Puget Sound Express - Port Angeles

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Puget Sound Express - Port Angeles

See whales in the wild! Join family-run Puget Sound Express on our popular Port Angeles Half Day Whale Watching Tour. Visiting Olympic National Park?

Our tour allows you to see humpbacks & orcas during your visit with plenty of time to explore the Park. Our vessels feature comfortable inside seating for everyone with a heated cabin, an outdoor viewing deck for wildlife, TV monitors for naturalist presentations, a snack bar and restrooms. Don’t miss our signature, freshly-baked “blueberry buckle.” On-board you will have a trained naturalist that will guide you along the way and explain the scenery, geography, history and wildlife of the area.

09/05/2026

August is somehow over, but as the busy season slows down the whales have not! Our last tours of the month in Port Angeles enjoyed amazing looks at orcas, humpbacks and sea lions. The morning trip experienced one of our favorite fall humpback activities...lunge feeding! Here you can see BCZ0345 Victory as she gobbles up a bait ball at the surface, prepping for a long migration south in just a few months. In the afternoon, we got a call from our sister ship the Redhead that they had found a giant T-party just south of our location. Around 20 orcas - the T100s, T101s, T46Bs, T46C1 & C2 - swam together in glassy seas; conditions were just right for hearing their exhalations, one after another. The best way to transition into fall! - Naturalist Rachel R

09/01/2026

As we move towards autumn and winter, we want to highlight our options for group tours and private charters! If you’re planning a corporate bonding event, school field trip, holiday party, or even a wedding, why not host it on the water? We offer bespoke tours for every group, from a 2-hour scenic cruise to a 5-hour whale watch! If you’re ready to make a booking or would like some more information on our group rates, please send an to our team: [email protected]. See you onboard!

08/25/2026

Did you know that orcas are s*xually dimorphic? This means that mature females and males are visibly different from one another and, in the case of orcas, can be seen in their dorsal fins 🫍 During puberty (around age 12-15), male orcas experience a rapid period of growth where their dorsal fin shoots up in height, typically ending up around 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters) tall — roughly double the height of their female counterparts! Adult male orcas tend to have dorsal fins that stand straight up, whereas adult female orcas often have curved or angled dorsal fins. When viewing orcas, it’s usually pretty apparent which whales are adult females and males, but it’s often more difficult to determine the s*x of the juvenile whales; we sometimes don’t know an individual is male until they start undergoing the sprouting process.

In this recent encounter with the T77 pod, you can see the difference in dorsals between the female and male pod members, as well as the juvenile who was born in 2016. Within the next five years, we should have an indication on whether T77E is female or male!

08/23/2026

Did you know that we’re in the middle of World Photography Week? We’re celebrating by sharing some of our favorite photos taken by guests aboard our whale-watching trips and puffin cruises this summer! How epic are these shots?! ☀️

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08/15/2026

Thursday was an orca-filled day in Port Angeles, featuring the T60 brothers (T60D “Onca” and T60E “Lynx) and the T46Bs!

Guests and crew aboard Glacier Spirit started the day by checking out the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve in British Columbia, where they also spotted three humpback whales. After viewing these remarkable animals, we transited south, back towards the Olympic Peninsula, when Captain Carl spotted a different type of dorsal fin — killer whales! We first spotted T60D “Onca” and T60E “Lynx” 3 miles north of Ediz Hook, heading quickly eastbound.

We soon realized why these whales were on their way east: breaching in the distance indicated they were heading to meet the T46B pod! Once the T60 brothers reached the T46Bs, we got to witness a plethora of social behaviors, including tail slaps and breaching. It was an epic way to end an awesome trip!

📸: Naturalist Adam

08/07/2026

Recently, we’ve had an influx of questions about one topic in particular: our sweet, sweet Blueberry Buckle!

Made fresh daily aboard each PSE vessel, Blueberry Buckle is a family recipe in the Hanke family, and we love serving it to visitors from near and far! Included in each Welcome Aboard booklet is the recipe, but we know that these can end up in scrapbooks, memory boxes, and even the bottom of your luggage. So, without further ado, the Blueberry Buckle recipe of your dreams:

🫐 Ingredients:

Cake -

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries-washed

Crumb Topping -

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

🫐 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°, grease a 9x9 baking pan.

2. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In separate bowl cream together butter and sugar, gradually add egg and milk.

4. Combine dry ingredients with wet until smooth.

5. Fold in fresh blueberries.

6. Pour into greased pan.

7. For topping use a pastry cutter or two knives cross-wise to cut butter into sugar, flour, and cinnamon - butter should be the size of peas.

8. Sprinkle topping on cake and bake for 35 minutes or until middle does not jiggle when shaken.

9. Enjoy! We can’t wait to see how your Blueberry Buckle turns out!

08/02/2026

Not sure how it's August already, but we are still reminiscing on a beautiful July! Our afternoon trip on the 30th was filled with an abundance of wildlife of all shapes and sizes. Starting things off right, we spent some time with our favorite PA harbor celebrities, the Pacific white-sided dolphins, as they leisurely swam beside the vessel in calm waters. Heading out into the strait, we got the call we'd be waiting for all day...orcas inbound! We caught up with two members of the T77 pod as they moseyed along eastbound. Leaving them we swung up to Race Rocks where we were delighted to find not only the expected seals and sea lions, but also a humpback feeding in Race Pass! This is a spot we typically see HBs hang out later in the year, a sure sign that fall is fast approaching. For a grand finale, we cruised over to Church Rock, just off Becher Bay, to find a sea otter napping in a bed of kelp. While there has been a resident otter here over the last couple years, it has been seen only sporadically these last few months, so we were especially excited to finally get some good views! - Naturalist Rachel R.

07/31/2026

🚨 New product alert 🚨 For the past several months, our excellent team of naturalists has been hard at work creating a new product, and it’s finally here: everyone, give it up for the Puget Sound Express Wildlife Activity & Coloring Book! Researched, written, and illustrated by PSE’s very own naturalists, this book features 34 pages of fun and educational entertainment, perfect for kids of all ages (yes, that includes you, mom and dad!).

For future bookings, you’ll have the option to pre-order a PSE Wildlife Activity & Coloring Book as part of your reservation. If you already have a booking, fret not; we will also be selling the books on each vessel!

P.S., each book also comes with an 8-pack of crayons — can’t wait to see all your wonderful creations!

07/27/2026

We can’t believe our summer season is already halfway over 😱 We've had some awesome days out of the water so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds! Check out some of our favorite summer 2026 photos snapped by crew members and naturalists aboard our vessels.

If you’re ready to join us for an adventure on the water, tours depart daily! Check out our schedule below:

📍Seattle (Edmonds): Half-Day Tours depart at 9:30 am & 2:30 pm; All-Day Tours depart at 10 am
📍Port Townsend: Half-Day Tours depart at 10:30 am and 3 pm; All-Day Tours depart at 9 am
📍Port Angeles: Half-Day Tours depart at 10 am and 2:30 pm

📸: Photos by Naturalist Zoe, and Crew Members Lauryn & Bridget

07/12/2026

We’re here to kick off Sunday with some happy news: at the end of last week, humpback BCY1014 “Pop Tart” was freed from a week-long entanglement! We, along with other Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) members across western Washington and British Columbia, reported Pop Tart’s entanglement and worked with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)’s Marine Mammal Rescue Unit to track Pop Tart’s movement, ultimately resulting in her freedom from fishing gear (a long line and small buoy). We’re so glad we could play a role in freeing Pop Tart and are excited to continue seeing her swim freely!

For more information on the freeing of Pop Tart, please visit PWWA’s website: https://bit.ly/4fcuOZY

📸: Photos taken by the PSE team feature Pop Tart’s entanglement and were used to help track her location.

Address

15 E Railroad Avenue
Port Angeles, WA
98362

Telephone

+13603855288

Website

https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/port-angeles-half-day-whale-watching-tour/

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