Mystic Sea Charters

This is my 3rd trip with mystic sea and they delivered as promised. Saw a few whale breaches; seals, bald eagles and their nests.

I love being on deck and learned really quickly to wear layers. I wore leggings under my jeans, a tank shirt under my Tee. Was comfortable warm with just wearing my sweatshirt or jacket.

We tried a different charter and it was not even close to the experience Mystic Sea provides.

The crew was very friendly and knowledgeable. Our entire ride took over 6 hours due to the dedication of the crew to give us orca whale sightings. We spotted humpback whales, sea lions, seagulls, bald eagle, porpoise and orca whales. We lucked out that there were transient whales coming in from Victoria. We saw a pod of 3 whales and another of 2 whales. The boat followed them for a few minutes so we could snap photos. Since Orcas are endangered, they had to keep 200 yards away. The binoculars that are available in the ship helped a lot in getting a good view. Definitely a memorable and relaxing experience!

I had never been whale watching and recently decided to snap up a Groupon for a weekend trip to Whidbey Island. Mystic Sea Charters did a great job and yes, we got to see gray whales!

Our Groupon was for a 2.5 hour sail out of Langley, and it looked like they were doing two of these shorter trips per day. So if you don't have a lot of time or you have younger kids who might get bored with an all-day trip, the shorter version is a good option and you'll still get plenty of photo opps.

After buying the Groupon, I did the registration process online through their website, which worked very smoothly and sent me a confirmation and reminders. When we went to check in at the small harbor, our names were on the list and it was all very easy. You're allowed to bring your own snacks and drinks (no booze) on board, or they have food and drinks available for $1 each at the honor bar, plus a few souvenir T-shirts and hats. Binoculars are provided for everyone to use, and passengers had everything from phones to GoPros to DSL-Rs for taking whale pictures.

As others mentioned, the crew is very professional and friendly. There's a husband-and-wife team on board and the wife is a naturalist, while the guide who was narrating on the PA updated us on where we were, local landmarks, and interesting facts. No corny jokes or a constant stream of chatter! They were very respectful of the whales' feeding patterns and habits and stressed that we would keep a safe distance for their health and safety. At one point, our guide called out a private sailboat for sitting directly in the path of a whale (which is illegal) and they shamefacedly changed course out of the way! It was nice to see that they prioritized the whales' well-being.

You will get close enough to see the whales spouting water and kicking up their tails when they dive, but binoculars help, and you'll probably want something better than a phone camera to take good close-up pics. Or you can just live in the moment and not worry about taking pictures, which is actually what I'd recommend!

We had overcast but clear weather, but the main seating area (tables and chairs) is protected by plastic tarps, so there is some rain protection. There's also a smaller area with a few long booths and tables for larger groups, where you can spread out if you brought a picnic or if you're killing time while sailing from one whale spot to another. There are restrooms, too.

Overall, a really fun trip with a considerate and professional crew, and we felt it was a good value with the Groupon special. We'd definitely come back again during orca season!

I used a groupon for my mom and I. I wasn't sure what to expect since neither of us had gone whale watching before. The boat was a decent size, probably fit 100 or so people. Most of the boat was inside/covered which was nice considering the unpredictable pnw weather. They had plenty of binoculars placed around the boat for people to use. All of the boat crew were super nice, and very informational regarding the surroundings. My mom and I are locals but we learned and saw a lot of new things. We saw one humpback whale, and a small pod of orcas. The captain of the boat went out super far(borderline Canada) for us to see the orcas, which I thought was really nice. He went above and beyond even though going out that far would put us past our time limit. It was well worth it. Bucketlist item checked off!

This company went out-of-business due to retirement.

I called to both their phone numbers: (360) 588-8000 and (800) 308-9387 and their phone numbers were taken over by a new company called Puget Sound Express.

Same case with their website mysticseacharters.com which now redirects you to the Puget Sound Express website.

If you call them, they will inform you that they are a new company, and that they won't honor previous booked tours or gift certificates.

We had a wonderful whale watching experience with Mystic Sea Charters. All of the crew members were kind and knowledgeable. We saw some whales -- a gray whale and a few minkie whales. There was a docent on board the ship who was SO kind and told us all about the ones we were seeing. We enjoyed the coffee on board as well as ice cream sandwiches, but we brought our own lunch (as suggested). This was a great trip and I'd highly recommend this tour.

This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that you shouldn't pass up! The crew was great! Both the captain and deck hand were very informed and pointed out attractions, places of interest, wildlife and each time a whale breached.

It can be pricey, but check Groupon first. We went with this tour because we wouldn't have to take a ferry and pay extra to get to the docks. You can drive right to the dock and park for free which is a bonus.

I had a Groupon, which it appears that a lot of people on my boat had, and decided to use it. The reservation process is quite easy as you use the website to reserve your spot. The first time I tried to use my Groupon, it was a little later in the season and the day I was supposed to go it was cancelled due to high winds. Luckily, my Groupon was honored for this season. There are two listing for this company, the other is under Majestic Sea Charters and has the address to where the actual boat launch is.

The email instructions tell you to check in at the red booth prior to getting on the boat. People tend to think they have to park in the Mystic Sea parking lot which is quite small and doesn't hold a lot of cars. I suggest you just park anywhere as there is plenty of parking surround the lot and in other lots and it's all free.

After checking in, I boarded the boat and found a space to sit. If you're not a family or in a group, they have you sit in the back of the boat and the center covered portion of the boat is for groups. While waiting for everyone to board I suggest you go outside as it was super hot as not air was circulating within the clear vinyl prison of the rear of the boat.

Once we got moving, it got better. You're free to roam as you'd like at that point although this chartered boat is a bit small so there isn't many places to go. The passageways on the sides of the boat are narrow so you have to suck it in if you're going to stand there and let people pass. Usually the wind get's too much for most and they get chilly, so bring a jacket to fend off the elements. There are only two benches at the front of the boat so I guarantee that your legs will get tired if you stand and wait for the whales to appear. I know, because I stood for the majority of the time. I really didn't want to miss anything and plus being outside and putt-putting through the San Juans was simply beautiful. The cap'n points out things of noteworthiness along the way so that if you're not from the area you're not totally lost on the map. They also have naturalists on board to explain and answer questions about the wildlife we come across.

Let me say though, there is no guarantee that you will see anything, so at least be happy with taking a 5-6 hours boat ride in and around the San Juans and near Canada. I would have been satisfied with just that, but after about 3-4 hours of stalking our prey....*coughs*...searching for the elusive Orcas...we received word that the Orcas were out and about killin' seals and chatting/clicking back and forth about the status of the world economy. So we stopped our search for humpbacks and went way up by Canada. Sure enough the Orcas were even jumping out of the water to munch and crunch on the seals. Our cap'n was really good at finding the Orcas and I could tell that the other chartered boat riders were basically cussin' outloud because we pretty much had about 5-7 really good views of the kills. Orcas are actually really fast so they, like all animals, are hard to predict. Anyway, the viewing was great and then we had to return home. We saw some dolphins and seals on the way back, as well as the Blue Angels and several WWII planes flew overheard from Seafair sooooooooooo that was cool too.

I didn't purchase any food, but I actually thought that the pricing structure wasn't too bad. They will even start a tab for you if you didn't bring cash. Again I say, ****You are not guaranteed to see any whales*** so don't get mad if you don't see anything. This trip was well worth the money, but I may try a large charter boat in the future as they appear to have more room to walk around and also upper decks to see the whales from above.

Went on a 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour..., but did not get shipwrecked ;)
4/1716, This day was pure awesome! The boat might of been a little crowded but I didn't care. The scenic majesty of Puget Sound on a clear sunny day with the white snowy cap of Mt Hood in the distance and sight of Grey Whales spouting water and showing their flukes above water before they dive. I cannot recommend this enough!

What a great day. We were able to track orcas for most of the time after viewing seals on passing rocks. The captain was extremely knowledgeable and peppered the 6 hour tour with interesting facts. If I am ever in this area and want to go whale watching, I'll definitely take Mystic Seas Charters again!