Maya's Legacy Whale Watching

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Friday Harbor, WA
Maya's Legacy Whale Watching

Intimate and authentic whale and wildlife tours from San Juan Island, WA. Member of the PWWA.
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02/19/2026

We're excited to collaborate with the Orca Behavior Institute this summer! These tours will offer deeper insight into whale research, field observations, and community science in the Salish Sea.

While the core experience of our Half-Day Whale & Wildlife Tours will remains the same, this tour, led by a scientist from OBI, adds context around how researchers observe whale behavior, collect data, and contribute to long-term understanding of regional ecosystems.

A portion of proceeds from these trips will be donated to OBI in support of their work! If you're not familiar with the Orca Behavior Institute, they are a non-profit whale research organization based here on San Juan Island with the mission of inspiring conservation of wild killer whales through non-invasive research, bold advocacy, and science-based education.

All departures will be 4-hours and depart from downtown Friday Harbor. You can call our office or visit our website to book!

02/18/2026

We’re looking forward to getting back on the water this weekend! Who’s up for an adventure?! There are a few seats left so give us a call to snag them or book online!

01/13/2026

Our winter whale watching tours have been incredible and we have seats available this Sunday! We’ve been seeing whales, tons of wildlife and the late afternoon lighting lasts all day long. Seahawks play on Saturday so come enjoy some winter beauty on Sunday. You can book seats on our website or give us a call at 360-378-7996.

12/05/2025

Looking for treats to enjoy during tonight’s tree lighting in Friday Harbor? We’ll be open and hosting Frankie’s Bakery for the last day of their pop up!

The macarons and oatmeal cream pies are out of this world! (And everything else is too!) stop in, say hi, and snag some goodies before enjoying the festivities!

12/04/2025

We don’t JUST run whale watching tours. Our diverse crew is composed of artists, photographers, birders, and more, and we’ve stocked our new shop with some of our personal favorites so we can share them with anyone who walks through our doors!

We are open today through the weekend and for today and tomorrow we are welcoming Frankie’s Bakery who is doing a pop-up with us. Come peruse our thoughtfully curated shop full of our favorite art supplies, Maya’s gear, and everything you could want for the birder, naturalist, forager, and of course whale lover in your life!

And if you’d rather gift an experience than a physical item we have gift certificates available.

We will be on the water most weekends through the new year and we have tours all week leading up to Christmas and New Year’s! It may be a bit cold out there but it has been amazing too, so come join us!

11/28/2025

Are you on San Juan Island and looking for something fun to do tomorrow? How about joining us for our all-day trip?! We have a few seats open and there is so much to see out there. Come join us!

You can book online this evening to snag your spot!

https://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/contact-us/

11/04/2025

Whales and wildlife has been abounding lately and we are still getting out on the water almost daily. Fall is one of our favorite times here in the Salish Sea as it is such a season of transition. Migrant species that have been here all summer are getting ready for their southbound migrations, while a startling number of Arctic species are returning here to overwinter.

Not only are we sharing this spectacle on our half-day trips but we will have our annual all-day trip on the Friday after Thanksgiving! Ditch the shopping lines and jump onboard with us to spend the day in nature.

10/19/2025

These autumn days may be shorter but it only seems to mean that we're packing all the amazing sightings in more densely! We have had EPIC trips lately with long species lists, including some rare visitors--like a sea otter and hundreds of short-tailed shearwaters!

We have a trip tomorrow with some seats available and we'd love for you to experience the beauty of fall here in the San Juan Islands! Call us at 360-378-7996 or visit our website to book!

10/01/2025

Steller Sea Lions! These guys weigh approximately 2,500 pounds- which is double the weight of a record grizzly bear, more than Captain Sara’s Honda Fit, and more than the entire offensive line of the Seattle Seahawks!

(And they are on the menu for the Bigg’s killer whales!)

Photos 1-2 by
Photos 3-6 by

09/27/2025

We’ve had some epic humpback encounters recently! Fall is a great time to see them before they make their annual migration to their breeding grounds in Hawaii & Mexico.

Photos by April Ryan

09/22/2025

Meet marine naturalist, Alex!

Alex moved to the San Juan Islands at the age of 13 and has been organizing his life to work with orcas since the age of 16. Sharing stories about the whales, their families, and their histories is one of Alex’s favorite things about his job as a marine naturalist. He also loves sharing the place he grew up with visitors.

Alex attended Oregon State University and earned a B.S. in Marine Biology with minors in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and Chemistry. While at university, he spent his summers in Friday Harbor as a field research intern for the research non-profit Orca Behavior Institute. During his internship, Alex learned from some of the world’s leading orca researchers, spending his time in the field collecting behavioral data on Resident and Bigg’s killer whales. Later, Orca Behavior Institute brought Alex on as an education and research assistant, where he currently still contributes to orca research.

When Alex isn’t working with whales, he is a substitute teacher at Friday Harbor School. Being a naturalist is a great fit because it combines Alex’s love for whales with his love for teaching. Alex loves to adventure and explore new places, especially national parks, with his wife, Hayley and their dog, Maya.

Have you been onboard with Alex? Let us know!

09/21/2025

While out on an After the Breach Podcast all-day trip with Maya's Legacy Whale Watching today we made the trek to Howe Sound near Vancouver, BC - a long run, but wow, was it worth it! We were lucky enough to catch up with Northern Resident killer whales 🤯

It's not unusual for members of the A5 pod to visit the Sunshine Coast, but this is a bit earlier in the season than they usually do. We expect them to be there more in the November-February time frame. But the eating must be good, as the entire pod has spent at least part of this month in the northern reaches of the Strait of Georgia.

Here 8 members of the A25s and A42s surface side by side. We'll have more photos and videos of this encounter to share in the near future!

Address

50 Spring Street
Friday Harbor, WA
98250

Website

http://www.sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/

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