Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching

This group is great. My kids had their hearts set on seeing orcas and they delivered. We had orcas right by the boat. Friendly staff and excellent accommodations. Strongly recommended.

Had an amazing tour today with Captain Jim! We saw so many whales and it was all thanks to his commitment and passion for the job. He was knowledgeable, friendly and full of great stories about the whales and islands history. Another great perk was the indoor cabin. Every other boat we passed the passengers were freezing but we had shelter from the cold when we needed it. Thank you for the amazing adventure captain Jim and the unforgettable experience! I will definitely come again.

Amazing trip with Spencer and Heather. More than we imagined. Wonderful ride, engaging, informative hosts and lots of whale watching. Shout out to Rachel for being so helpful and friendly on the phone. We’d go with them again!

Not impressed. We didn’t see whales, which was fine, but the two tour guides were too engrossed in their own photography. They said that if we did not see whales that they would contact us the next morning to offer us another trip out on the water. They did not do that. Neither did they send us any of the photos they had promised. On top of that, they made it clear that photography is part of their business and they would jump up whenever an animal popped out of the water — ignoring the customers on board.

I have Wanted to see Orca Whales in their natural environment for over 20 years and yesterday was the day that my wish came true. We set out of Snug Harbor with Captain Jim and Orca expert, Jeanne for a 1pm expedition. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Along the way we saw bald eagles soaring in the sky, harbor seals napping on the rocks and a humpback whale casually swimming around. When we finally reached our destination it was like a playground for my majestic friends! For over an hour we watched orcas swim, breach, spy hop, tail slap and entertain us off every side of our boat. There were so many we never knew which way to look for fear of missing another! It was an incredible and fulfilling experience!
The best part of this trip (besides my orca friends of course) was the intimate and personalized feel of our adventure. No big whale watch boat listening to someone on a microphone with these guys. 6 of us on the boat learning about the animals and environment and hearing stories about other sightings they have been privileged to experience made this trip one of a kind for us! It was awesome!
If ever I get a chance to be on the west coast again I will DEFINITELY book a trip with Maya’s Legacy and do it all over again!

Incredible! Captain Jim and crew are great, and the boat is beautiful. We saw so many whales I couldn’t keep count, and Naturalist Jeanie knew the names of each and every one. Just book them. Truly. I could rave all day.

Captain Jim was great. We didn’t see any orcas, but still a great tour (spotting orcas during March is hit-​and-​miss). We did see bald eagles diving into the water seizing pray and battling seagulls, more seals and sea lions than we could count, and plenty of rams, deer, and other hoofed animals scattered across the islands. Jim was really good about answering all our questions and making it a personal experience. When we return to the Islands, we’ll book with him again, but we’ll be sure it’s when the orcas are migrating through the area. Orcas or not, still a good trip.

What a great investment of time and money. Though we went in the off season and were not able to see any whales, Captain Jim and Jeff put forth massive effort to share the history and culture of all of the islands, all while showing us amazing wildlife. So many eagles, seals, stellar sea lions (huge), and even a snowy owl! They really went out of their way to make everyone feel engaged and welcome. The boat itself is great because it’s small enough to create personal memories without the big crowds, yet the double hull design means far less rolling with the waves. We will be back (during whale season this time!).

Wow! What a great trip. This was our first whale watching trip and we were very happy with the results. We saw lots of orcas and humpbacks. Seeing seals, sea lions, bald eagles and other wild life was icing on the cake. Thanks to Jeff and Jim for a great time.

What an amazing experience with Maya’s Legacy! Whale watching is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a young child, and I couldn’t have chosen a better company to let me fulfill this dream. When I called to schedule the tour, Rachel bent over backwards to help me fit this experience into a very tight schedule. Captain Spencer and naturalist Heather were so friendly, funny, and knowledgable, and the intimate setting (only 7 people total including out guides) made it easy to learn, ask questions, and really see everything there was to see. In addition to harbor seals, sea lions, porpoises, and bald eagles, we saw a humpback whale and 30 – 40 members of the three resident orca pods! One of the best parts was seeing Heather and Spencer get just as excited as us to witness the orcas… you can tell how much they care about these creatures and love what they do. I can not recommend this company enough!

September 12, 2015 with Captain Jim. What a wonderful trip! We left Friday Harbor and headed across to Canadian waters. We found a transient pod and watched them circle an island and feed and play. Capt Jim is quite the character, in a very good way. He made this trip awesome. He stopped the boat a couple of times to point out some sea birds so my wife and I could check them off our lifetime bird list. He called us «fellow bird nerds». We left the transient pod and at south end of San Juan Island we found the J17 pod and watched them. The time just flew by. The boat is very stable and safe. No issue with sea sickness for any of the 6 people aboard. Absolutely worth it!

I went out on four trips in two days with Maya. I went on three with Captain Jim, and one with Captain Spencer and Naturalist Heather. All trips were AMAZING. All trips are completely different. The first day, on both the 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM trip, we saw Transient orcas (the T10’s). The southern residents had decided to go too far north that day and were not in the area much to my extreme disappointment. BUT, the crew at Maya made sure we saw Orcas and so we saw the Transients. They came up and under the boat on the 4:30 trip and it was AMAZING. On the second day, some of both L and K pod were back in the area so we spent the entire trip watching them. It was MAGICAL. The residents came right up to us a couple of times and swam under the boat. Neither Jim or Spender chase the whales — they stay within all the guidelines and respectfully observe the whales, because the whales do come to you! I had only originally planned to do two trips in total, but I was lucky enough to jump on the additional two trips because they had an unexpected cancellation. Make sure you BOOK WELL IN ADVANCE for Maya because the boats only take six passengers and otherwise you will not get on. I plan on making this an annual trip and Maya will be the ONLY whale watching company i use! Oh and Heather was also great! I learned so much about the orcas on the trip. There were 3 young boys on the trip as well and she was SO GREAT with them, teaching them facts about the orcas and other marine life. I can’t wait to go back!!!

This was quite simply one of the best experiences ever.
Spencer and Heather were awesome guides, the boat was beautiful and we saw a pod of around 20 Orcas. The pod was «resting» for a while, then went into play mode both breaching the water and exhibiting tons of tail slaps. These creatures are incredibly majestic.
Both Heather and Spencer were incredibly knowledgeable, with Heather telling us all about the life cycles, behaviors and anatomy of the orcas and snapping some incredible pictures.
All in all a phenomenal day.

I had an amazing day yesterday! I went out on the 11am tour with naturalist Jeff and saw 3, yes 3, humpback whales. I had such a great time I went out again on the 5pm tour with Captain Jim where we saw Transient Killer Whales and the Southern Residents! There were so many whales around us I didn’t know where to look! Jim and Jeanne (naturalist) were very knowledgeable and made sure all of us had a great time. I have been whale watching in the Salish Sea for over 10 years and this trip was one of the best, if not THE best, I have been on. If you are wanting to see whales, this is the trip to go on!

Very intimate way to see whales. With so few passengers (6 total on our boat) it felt like we were out on a friend’s boat. Super knowledgeable and passionate guides.

Went out Saturday afternoon with Captain Jim and Jeanne. My brother, sister-​in-​law and I, along with a couple and their daughter. Being a small group meant that both Captain Jim and Jeanne were able to explain the whales and answer any questions. We were fortunate that Captain Jim was communicating with other boats and found whales within 30 minutes for our trip. We got to spend hours just watching at least 8 orcas. The tour was the highlight of a 4-​day trip exploring ½ of Washington. I would recommend Captain Jim Maya for anyone who wants a whale watching tour that is not only affordable, but interesting, informative and personal. Captain Jim truly delivers.

We had an excellent whale watching experience with Captain Jim and Naturalist Jeanne. We saw Orca’s from 3-​different pods, and Captain Jim positioned the boat for great views. Jeanne knew each whale’s name and pod by sight. The boat holds only 6-​passengers and 2-​crew, very comfortable. A real personal experience vs. the larger whale watching boats.

Could not be more complimentary of this tour. Heather and Spencer (our tour guides) were so knowledgable and did everything they could to make sure we got the best experience ever. We saw 8 Orca’s, seals and a bald eagle and Heather was great at providing us with loads of information about each animal. Thank you Maya’s Whale Watching, it was incredible and I will definitely be back!

A great way to whale watch! I loved being out on a small boat, with only six other people on it. We were able to move around the boat comfortably and not have to jockey for good spots.
Captain Jim was very knowledgable about the whales in the area. He made sure we got to see three different pods of orcas, plus several seals.
I haven’t spent much time on a boat, and Captain Jim made me feel very comfortable. Also, he was very committed to safety, and he made sure to coordinate positions with other whale watching boats in the area. Also, there were two very small children on the tour, who seemed a little uneasy at first. Captain Jim did a great job with them.
Important Tips: I was in the San Juan Islands in the summer time, and the tours booked up well in advance. I’d recommend making reservations weeks in advance. Also, the whale watching company prefers that you pay by cash or check.

What a great trip. Spencer, the captain, and Heather, the field biologist, were both very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It’s an intimate tour as the boat isn’t a giant charter, but a small, comfortable boat, so there’s plenty of opportunity to ask questions and learn about the marine life. They were especially wonderful with our 11 year old daughter.
We were lucky enough to find a pod of transient orcas just minutes after disembarking. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Truly this was the highlight of our week in the San Juans.

Best experience ever! Captain and naturalist were very helpful and knowledgeable. Booking was easy and fast. Love everything about this company, we highly recommend it to anyone and everyone and will definitely use them again!