Seattle Gray Whale Watching Tour

Overview

NOTE: Tour time will vary between 3-4 hours long depending on sighting location of gray whales.

Availability

Saturdays & Sundays
March 16th - April 28, 2024

Trip duration

3-4 Hours

What's included

Activity

Route

Seattle

Modes of travel

Requirements

Passport not Required

Highlights

The only Seattle wildlife & gray whale watching tour departing from downtown
Whale sightings guaranteed or receive a free tour for a later date
Expert onboard naturalist guides tour and educates passengers
Free Wildlife & Whale Watching Explorer Guidebook
Locally-sourced onboard food and drinks menu
Validated discount parking across from terminal

About this Trip

Share the Sound with some 35-ton visitors on a Seattle gray whale watching tour aboard the San Juan Clipper departing direct from downtown Seattle’s Pier 69! With the guidance of FRS Clipper’s expert onboard naturalist, you will be on the lookout for these huge special whales as they migrate north. A unique, limited time opportunity!

About Gray Whales

Gray whales can reach nearly 50 feet in length and are known to live up to 70 years! They are baleen whales that migrate between feeding and breeding grounds each year. Gray whales have a slate-gray color with unique white spotted patterns as well as two blowholes on top of their head.

The annual gray whale migration from the Baja Peninsula to the Bering Sea is a challenging, 10,000 mile journey for these great creatures. The area around Seattle and Langley on Whidbey Island is popular with the grays due to the robust ghost shrimp population. There are a little over a dozen of these individuals who visit now, fondly referred by the locals here as the “Sounders.”

While we love them, they don’t stay here forever. Typically, we can enjoy these amazing creatures from March to mid-June, when the Sounders detour from their off-shore journey into the Salish Sea to feed and fuel up for the remainder of their journey to Alaska.

Gallery

A favorite spot to hang out, we often witness sea lion "drama" when a buoy gets too full!

CRC-20898, 2022 calf of "Vivaldi," breaches with a beautiful backdrop of Mount Baker in the background.

Juvenile humpback, CRC-19820 "Malachite" stuck around the south Sound winter, taking advantage of the forage fish resources to grow and thrive.

A pigeon guillemot manages to catch lunch right off of our own Pier 69!

A mother harbor seal shares a fish meal with her pup.

T65A3 "Amir" surfaces.

Harbor seals can be frequently seen on floating booms in the Salish Sea.

A great blue heron perches itself at our very own Pier 69. These beautiful large birds, despite their large size, only get about 5 lbs. when full grown.

Steller's sea lions are often seen taking advantage of higher surface platforms such as buoys to take a rest and dry off.

Killer whale brothers, T65A2 "Ooxjaa" and T65A3 "Amir" surface together.

Join Seattle’s ONLY half-day whale and wildlife watching tour

Discover our 35-ton visitors that migrate to Alaska each year!

Catch sight of gray whales as they surface for a breath of air.

Our expert onboard naturalist guides your gray whale watching tour!

Discover the small population of gray whales that migrate to local waters in the Pacific Northwest each year.

Catch sight of the gray whales off of Whidbey Island.

14 Fun Facts About Gray WhalesRead Now

San Juan Clipper Premium window aisle seats on upper deck.

San Juan Clipper Standard table seats on lower deck (also available on upper deck).

Listen as your onboard naturalist describes local marine wildlife on the Salish Sea.

Soak in 360-degree views from one of the San Juan Clipper's three viewing decks.

Humpback BCX1251 "Orion" takes a deeper dive with Mount Baker on the horizon.

Itinerary & Map

Day 1

Journey from downtown Seattle on the San Juan Clipper high-speed catamaran into the shimmering waters of the Puget Sound to see majestic gray whales. Learn about these 35 ton mammals from your expert onboard naturalist who educates throughout the tour and helps spot sealife. The perfect spring adventure to get out on the Salish Sea with family and friends!

Schedule:

11:00 AM: Departure at Pier 69 downtown Seattle
2:00 – 3:00 PM*: Arrive back at Pier 69 downtown Seattle

*Please note that we anticipate your gray whale watching tour to be 3 – 4 hours depending on where the whales happen to be sighted on those dates. Times are approximate.

Terms

Prices vary by season. Prices listed are minimum prices per adult.

• Whale sightings guaranteed. If we do not see whales on your whale watching tour, you can take another Gray Whale Watching tour or Seattle Half-Day Whale Watching tour for free.
• 1 child (1-11 yrs. old) is half of applicable adult fare.
• Within 2 days prior to travel; the reservation is non-refundable, non-changeable and noncancelable.
• Washington state sales tax and fees not included.
• Pricing in USD and may vary based on selected Standard (non-window aisle) or Premium (window aisle) seating.
• Restrictions apply, subject to change.

2025

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