Mike Barrow Jr

Review of San Juan Safaris-Whale Watchin...

I highly recommend San Juan Safaris if you are loo...

I highly recommend San Juan Safaris if you are looking for a great trip for whale watching! I had family in town from Philadelphia and wanted them to see some of the great things we have in the Pac Northwest. We took the Anacortes Ferry up to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands for a few days, and I looked for a whale watching tour. San Juan Safaris was highly recommended by our hotel and on almost every review site, so I booked them. We had 2 your children with us (1 & 3), so I was a bit nervous. After booking I received a call the next day confirming everything and asking if I had any questions. Nice touch! We showed up about 30 minutes early as requested for our 5:30 sailing. Were able to see a harbor seal in the marina as we waited which was great for the kids. They have an easy to find location close the ferry landing, and it has a nice little gift shop with a coffee bar and snacks as well as fun stuff to buy for the kids. I highly recommend taking some snacks along, and pack a jacket or blanket as the air was a bit chilly. Our tour began with a quick introduction of Alexandria and Mariana (not sure I spelled right). They were both highly qualified to describe the marine life we would see and gave us a lot of great facts as we toured. A plus..they spend a lot of time working with sea life rehab in their free time...and I found out afterward a percentage of the cost of our tour went to protecting the marine life we saw. The boat captain was friendly as well. We were on the vessel Sea Lion. He gave us some pointers about the trip, and the ship we wee on. It was big enough to give everyone space, but not too big. We almost immediately (within 30 mins) discovered a pod of Orcas. We counted 7 of them plus a big male named Onyx. This was one of the locals pods. We learned a lot on this trip about diets, local vs. transient pods, health of the Orca population here, etc. They stopped the boat for a beautiful photo of the Orcas with the mountain in the background, and with the silence you could hear them spouting very clearly. They even got playful and did a few tail slaps. We also were able to see some other marine life on the trip. Harbor seals and various types of porpoises were really close. We even saw a bald eagle perched on a rock. Overall this was a breathtaking trip. It could not have been more perfect. A few days later when I got home I had a handwritten thank you card from the crew. This is a family owned business that truly cares about the experience they provide. Choose San Juan Safaris...their team is incredibly friendly, the boat was great, and the whale watching was amazing!!