Whale Watching Starts Soon in Everett
Although this article was originally published February 2018, it has been updated to reflect the upcoming 2019 whale watching season.
I've seen enough Gilligan’s Island episodes to be wary of three hour tours.
But, come on: whales. And guaranteed whales. Now that’s a deal.
Starting next month you can hop aboard a 101-foot catamaran in Everett and go whale watching in Puget Sound.
Photo source: Island Adventures. A humpback whale breaching, as seen on an Island Adventures cruise last year.
Island Adventures is a whale watching tour company that sets out from the Everett Marina near Anthony’s. Paying passengers are treated to a three hour tour of Free Willy's stomping grounds: the beautiful, island-studded Salish Sea.
Whales can travel 100 miles in 24 hours during migration season. Island Adventures uses cameras to track their movements and anticipate where individual whales or pods will be. So there’s an element of the “thrill of the hunt” as you stand on deck, scanning Puget Sound for dorsal fins.
Besides the opportunity to catch a glimpse of several types of whale (humpbacks, minke whales, harbor porpoises, and/or orcas all can be seen), you’re likely to see some of your favorite pinnipeds: sea otters, California sea lions, Stellar sea lions, harbor seals, and elephant seals.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles and white pelicans.
How do they guarantee that you’ll see a whale? Whales have been spotted on 6,431 of 6,630 tours since 2002. Island Adventures keeps data on this. If you don’t see a whale on your trip they offer you another cruise, good for whenever. You cruise until you see a whale. That's the deal.
These guys are serious about this. They have a 96% success rate. And they maintain an enthusiastic and rigorously updated blog where they log their sightings (sample blog title: "Stellar Sea Lion Chomps on Octopus!").
Photo source: Island Adventures. An orca from the "J Pod." The J-Pod has nothing to do with the iPod, but refers to a certain clan of 23 orcas centered around a matriarch. The J, K, and L Pods all swim in the Salish Sea.
This year’s pods are showing up early, so the Everett whale watching tours start in February 2019 and run through May 2019.
You can reserve your spot now online (see button below) and you can save $30 off each adult ticket and $20 off each children’s ticket (ages 3-17) with the coupon code "LiveInEverett.”
Plus, they serve beer and wine—that “seals” the deal.
But seriously. You otter go.
It will give your life porpoise.
Richard Porter writes for Live in Everett.