Whale Watching Worldwide

Washington
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR: Number of
operators
Direct
expenditures
Indirect
Expenditures
Total
Expenditure
1998 317,000 N/A 26 $3,312,000 $10,355,000 $13,567,000
2008 425,000 3.0% 42 $10,845,500 $50,590,500 $61,436,000
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Friday Harbor
02: Lime Kiln Point
03: Port Townsend
04: Port Angeles
05: Anacortes
06: Westport
07: Whidbey Island
In 1986, cetacean watching began in Washington State with the first
dedicated vessel based on San Juan Island. Today, the industry
continues focused on the Haro Strait and adjacent Juan de Fuca
Strait area which accounts for approximately 95% of the total
numbers of whale watchers.
According to the Whale Museum, located at Friday Harbour on San Juan Island, whale watching in the area
reached a maximum of 32 vessels in 1997 and again in 2001. Today, with the industry well‐established, 22
active whale watching vessels are undertaking whale watch trips, owned by 16 dedicated boat‐based
companies. Furthermore, several kayaking companies are also incorporating dedicated whale watching trips
in addition to their traditional nature‐based kayaking tours. In total 18 kayaking operators are accounted for
either with dedicated or opportunistic trips. The remaining operators correspond to 8 charter businesses
located on the Pacific coast of Washington State.
Orca watching occurs in the US‐Canadian transboundary inland waters centred on Haro Strait. The main
departing ports are Friday Harbour on San Juan Island, Port Townsend (east entrance of Puget Sound),
Anacortes on Fidalgo Island, Port Angeles (on the south coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca), and Bellingham
(on Bellingham Bay). From the total whale watchers estimated for Washington, approximately 150,000
correspond to sea‐based participants, departing from these points.
The whale watching season starts in April, extending through the summer and into October, with some
operators offering sporadic trips year round and others targeting gray whale tours in March and April.
Whale watchers can expect whale sightings more than 90% of the time due to the presence of resident orca
pods off San Juan Island which are also easily spotted from shore. The main sighted species are resident and
transient orcas, Dall’s and harbour porpoises, as well as sometimes minke, gray, and humpback whales.
Tours cost on average $80 per adult and $59 per child for a three hour boat trip, and $86 for a half‐day kayak
trip. Kayak excursions are also offered as multiple‐day tours, ranging from approx $350 to $800 for 2 or 5
days.
Farther south, along the west coast, in Westport, there is also a long history of offering sea‐based whale
watching, but at a much smaller scale than around the San Juan Islands and in Haro Strait. The industry in
this area is predominantly charter boats that undertake fishing tours at other times of the year, but focused
on the migratory gray whales during the months of March, April and May. Trips in Westport cost
219