Whale watching in astoria

I'm cruising to Astoria on the Explorer in September and was wondering if anyone has taken a whale watching tour. RCCL offers a tour. What are everyone's thoughts.

Thanks.

Astoria isn't the best for whale watching. It would be in the open ocean with no guarantee of smooth seas. This area can have some big waves. It's also not optimal season for gray whale migration and spottings. I'm not aware of orcas in the Astoria area.

If you have extra time in the Seattle area, Mystic Sea Charters does great day whale tours out of Anacortes. We've used them several times. There are resident Orca pods in northern Puget Sound and NW coastal waters. (also calmer seas, more seals and eagles)

Astoria isn't the best for whale watching. It would be in the open ocean with no guarantee of smooth seas. This area can have some big waves. It's also not optimal season for gray whale migration and spottings. I'm not aware of orcas in the Astoria area.

 

If you have extra time in the Seattle area, Mystic Sea Charters does great day whale tours out of Anacortes. We've used them several times. There are resident Orca pods in northern Puget Sound and NW coastal waters. (also calmer seas, more seals and eagles)

Thanks for the info but I put in the wrong city. I should have said Victoria BC. Any advise here?

We did a zodiac tour. Lots of fun. We wore wet gear. Of the 12 of us onboard only 1 got wet. DH got soaked. The rest of us were bone dry.

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At the moment whale watching has been good in the Strait and around the San Juan Is. Humpback whales seem to be reestablishing in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea areas. Even a rare sighting lately of a Fin whale in the Strait. In addition to the usual Orca pods. Most of the tour operators radio each other with sighting info so if whales are around they will know where to go. I've taken a whale watching tour (in Alaska) and they are fun unless you get skunked. Also seen whales in Puget Sound from Washington State Ferries.

Thanks for the info but I put in the wrong city. I should have said Victoria BC. Any advise here?

Have done The Prince of Whales tour from Victoria's inner harbor. The boat is a large stable zodiac and you wear a weatherproof suit. The do a good job with the spotting and viewing but a little less so with the naturalist narrative. Would not do this tour on a bad weather day, but was great on a sunny day.

Keep your eyes open as whales are sometimes seen in the Columbia River. We were on Jewel late Sept 2015 and we saw a couple of humpbacks in the Columbia River. We saw them from the shore.:).

Note the Prince of Whales in Victoria also has the smaller zodiacs which go more frequently than the bigger one.