Voted the #1 whale-watching tour in Washington State. Departing from Anacortes, WA located 90 miles north of Seattle.
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Our lovely encounter with”Charlie II” and his family!
We spent time with the T49A’s pod of Bigg’s killer whales in Haro Strait! This particular pod has frequented our waters this year and it’s always a treat to see little two-year-old Charlie with his iconic underbite!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Captain Tyson appreciation post✌🏼
Tyson is one of our talented captains at the helm of the Island Explorer 5! Not only can he drive the boat, Tyson is a knowledgeable naturalist and whale enthusiast. You can count on this captain to tell the best jokes and to always lead a memorable adventure!
‼️August 28th Extended Range Tour availability‼️
Exciting news… 5 spots have opened up for our 10-12 hour Extended Range Tour on August 28th! Departing at 6 AM, get ready for a wildlife-packed day on the water. These final tickets are first come first serve, and are available to book on our website!
If you miss this opportunity, no worries! Call our office to be one of the first on the waitlist 🐋
Breach alert 🐋
This magnificent breach was an absolute treat during our tour! There’s something special about watching a 50,000+ lb humpback whale launch out of the water!
📸: Naturalist JR Sosky
Monday moods 😆
Sea lions are one of the more animated creatures that we encounter on our tours. Which Steller sea lion are you today (1-4)? Let us know in the comments!
📸: IA Naturalists
You’ve heard of Yogi Bear, meet Yogi the humpback whale! We enjoyed some wild surface action, pec fin slaps, headstands, and a couple breaches! What a wonderful encounter with this spunky whale!
📸: Naturalist Clare Martin
A gray whale in August!!
Look at that beautiful fluke! During the summer months we spend lots of time with orcas and humpback whales, but we were surprised to see a gray whale on a recent trip! This individual was identified as CRC 2411 and was first seen in the Salish Sea in 2021.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Minke whales and more awesome creatures on yesterday’s tours!
Minke whales are a special sight as they can be elusive in our waters. This friendly minke whale gave us some beautiful looks just south of Lopez Island! We watched as it circled the area likely looking for its next meal.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
A sunny summer weekend is upon us!
We can see up to four species of whales on our tours, and the past few days humpback whales, minke whales, and orca whales were in the area! We still have a few spots on our 10 AM and 3:30 PM tours tomorrow if you want to join in on the fun 🦅
Arts & Whales 🎨
The annual Anacortes Arts Festival is this Friday-Sunday! When we’re not on the water, you can find us browsing the art stands & displays. For the ultimate weekend, pair your new painting with a whale and wildlife tour!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Rainy day action ☔️
Our favorite fact on rainy days…whales don’t mind being wet! The past few days gave us gray skies, liquid sunshine, and awesome sightings like this breach from one of the T65A’s.
📸: Naturalist Clare Martin
A playful evening with the T77’s!
This pod of Bigg’s killer whales treated us to lots of action outside of Penn Cove yesterday afternoon! T77 “Asja” had a big breach that was followed by some tail slaps and spy hops from her offspring T77C “Neftali”, T77D “Alcyon”, and T77E “Misneach”.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Let’s have a Steller Sunday!
We have an abundant population of Steller sea lions in the Salish Sea! If not resting on a channel marker, we often see these impressive pinnipeds swimming near rocky refuges scouting for a meal.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Our recent encounter with humpback whale “Gibbous” 🌖
Gibbous was named for a unique semicircular notch on his right fluke. If you know your lunar phases, you probably recognize the gibbous phase of the moon!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Masters of camouflage 🦭
Harbor seals blend in well with the rocky refuges of the Salish Sea. These harbor seals were sunning on the rocks when they got an up close and personal pass from a Bigg’s killer whale!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
There’s nothing like seeing those blows in the horizon!
The summer weather often rewards us with great wildlife-spotting conditions on the water. Whether your prefer the morning cruise or our afternoon adventure, we’re bound to have both great views and awesome encounters!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Who’s ready for a whale-rific weekend?
Our daily whale report on our website details every excursion! Check out the whale report for highlights, photos, and to read about our wildlife encounters. The forecast for this weekend is whales and sunshine ☀️
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Happy hump day from Europa the humpback whale 🐋
Summer season is humpback season in the Salish Sea! We encountered Europa earlier this month on an afternoon cruise in the Strait of Georgia. She was first documented in 2005 and she has had at least four calves in the years since! She is one of many impressive humpback mothers that visit our waters during this time of year.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
A nice lineup with a Washington State Ferry ⛴️
Our Pacific Northwest bingo cards have been filling up lately with iconic sights, lots of wildlife, and so many orca whales! This summer continues to be a wild one on the water, so don’t forget to plan your adventure soon! Hint hint, you don’t want to miss joining one of our crew-favorite 3:30 PM trips 👀
📸: Naturalist Juliann Conrardy
The past few days have been outstanding for Bigg’s killer whales in the Salish Sea 🤯
We bore witness to a record setting T-Party with atleast 38 whales in attendance from over 10 different pods. We were wowed with lots of social behavior and it was a stunning mix of massive males, tiny calves, and everything in between. Every excursion has been unique, and we’re excited about all the action in our area!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
A night to remember… our afternoon trip was one for the books with a massive gathering of killer whales in Puget Sound and a finale from the T65B’s at Bird Rocks.
Born in 2023, T65B3 assisted with the swift takedown of a harbor seal. At only a year old, this little Bigg’s is sure to be a skilled hunter when he grows up. Bigg’s killer whales are apex predators in our waters, and they help maintain balance in their prey populations. Nature’s checks and balances are key to the success of both of these species. It was humbling to see this pod in action and to watch every member of the family contribute.
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
A jaw dropping moment from our encounter on yesterday’s afternoon trip! North of Bellingham Channel, three pods of Bigg’s killer whales came together for an energetic T-party. T77D took our breath away with this impressive breach off our stern!
📸: Lauren Rasmussen
Rainbows and an afternoon snack!
This incredible shot was captured by one of our passengers and features Bigg’s killer whale T46B1 “Tread” after a successful hunt. Bigg’s killer whales are apex predators, and they help to keep prey populations in check! Some days we get to see the circle of life in action.
📸: Lyda
What would you caption this photo 😆? Share below in the comments!
Sometimes you are watching the wildlife, sometimes the wildlife is watching you…
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
We’re loving this summer weather!! With the heat and incredible views in the San Juan Islands, why wouldn’t you be on the water? Mt. Baker was the perfect backdrop for our encounter with the T65B Bigg’s killer whales yesterday afternoon!
📸: Naturalist Clare Martin
What a fun-filled Fourth of July 🇺🇸
We had a great day on the water with lots of Bigg’s killer whales and wildlife sightings, and we finished off the night with amazing views of the Anacortes fireworks show!
📸: Naturalist Sam Murphy
Whales and fireworks in the air… the Fourth of July is tomorrow!
We have an action-packed day on the water planned, and we can’t wait to watch the Anacortes fireworks show from onboard the Island Explorer 5!
📸: Naturalist J.R. Sosky
A big spy hop from our encounter with the T46B pod of Bigg’s killer whales! This individual did some people watching yesterday as it propelled out of the surface to have a look around. What a sight!
📸: Lauren Rasmussen
Can you imagine what that Steller sea lion is thinking?
We’ve witnessed some show downs between Bigg’s killer whales and sea lions, but lucky for these pinnipeds, this pod decided a close pass was close enough!
📸: Naturalist J.R. Sosky
Our late season gray whale has been sighted on our recent trips!
We’ve enjoyed watching this individual feed and hang around the Alden Bank area. With lots of ghost shrimp and tasty options for this whale, we’re interested to see how long they stick around this summer!
📸: Naturalist Juliann Conrardy
712 Seafarer's Way
Anacortes, WA
98221
| Monday | 8am - 4pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 4pm |
| Friday | 8am - 4pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 4pm |
| Sunday | 8am - 4pm |
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Happy Hump Day from the Humpbacks!!! Sharing some beautiful vocals from Hawaiian Adventure’s whale watch yesterday on the Kona Coast. This vocalist deserves an audience!! 🎤 🎥 @hawaiianadventureskona
The clock is ticking!! Our holiday gift certificate sale end tonight at midnight ⏰ Santa’s in town for one night only, but the whales are here all year round! Adventure more in 2024 and join us for a whale and wildlife tour. Visit the website now for the final day of our holiday savings 🎄🐳
The beautiful sounds of humpback whales featuring Captain Tyson! Tyson and Hawaiian Adventures crew had the opportunity to lower their hydrophone into the water during their whale watching tour. They were quickly greeted with this melody! 🎶 During the winter months thousands of humpbacks, including some Salish Sea humpbacks, will migrate to Hawaiian waters for the breeding season! We had to share Captain Tyson’s first singer beneath the surface 🎤 🎥 Footage by Naturalist Sam (feat: Captain Tyson)
Happy Halloween… the eagles are always watching 👀. Bald eagles have scary good eyesight and can see small details from extreme distances! Make sure to hide your Swedish Fish tonight before they mysteriously go missing 🦅🎃
Happy Halloween from the bald eagles… they’re always watching 👀 Bald eagles have scary good eyesight, and chances are, they see you before you see them! 👻🦅
The end is approaching with only 6 tours left this season! That’s 6 more opportunities to adventure with us! This October we’ve had fantastic encounters with orcas and humpbacks. Grab your favorite puffy jacket, a hot chocolate from our cafe, and join us on one of our last tours of 2023 🐳
Here for your whale fix even when you’re not on the water, enjoy a few clips from yesterday’s adventure 🐳 Those who have been on multiple trips with us before know that every adventure is unique. No two days, routes, or encounters are the same. From the moment we leave the dock we’re on the search… and these are wild animals of course! If wildlife-rich trips are for you, that’s what we do 🦭
NFL Sunday with the Bigg’s! If any team is looking for a new punter, the T75B’s are highly qualified 🏈 A friend sent us this video from his deck on Stuart Island! He walked out just in time to witness a harbor seal punt by the T75B pod of Bigg’s orcas. Now that’s a way to kickoff your Sunday 🦭
Just in from the water…Happy Labor Day from Bigg’s killer whale T137A “Jack”! Jack and other members of the T137’s decided to pay us a visit! Dead in the water with engines off, all we could do was watch in awe! Still deciding on your afternoon plans? With light winds, calm waters, and a good chance of orca whales this evening, join us on our last 3:30 PM trip of the season 🤩
Humpback action on yesterday’s afternoon adventure! This humpback whale was especially surface active when we came onto scene! We watched as the whale slapped its tail and showed it’s flukes. The individual also did a few dramatic peduncle throws, launching it’s lower half through the air in a cartwheel-like movement! What an exciting afternoon, we’re soaking up these last 3:30 PM tours while they last 🐳
We’re back to blue skies after our trip to Tatooine 🌤️ The smoky skies made for wild backdrop while watching whales and wildlife these past few days. With air quality improved and blue skies ahead, we’re looking forward to our upcoming trips and some of the last 3:30 PM trips of the season.
Blue skies and Bigg’s killer whales ☀️ Yesterday’s 3:30 PM trip was outstanding! Calm waters, sunshine, sea lions, harbor seals, bald eagles, and to top it off a very active pod of Bigg’s. We watched as members of the T36A’s breached, tail slapped, spyhopped, and splashed at the surface. What an afternoon!
Artemis made it to Hawaii! She arrived safely in Honolulu and our Island Adventures and Hawaiian Adventures team is cruising her towards the Big Island. Kona here they come! 🌊🛥️
Congratulations Anacortes High School class of 2023! 🎓 We had a blast hosting your grad night and celebrating your amazing accomplishment! Going to school on an island, It’s only fitting that part of your celebration take place on the water! 🌊 We congratulate you on your achievements thus far, and we wish you all the best in your future adventures! 💜
Today we saw… - Feeding minke whales - Stellar sea lions - Split Fin the humpback - gulls and bait balls - and beautiful scenery! Make sure to check out our daily whale report on our website to stay up to date on our latest sightings and awesome wildlife encounters 🐳
Salish Sea sunsets are hard to beat 🌅 Whales, wildlife, and golden hour on the water… it’s no secret why our afternoon trips are our favorite 🤩 3:30 PM departures are running now through the beginning of September. Check out our online tour calendar (link in bio) for our currently availability! 📷 PC: Naturalist Sam Murphy
This week we’ve spotted three three different whale species in the Salish Sea! We encountered orcas, gray whales, and a juvenile humpback 🐋 (our first humpback of the season!) The Salish Sea is one of the largest and most biologically rich inland seas in the world, and we’re loving all the whales, wildlife, and spring weather so far this season! Footage by: IA Naturalists
Off to a great start! Our first trip took us south under Deception Pass down the backside of Whidbey Island! We kicked off the season with… Gray whale #22 Earhart Harbor porpoise Harbor seals Bald Eagles And much more! Footage by: @smurph.travel
The waters in and around the San Juan Islands provide one of the best whale watching opportunities anywhere in the world, offering calm waters and a huge variety of wildlife which including two types of killer whale, humpback whales, minke whales, and gray whales. If you are visiting the northwest or are lucky enough to live here, don’t let this opportunity pass you by! Island Adventures began in 1996 and we pride ourselves on offering educational and responsible whale watching experiences. Our passion for sharing the area’s wildlife with our visitors shows on each and every tour and is the reason we are consistently voted the #1 whale watching tour in Washington!
