Spirit of Orca Whale Watching & Wildlife Tours

The tour was amazing! We were able to see 3 different families of Orca whales. One of the pods was never seen in this WA sound before. Everyone was so excited to see this pod called 007. The staff was amazing, they were taking photos and documenting all that they saw. We even were able to stay out on the water an extra hour viewing these amazing creatures. I can't say enough good things about our staff, informative and attentive to ALL our needs. THANK YOU MATT, ALEX AND SAM!!! Would absolutely 💯 % recommend this company. You will not be disappointed!

We went on this trip. Amazing time. We saw Orca and Humpback Whales. Bald Eagles, seals and more. Staff are amazing and the boat is nice and clean. Captain Tyson was wonderful! Highly recommend this trip

TL;DR- Fantastic experience that the entire family enjoyed!! *Highly* recommend Spirit of Orca!!

Helmed by CAPT Ken, his passion for orca-spotting was evident even before arriving in Anacortes. We had driven up early to make sure we were situated, and 90 minutes before our scheduled 2PM time, he called us asking if we could go early because he had just spotted a pod of orca and wanted to ensure we could see them. He made best speed, expertly navigating through some choppy water and within an hour, we had our first visual sighting of two orcas. He safely trolled near these two, which eventually led us to the rest of the pod that was at least 5 strong! For the next two hours, we stayed with them, getting incredible pictures and sightings.

CAPT Ken ensured we had the best experience possible, and his in-depth local knowledge of individual pods, their history, offspring, and the distinction between the Southern Resident "salmon eaters" and the other species of "mammal eater" orcas helped make the whole tour that much better. He focused on giving us the best experience possible. I will caveat this by saying even if we had not seen a single orca, his dedication and passion in finding these beautiful creatures would not have detracted from our experience. We came across a larger whale watching boat, and I can attest that the smaller group setting is the way to go. Had we been at the mercy of a multi-party charter, we would have certainly missed the front row seat/private viewing we had for 2+ hours.

These are wild animals, and despite best efforts, cannot always be predicted. The Whale Watching Fleet and CAPT Ken do their best, and for us, it paid off in the best way possible! If you've read this far, I can assure you this is the orca charter for you!

Note: photos by CAPT Ken himself!

Captain Ken was very informative and educational while guiding us to see all the wildlife on our watch list! He gave 110% towards our tour. And he encouraged us to enjoy while he took amazing photos with his professional camera! Definitely a must do

Save yourself the time and research, book this tour!! I have never written a review before, but I feel it is absolutely necessary after our great experience with Spirit of Orca. This was the best tour we could’ve asked for.

After doing hours of research comparing the multiple whale watching tour companies in the area, we had decided on Spirit of Orca. I can say with 100% confidence that we made the right choice. Ken exceeded every expectation - from accommodating our itinerary changes due to canceled flights, to finding every animal on our “wish list,” to taking professional-quality photos during our tour and sharing them with us for free - making this the highlight of our vacation.

Our experience with Spirit of Orca began when two of our flights to Seattle were canceled, resulting in us missing our original tour with Ken. We were resigned to the fact that we were not going to be able to go on a whale tour during our vacation and that we were going to lose the money we already paid to book it. Ken quickly eased our worries though. He was responsive and did everything he could to fit us in for another tour during our stay in Washington. Despite his boat being in the shop that week - plus the fact that he was otherwise fully booked until October - he made it happen. Ken bent over backwards to get his boat tour-ready as soon as it got out of the shop and, as a result, he was able to add an extra tour to his schedule to accommodate us. All this at no additional cost for us. I’d never before experienced this level of kindness and service. It was clear that Ken genuinely cares about his customers and their experience.

Our tour conveniently departed from Anacortes, so we didn’t need to take the ferry to Friday Harbor. Upon departure, Ken educated us on the area and its marine life. Through our conversation and questions, Ken deduced which animals we’d be most interested in seeing. Ken knew exactly where to find all of the animals we were hoping to see - orcas, porpoises, sea lions, seals, river otters, bald eagles, puffins, cormorants, and other marine birds. The tour exceeded all of our expectations. Ken made the experience even more special by doing things like shutting off his engine so we could hear the spray of the whales and maneuvering his boat as close to the animals as possible, while still maintaining respectful distances. We had five people in our group and we were never fighting each other for a view; we were all able to see everything and move around the boat freely. The small group had an intimate feel and provided us with a once in a lifetime experience.

Ken was overall the best captain we could’ve asked for. He was kind, caring, knowledgeable, and enjoyable to be around. We even heard other tour captains joking over the radio about how incredibly successful Ken had been at finding the whales in recent weeks. I cannot recommend Spirit of Orca enough. Trust me when I say you can book this tour with the peace of mind knowing that it is the best one out there.

Captain Jim and Naturalist Dana were fantastic!!! We saw porpoise, sea lions, orcas AND a bald eagle who caught a fish!! Dana was a wealth of knowledge and made sure everyone had a great personalized experience! Jim showed us some amazing spots and stopped for each photo op! They heard it was my daughter's birthday and they made sure make that she felt special. Thank you!!!

Cap Ken is an experienced and easy going storyteller that will keep you amused and riveted for 3 hours, unless you’re like me and you didn’t plan your liquid intake well and needed to use a bathroom in the last hour haha.

I took photos with my iPhone which did not do the wildlife justice. Thankfully Ken took shots with a high quality camera which I attached.

Being on a smaller boat also had its advantages. I feel like we got the scoop on the orcas while all other boats lagged in the distance, its several passengers elbowing their way to a view.

I wouldn’t change anything about it for the world. What an experience!

The trip was amazing. Got to see orcas, humpbacks, bald eagles, and so much more. Boat was a perfect size to feel comfortable but also small and fast enough to be able to get to, see, and follow the whales. Ken knows the animals and sea well. We felt like the commentary was just right - lots of great info, but not constant drone over the PA speakers like some tours. Ken sent us great photos from the tour at the end of the day as well.

This is the absolute best whale tour! My wife, pup and I saw several orcas, seals, and a bald eagle with Mount Baker in the distance. Captain Ken is awesome and very knowledgable. His boat is perfect for a private boat tour around one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Do not waste your time seeing the coolest apex predator on earth with a 100 person group. Spirit of the orca private tours is 1000% worth it. 100/10 stars! We will definitely be back.

Cap. Ken is the most amazing and knowledgeable person to be with watching Orcas on high waters!!! It was the most memorable and a trip of a lifetime.

From start to finish, my family's whale-watching trip with Spirit of Orca was an incredible and unforgettable experience. Ken was friendly from planning to post-trip and went above and beyond in accommodating us. Also, he has a fancy camera and takes great pictures, which he will e-mail to you shortly after the trip. The orcas weren't around when we were out unfortunately, and it did take about 1.5 hours before we saw any whales, but wow, was it worth the wait! We encountered a humpback whale mother and her calf breaching and feeding for almost 30 minutes after that initial dry spell. Afterwards, we saw sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, and bald eagles on our ride home, the total trip lasting about 3 hours. The whole time, Ken's respect for nature was evident in his skillful boatmanship and knowledge of the Salish Sea and its inhabitants.

One thing to note: there was no guarantee included in the price (over $1000 for 6 people on a private but small boat). Luckily, we saw some incredible whales, but it was a gamble.

I went in Victoria BC in November and luckily I can get a tour for whale watching.

We saw a lot oh humpback whales, with a safe distance from animal, which I really appreciate.

We get strong clothe to protect ourselves from the chilly wind aboard.
Nice tour and good staff.

Superb vessel and Crew to match! The knowledge, friendliness, and outgoing Captain and Crew provided an outstanding day on the Salish Sea. The vessel is top-notch and well maintained. We will definitely return!

If I could give Captain Ken and our experience more than 5 stars, I would! This was our first time on a whale watch, so I wanted a small personal experience. Captain Ken and his boat met and exceeded our expectations. A few minutes after leaving the dock the boat had an issue with the engine. Captain Ken quickly and efficiently handled the issue and we were back on our way. We were never worried and could tell Ken knows his way around a boat! He was nice enough to extend the tour to make up for the short amount of time we lost. We saw whales from different pods and Ken shared facts and stories about the animals and surrounding area. You can tell he has a passion for the whales and his profession. Not to mention his is an excellent photographer and shared his photos with us after the trip. I wasn't aware that the boats are required to stay a certain distance from the whales for their safety and well-being. We appreciated that Captain Ken respected the whales while still giving us a great tour. The whales are incredible creatures and anyone visiting the San Juan Island should experience them on Captain Ken's boat!

Our tour with Ken on 3/29/19 was amazing!! If you want a more personal and private whale watching experience booking a tour with Spirit of the Orca is the way to go! Ken’s boat holds 6 people and is extremely smooth and comfortable to ride in. Ken’s knowledge of the whales in the area is excellent! He knew where the whales were that day and made sure we got there in time to spend over an hour and a half with them! It was an incredible experience! Highly recommend Ken and Spirit of the Orca!

We had the best time on our private tour with Captain Ken! We left the dock early, we had a smooth ride and he kept to our request, which was to focus our time on the orcas, where ever possible. That being the case we spent about 2 hours straight watching a pod of beautiful whales. Ken was very hospitable and knowledgeable and the photos he sent us were amazing! We had a great time and would love to book with him again!

The whale watching trip was incredibly easy to book & what a great price for an intimate experience. The boat is smaller because it only seats 6, which means that you get to enjoy a personal journey. Ken kept in touch through email & once we were on the boat he shared many stories about the orcas and the other wildlife in the area. Highly recommend Spirit of Orca & will definitely do another trip!

Ken was great and very informative. He found 2 different whale pods. It was amazing! The boat was small and intimate. There really isn’t a bathroom on the boat for casual use. More for emergencies only. But they say that on their website too. He took beautiful pictures and sent them to us the next day. My sons dream was to see whales and Ken made sure that happened. Great experience!!

Ken was great! His smaller boat moves faster than the larger big-group ones, which meant more time with the whales and less time traveling! He takes photos with his huge camera to share (much better than my simple cell phone pics), and even has some audio equipment to listen in on the whales talking to one another. I would definitely book with him again for a tour.

Capt Ken offers the best nature tour that I’ve found in the San Juans. Ken knows the area intimately. He goes out of his way to ensure a great wildlife experience. He will often extend the tour if the group can’t bear parting with the marine life. Touring on the Spirit of Orca is addicting... one trip and you’ll be back for more. Thanks, Ken! I hope to see you again next week!