Maya's Legacy Whale Watching

fun Captain Jeff "Perfect " and 1st Mate April! plus we saw 12 Ocra's and family of 4 breech together! amazing day! seals, otter, sea lions, bald eagles, lions mane jelly fish, 12 orcas playing, and ate some kelp. really a rare but perfect day!

Reviewed on Facebook

there isn't enough room to rave about this excursion and our amazing guides and naturalists, Sarah and Daven! seriously they were some of the kindest and knowledgeable people we've ever met! it was our privilege to be able to participate in such an amazing trip. oh, the Wales were amazing, too! 😉 More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Awesome awesome awesome day orcas and humpbacks great naturalist Zoe and our captain was awesome a must with this group!!!

Reviewed on Facebook

Our guide Zoe and Captain Sarah were fabulous. I really appreciate the small group, and the boat itself was wonderful. I’m so glad we spent a bit more for this tour versus all the other options. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My wife and I have tried to see orcas on two previous occasions (in Alaska and out of Victoria) with no luck.  So, hats off to Jeff and Zoey at Maya's Legacy for going above and beyond to find some whales during our tour.   We covered around 80 miles during the trip, including a fast b-line south for 45 minutes when one of the other operators radio's in a sighting.  The various tour operators work collectively to search the area and help each other out.I highly recommend the half day trip.  The smaller, faster boat makes a difference.  It was plenty comfortable, and the glass cabin provides good shelter from the wind.  There are no bad seats, and with so few passengers, there is no jockeying for spots.  Two tips: dress warm.  We went in mid July on a day forecasted to be around 70 degrees.  It's definitely colder out on the water, plus the constant breeze and headwind from the moving boat.  Wear something windproof on top.  Secondly, consider the afternoon/evening tour.  In the mornings, the tour operators are looking for the whales.  By the afternoon, they should know where they are and should be able to find them more quickly. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I cannot put into words how incredible our experience was! From the moment we arrived the excitement of the staff was infectious. Jeff and Zoe were knowledgeable and offered great information that added to our experience immensely. There was plenty of space for everyone to have perfect views of the wildlife and Jeff went above and beyond to make sure we were as close as possible to the wildlife we saw and that everyone got ample time to take videos and photos. The icing on the cake was the email we received a couple of days later which was personalized to our excursion and included several photos taken by Zoe and Jeff. We will definitely return and we will be using Maya's Legacy again! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great tour and amazing staff! Captain Jeff and April were our guides for the afternoon trip my mom and I took on June 15th. I have loved orcas from the age of 3 and I owe so much to them as they sparked my love of animals and wanting a career working with animals. For the past 8 years I have been dreaming of visiting the PNW and I have wanted to see orcas in their natural habitat. I found Maya’s Legacy about 5 or so years ago and knew I wanted to tour with them. Once we got out on the water they took us straight to a humpback whales ID’d as Splitfin and we spent some time observing them. We then spent some time touring more of the San Juan’s and saw Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, and Black Oystercatchers. I knew there was a high chance we wouldn’t see any orcas but right at the end of the tour, Captain Jeff and April asked if all of us on the boat were okay extending the tour by 30 minutes which we all said yes. We then raced down a strait to find the T123s. It was so special and there is nothing like seeing that big dorsal fin of T123A “Stanley” come up out of the water. I cannot wait to tour with Maya’s Legacy again and enjoy the perfect, and pretty much magic, that the San Juan’s have to offer. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Amazing experience. 2 days FULL of orcas. We also saw lots of sea lions and seals, puffins, eagles, and more. Absolutely incredible boat captains and naturalists. Highly recommend!!

Reviewed on Facebook

First things first--bring binoculars if possible! They do have some on the boat, but it is much easier to carry your own.Captain Jeff and guide April did an amazing job leading the tour . They were knowledgeable, passionate, and extremely friendly. We didn't get to see any orca but did see humpback whales, wild goats, bald eagles, and lots of coastal wildlife around the islands. They have a smaller boat so the view was great for everyone.What makes all these even better is that April somehow managed to pull off some INCOMPARABLE shots and shared them with us after the tour.Would highly recommend this to anyone who visits San Juan Island. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I had a fantastic day on the water today with Capt Daven and Naturalist Sara, thank you both! We saw Orcas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then heading home we saw seals, sea birds and even an eagle. I also enjoyed the information about the Orcas' intelligence, their ecosystem and their habitat. Thank you Maya's! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We had a great time on our whale watching trip. Capt. Jeff and April were both great. They found orcas almost immediately and we got quite the show from them. It was really the highlight of our trip. It’s been a lifelong dream to see these beautiful creatures in the wild and I am so grateful to Jeff and April for making that happen. I would highly recommend them! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My husband and I went out on a 6-hour Eco Tour on 5/16. Captain Jeff and the Naturalist, April, were awesome! They were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about ALL of the wildlife around the islands. The boat was very comfortable. After the tour, April followed up with an email review of our trip with pictures, which I thought was a nice bonus. We will definitely go out with Maya's when we visit again! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Captain Jeff and April were awesome! They took us to a lighthouse to spread our loved one's ashes. Then we saw all kinds of animal on an island, then sea lions and seals. And then we followed a mother whale and her 3 children born at different times. We learned a lot and had a great time. Definitely recommend them! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Took a day trip up to San Juan with my mom who was visiting from out of town. Captain Daven and Sarah provided a wonderful experience. Captain Daven was very charming and had great stories to tell. Both he and Sarah were extremely knowledgeable of the geography and wildlife. And yes, we did see orca whales! Stella and her family of three children! On top of that, the boat was clean and comfortable. There was a covered cabin which was great to protect against the elements, only 10 guests total, and they provided binoculars! All around, five stars. Hope to see Captain Daven and Sarah again! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I had never been whale watching before and didn't know what to expect.Long story short, we didn't see any whales.However, Captain Sara and Ellie were absolutely awesome! We saw over a dozen different animals that are native to the area. They are incredibly knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. Captain Sara knew where to go to make the trip worthwhile. My favorite part was getting to see the very large and very vocal Stellar Sea Lions.I will definitely come back later in the summer and plan to use Maya's Legacy Whale Watching again (and hopefully get to see some whales next time)! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Captain Amazing and April knocked it out of the park! I couldn’t have asked for a better tour. Worth every penny. By far one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Love it

Reviewed on Facebook

We are super glad we chose Maya's!  The boat is excellent...and even has an inside cabin, which we were super thankful for as the weather was not the best.  We went twice and had two different adventures.  Lots of fantastic wildlife was seen.  The captain's and the naturalists were fantastic.  They are a bit expensive, but it was worth the $$. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I love this company! They love everything about this slice of paradise and share all they know freely. They respect the habitat and all the creatures who inhabit it

Reviewed on Facebook

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!  My husband and I celebrated our anniversary last year by going on a whale watching cruise with Maya's and it was the best whale watching experience I've ever had. The staff was incredible. They were super helpful when it came to booking the tours and offering accommodations and food suggestions. The check in process was easy. The boat was really nice. The crew was amazing. I'm so grateful we were able to go out a second time with them. We saw so many whales both days and it's an experience I'll never forget. I was gifted with a sticker and it's been on my truck since we left  I can't wait to go whale watching with them again! Thank you!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great crew, got us to the whales and had extensive knowledge.

Reviewed on Facebook

Me and my wife went out to San Juan Islands for our 10 year anniversary. Very excited to see killer whales it was basically the reason we went to the islands. We took a tour and didn't see any whales and were very disappointed. Later in our trip we got a call from a Maya's legacy employee named Sarah Who called in at her to report of killer whales off the coast that you could see from shore. We raced out to a lighthouse and were able to see six killer whales hunting a sea lion. It was magical and made our trip. Sarah could have very easily not called and we are so grateful she did. That's the quality service and care you get at Maya's legacy. Five stars all the way! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great crew. Great tour. Tons of fun, but dress warm!

Reviewed on Facebook

On Sunday, we decided last minute to take a whale watching tour.  Maya's was sold out, so we tried two other outfits. All booked. As we were walking down the sidewalk, we saw the crew from Maya's. They remembered us and said they had a cancellation, did we want to come?! It was incredible. First of all, the boats are very comfortable. The crew is so knowledgeable and you can tell they genuinely love what they do. We were able to see 10 Transient Orcas. We watched them for 40 minutes. We then saw bald eagles, harbor seals, sea lions and various birds. It was a perfect afternoon. We are lucky to live in Washington and I've decided all future guests of ours will be taken to Maya's! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Highly recommend Maya’s Legacy. Yesterday I took the morning and afternoon trip with them out of Friday Harbor and had two vastly different and AMAZING experiences. The morning trip was filled with Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Dall’s Porpoises and much more. Captain Alan and Sara were wonderful- incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. The created a welcoming and fun atmosphere on the boat and were consistently going the extra mile to show us as much wildlife as possible. The afternoon trip was just as spectacular- but filled with different wildlife. We had the honor of following the K-Pod (17 whales) from the Northwest most corner of the US. Again we have had Capital Alan at the helm but April was our dedicated naturalist- both were again wonderful. The staff has a vast amount of knowledge and is more than willing to share. You can tell by talking to all of them how passionate they are about the creatures they teach you about and how respectful they are to not disturb them. Both trips were on the “J2” boat which was really 10/10- very clean, not a bad seat and easily opens up when you get one scene of wildlife. My booking experience was also effortless, I called the office to ask some questions and then ended up booking online. Maya’s Legacy has great communication emails at book and prior to your trip. Hands down would recommend them to anyone visiting the island. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Highly recommend Maya's Legacy. Yesterday I took the morning and afternoon trip with them out of Friday Harbor and had two vastly different and AMAZING experiences. The morning trip was filled with Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Dall's Porpoises and much more. Captain Alan and Sara were wonderful- incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. The created a welcoming and fun atmosphere on the boat and were consistently going the extra mile to show us as much wildlife as possible. The afternoon trip was just as spectacular- but filled with different wildlife. We had the honor of following the K-Pod (17 whales) from the Northwest most corner of the US. Again we have had Capital Alan at the helm but April was our dedicated naturalist- both were again wonderful. The staff has a vast amount of knowledge and is more than willing to share. You can tell by talking to all of them how passionate they are about the creatures they teach you about and how respectful they are to not disturb them. Both trips were on the "J2" boat which was really 10/10- very clean, not a bad seat and easily opens up when you get one scene of wildlife. My booking experience was also effortless, I called the office to ask some questions and then ended up booking online. Maya's Legacy has great communication emails at book and prior to your trip. Hands down would recommend them to anyone visiting the island. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This summer my husband, sister, niece and I all went on board with Naturalist April and Captain Daven for a awe inspiring trip on July 10th. Even though we wore masks, it was still a thrill to be on board with them. They are both very knowledgeable and spent a lot of time answering our questions. Since the salmon eating orcas are dwindling in numbers, this is a must do trip for anyone who loves them. I have been out with Maya's three times now and every time is unique and I have always seen these amazing, breath-taking whales. Plus, the boat ride itself is delightful and the boat is smooth and fast. It is worth every penny! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We arrived early to our tour but were surprised when Captain Dave rushed us along.... he said he knew where some whales were at and they were heading towards the Canadian border and "if we had any chance of seeing them we had to get moving! " We were rewarded by enjoying quiet time with a transient Orca mom and her 5 babies sleeping!! Thank you Sarah & Captain Dave we had an incredible trip! 8/28/20 More...

Reviewed on Facebook

I highly recommend going on a whale watching tour with Maya's Legacy! The crew members are very welcoming and knowledgeable. Plus they take small groups (even when there is not a pandemic) so it's never crowded and you always have a good view and plenty of room to move around. It's well worth the money. If you are traveling with your dog, just call the office and they'll recommend some local pet sitters. Beth watched my dog and she was great! More...

Reviewed on Facebook