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All 21 Friday Harbor Attractions »

Maya's Westside Charters

210 Madrona Drive, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA 98250
360-378-7996
Ranked #2 of 13 tours in Friday Harbor
5.0 of 5 stars 89 Reviews
Type: Tours
Owner description: Maya's Charters has been in business since 1997 and Captain Jim has been taking folks out to see Orcas on the waters of the San Juans since 1988.Our... more » Owner description: Maya's Charters has been in business since 1997 and Captain Jim has been taking folks out to see Orcas on the waters of the San Juans since 1988.Our whale watching cruise tour operates out of beautiful Snug Harbor at the end of Mitchell Bay Road. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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89 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
Tampa, Florida
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW
1
person found this review helpful

We heard of Maya's through Trip Advisor and from our hotel. Captain Jim was fantastic. While we didn't see whales, Captain Jim and Jeanne (his naturalist) made sure to point out all of the other amazing wildlife. We saw a stellar sea lion, seals, porpoise, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons to name a few. Both Captain Jim and Jeanne are... More

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Vancouver, Washington, United States
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

There were a total of 6 of us on board including Capt Jim and his first mate. I would not recommend trying to go with more, it may get crowded. He told us at the beginning that there was a chance we wouldn't see whales because they had left the bay the day before, but we would look. He started... More

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Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
2 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012

My husband and I planned a weekend away from the kids and decided that it was finally time to conquer my fear of the ocean and the creatures in it so we figured whale watching was one way to get me out there. Captain Jim and Jeanne were amazing...I was right away comfortable on the boat and ready for my... More

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Cascade Locks, Oregon
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012

I would highly recommend Capt Jim for your whale watching trip! We not only saw a pod of 26 whales close up, but were also entertained by Jim and Jeane the naturalist, with an immense knowledge of the whales and the area, and a great sense of humor. They also shared their photos with us, since our inexpensive cameras usually... More

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2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012

It was a messy day with some rough water, but Jim took the time to get us safely where we needed to be -- far from harbor, but with J pod. The larger, slower crafts never made it to J pod, so we had them to ourselves; and Captain Jim didn't cut down on time with them due to the... More

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Cleveland, Ohio
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

I cannot say enough good things about our experience. My husband and I have been planning a whale watching trip (our 1st) in the Northwest for years. We were finally able to get it together and our tour with Maya's Westside Charters was the best decision in our trip planning. The boat seats six comfortably and the views and knowledge... More

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Bothell, Washington
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Last weekend my girlfriend and I booked a trip with Maya and initially I wasn't sure what to expect on this trip, except to see some whales to say the least. But at the end of the trip, it seemed as if I went on a great expidition/adventure/research because Captain Jim as well as Jeane the naturalist, are very well... More

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Portland, Oregon
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 May 2012

Booked a trip last weekend with Maya's and we couldnt have been happier with our choice of whale watching tour operators in Friday Harbor. I would recommend Mays's to everyone looking for a whale watching trip. The boat is a small one that holds only 6 people at a time along with Capt Jim and crew member Jeanne (who are... More

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See 5 more reviews by mazatlanbound for Friday Harbor
James Maya, Owner at Maya's Westside Charters, responded to this review
5 May 2012

Thank you so much for your kind review! We were just as excited! Hope to see you again someday. We post a lot on Facebook as James Mead Maya. Cheers. Capt. Jim and Jeanne More

SeaTac, Washington
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We have been going out on whale watch tours with Jim Maya for around 20 years or so. Even when the Orca aren't around, Jim will make sure that the tour is worth your while. We didn't have whales this time around, but saw Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagles, etc. Just being out on the water... More

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See 7 more reviews by Velvet21 for Friday Harbor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2012

Based on the reviews here, we booked this charter. Plus, the other companies had minimums of how many other clients also had to book for them to even bother going out. We don't live there, so we only had 1 day that we could go out for this tour. Captain Jim and his team booked us right away and was... More

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