Puget Sound Express - Port Angeles

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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.

10/01/2026

This season has been so fun; let’s do it again next year 🫍 🐋 With only three months left in 2026, it’s time to start booking 2027 tours! Check out our 2027 schedule below:

📅: February 13 — Edmonds Gray Whale Tours begin
📅: February 27 — Port Townsend Gray Whale Tours begin
📅: April 1 — Edmonds Half-Day Tours begin
📅: April 2 — Port Townsend Half-Day Tours begin
📅: May 1 — Edmonds & Port Townsend Full-Day Tours Begin
📅: May 8 — Port Angeles Half-Day Tours begin

Planning to join us on a safari adventure on the water next year? Booking is live now! For more information or to make a booking, visit pugetsoundexpress.com, or give us a call at 360-385-5288.

📸: Photos by Crew Member Bridget

09/26/2026

Now that’s what I call a breach 😱 Check out this awesome series of photos taken by crew member Bridget on a recent trip into the Strait of Juan de Fuca around the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve off Vancouver Island, British Columbia!

The humpback pictured is BCY0983 “Aerie,” a PSE fave and frequent visitor to the Salish Sea. While on scene, Aerie showed off an impressive range of behaviors, including full breaches (like the one pictured), chin slaps, and belly flops 🐋

09/13/2026

It's one of our favorite times of year for humpback activity in the Strait of Juan de Fuca! This past week we have seen just about every surface-active behavior possible, from breaching and cartwheels to kelping and spy-hopping! In between all of these high energy antics, the whales are continuing to build up their fat stores in preparation for their winter migration to the breeding grounds, and we have also witnessed consistent feeding activities in the upper levels of the water column. This has meant tons of surface time with many animals, particularly around Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Often referred to by crew as the fall "humpback hot spot", this area has been teeming with bait fish and krill over the last few weeks, with the schools often visible from the boat. While we know the vast majority of these humpbacks will be leaving our area soon, we are enjoying every single minute of whatever time we've got left! - Naturalist Rachel R

09/08/2026

Check out these photos from an epic tour we had at the end of August, featuring some top-notch looks at the T49A pod and T137A “Jack”! Guests and crew didn’t have to travel far from Port Townsend to spot this group traveling just off the Point Wilson Lighthouse 😍

This has been an epic summer full of incredible wildlife encounters, and we’re excited to keep the momentum up as we move into autumn! In September, our Half-Day Tour schedule changes a little: from September 8 - 27, our Edmonds Half-Day Tours depart at 9:30 am, and our Port Townsend Half-Day Tours depart at 10:30 am. Starting September 28, our Edmonds and Port Townsend Half-Day Tours both depart at 12 pm daily. Throughout September, Port Angeles Half-Day Tours depart at 12:30 pm.

P.S. Don’t miss out on the last days of our Port Townsend Full-Day Tour, which departs daily at 9:00 am through September 27!

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!

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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