From Our Family to Yours

Puget Sound Express has been operating whale watching tours for 27 years, and in that time we have always endeavored to make your trip a lasting memory. Ours is a family-run business, with three generations of knowledge and caring at the ready.

In 1981, we started with owner Pete Hanke’s dad, Pete Sr., providing week-long sailing adventures in the Pacific Northwest aboard the 80ft schooner, Alcyone. Over the years, we moved from sailboats to powerboats, but always made sure the orca whale watching experience and the vessels were first rate. To that end, we still continue to operate what we feel is the best whale watching company in the Pacific Northwest.

You will often find Sherri in the office answering questions and solving problems. Don’t tell anyone, but she is definitely the brains behind the operation. Although she has threatened many times to get her own ‘Captains License’ she actually prefers the beach to the water and, truth be known, would probably rather be taking her horse out for a spin than a boat.

Besides Pete and Sherri, there are now the children, who are actually getting so much time under their belts that they probably do it better than the parents. Sarah definitely gets called on when the reservation desk begins sinking from reservations, and Christopher, who just graduated from college, is heading for his fourth summer behind the wheel on one of the boats. Even the grandparents play active roles ashore and on the water.

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