2017 Tour Highlights

2017 – The Year of the Transient

2017 was a big year for Island Adventures. We were entering our 21st year of running whale watching tours, opening a new office in Port Angeles, launching a new program in La Conner, and welcoming the newest, most state-of-the-art whale watching vessel in the area – Island Explorer 5. We saw more transient killer whales in 2017 than any other year in Island Adventures' history, as well as witnessing the "Humpback Comeback."Enjoy the photos below, all of which were taken by the amazing staff aboard the Island Explorer 5, Island Explorer 3, and Island Explorer 4!

A killer whale jumping out of the ocean with its mouth closed during daylight.
An orca whale breaching out of the water with a fish in its mouth
A humpback whale breaching the surface of the ocean with its tail fluke visible.
A whale surfacing in calm ocean water
A group of sea lions resting on rocky terrain, some lying flat and others sitting up, with a mix of brown and dark fur.
A humpback whale breaching out of the water.
A killer whale breaches the water, creating a splash, with its dorsal fin visible amidst the waves.
A killer whale surfacing in the ocean near a boat with people watching.
A whale's tail flukes emerging from the water as it dives.
A whale surfacing in the ocean with a spout of water spraying from its blowhole.
Harbor seal swimming in the ocean with only its head visible above water.
Two puffins floating on water facing each other.
A heron standing in shallow water and a flying heron with wings spread over the water.
A whale breaching the surface of the ocean, showing part of its head and body as it leaps out of the water.
A whale's tail emerging from the water with mountains, including a snow-capped peak, in the background.
A whale's tail visible above the water surface as it breaches the ocean.
A whale breaching the water surface, showing its head and part of its body.
A whale jumping out of the water near a boat with tourists on board.
A large white whale-watching boat with multiple decks on calm water, with people on the upper decks and orca whales swimming nearby.
A whale's dorsal fin and part of its back visible above water near a sightseeing boat on a lake or ocean with hilly land in the background.
Orca whales breaching the surface of the ocean near rocky shoreline.
Orca whales in the water with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Trip Highlights | 2021 Gallery

Orca whales swimming in the ocean with only their dorsal fins visible above the water.

Trip Highlights | 2020 Gallery

A humpback whale surfacing in the ocean with water splashing around it.

Trip Highlights | 2019 Gallery

Close-up of an orca whale's head emerging from the water, with the dorsal fin visible, on a calm ocean surface.

Trip Highlights | 2018 Gallery

A whale breaches the water's surface near a rocky shoreline under a partly cloudy sky.

Trip Highlights | 2016 Gallery

A large white yacht with multiple decks on calm blue water, with dolphins swimming in the foreground and a mountainous shoreline in the background under a cloudy sky.

Building the Island Explorer 5 Gallery

Orca whale swimming in the ocean with part of its dorsal fin and back above the water surface

Killer Whale Gallery

A whale's tail emerges from the water near the rocky shoreline with a dense forested hillside in the background and a sailboat in the distance.

Humpbacks Gallery

A dolphin swimming in the ocean with part of its back and dorsal fin visible above the water surface.

Minke Whales Gallery

A whale breaching the surface of the water, with part of its body visible and water splashing around it.

Gray Whales Gallery

A harbor seal lying on a rocky shoreline near the water with a calm sea in the background.

Pacific Northwest Wildlife Gallery

Snow-capped mountain in the distance with a body of water in the foreground at sunset.

World-Class Scenery Gallery