San Juan Island
Guided Whale Watching Tours:
My first recommendation for selecting a whale watching tour is DO YOUR RESEARCH. Not all guides have the whales’ best interests in mind. Find a company that prioritizes ecotourism practices that protect whales first over sales and profits. This is true for all wildlife tourism- always do your research when booking wildlife viewing excursions. For the Pacific Northwest, I recommend using Pacific Whale Watch Association as a resource. I dove into their site and truly appreciated the detail they put into their whale watching guidelines. Pacific Whale Watch Association members are committed to ecotourism that supports research, education, and responsible wildlife viewing. Each of their member operators provides unique experiences; some tours have larger vessels with more amenities, while others offer zodiacs with an exciting adrenaline-pumping experience. There are pros and cons to all options. For us, I wanted to find a guided tour that had a small intimate boat, followed practices that exceeded the whale watching guidelines, and actively supported the protection of orcas.
I am still pleased with the company we booked, Spirit of Orca. With the help of Ken, the captain and certified naturalist, we ethically observed over thirty orcas. We nearly had the boat to ourselves, just one other couple toured with us for the three-hour-long excursion. In fact, they were regulars, having gone out with Ken on multiple occasions. Ken’s boat, appropriately named, The Spirit of Orca, was the perfect size at just 26 feet in length. Powerful enough to take us quickly to where the whales were, yet small and intimate enough for a near private experience.
What originally caught my attention from Spirit of Orca was their pride in having some of the most conservative viewing guidelines in the world. It was clear their top priority was the well-being and safety of the whales. Ken was skilled at identifying members from the three southern resident pods – J, K, and L. He was in awe of each whale we spotted. Ken’s passion for whales was obvious; from cutting the engine off every chance he had, to photographing the orcas right along with us. It was easy to tell, Ken thoroughly enjoys his work, which makes the guest experience that much more extraordinary. Though our three hours on The Spirit of Orca felt too short, we were able to witness some amazing whale behaviors in the company of Ken.
Sea Kayaking:
When we signed up to sea kayak, I had no idea that we would end up with a private guided experience. Since we were visiting during the shoulder season of September, the number of tourists on the islands had begun to take its seasonal dip. We selected the 5-hour “Orca Search by Kayak” excursion through San Juan Outfitters, based in Roche Harbor. This tour was recommended as the best option for paddlers looking for a little more time on the water (more than a typical 3-hour tour), meaning more chances of seeing marine life. After getting our introduction from our guide Dominque, and figuring out what a kayak spray skirt was, we were ready to dip into the water. Dominque had his own kayak, while Lance and I were in a tandem kayak together. Once again, the off-season played to our advantage, there were hardly any other boats or paddlers out on the water. Once we left Roche Harbor, we paddled our way towards the Haro Strait. This body of water separates British Columbia, Canada from the San Juan Islands; and is known as a marine highway for wildlife of all kinds. Though we never saw any orcas while kayaking, we did spot plenty of adorable harbor seals dotting the rocky coast. Seeing whales would have been unreal, we were just so happy to be out on the water, connecting with the Pacific surf.
Whale Watching from Shore:
Naturally, solid ground doesn’t come to mind when you think of whale watching, but it should! The most ethical and least invasive way to watch marine life is from dry land. In fact, many claim San Juan Island is the world’s best place to view whales from land. Honestly, I’ve got to agree.
Our best luck for seeing whales from the shore came from South Beach, just a short drive outside of Friday Harbor. The first thing you will notice about South Beach, it’s littered with massive amounts of driftwood that roll in and out with the tide. We found the perfect log to kick up our feet and watch the coastline for dorsal fins. It wasn’t long before we spotted a small transient pod was swimming by a short distance from shore. So glad I had our binoculars, they made all the difference in enjoying this sighting. Our eyes were glued to their movements as we watched for their blowhole spray with each breath.
If you are fortunate enough to step foot on San Juan Island, then you must include a stop at Lime Kiln State Park. Located on the western coast of the island, this little State Park is world renown. I remember the videos we watched on YouTube from outrageous whale sightings from Lime Kiln, I was dying to go! When we finally made our last turn into the parking lot, I could not stumble out of the car fast enough and zip down the dirt trail to lay eyes on the famous view. We spent hours with camera and binoculars in hand just scanning the water. Over the course of just one morning, we spotted a dozen harbor seals bobbing their puppy-like faces up out of the water, and at least thirty harbor porpoises that jetted by. We stopped at Lime Kiln a total of three different times- sunrise, midday, and sunset. Even without any success in spotting orcas at Lime Kiln, our time was well spent enjoying the rugged coastal views this park has to offer.
Hot Tub Whale Watching:
When I said every plan we made on San Juan Island revolved around spotting wild orcas – I was dead serious. We were whale watching our entire trip, especially since our rental house doubled as a shoreside lookout for whales. Some of my favorite memories from San Juan were from when we dipped into our private hot tub and whale watched from the warm water.
Additional resources to support ethical whale watching in the San Juan Islands:
- Guided Whale Watching Tour: Spirit of Orca
- Sea Kayaking Excursion: San Juan Outfitters
- Best Locations to Whale Watch from Land: Lime Kiln State Park and South Beach
- Other Ethical Whale Watching Opportunities: Pacific Whale Watch Association
- What to see and do in Friday Harbor: Best Small Town in America
