Whidbey Island is getting even better for tourists thanks to a couple of boating operations that have recently started.

Newest to the scene is Deception Pass Tours, which for $19 ($15 for kids) will take visitors on a one-hour tour beneath the historic bridge that spans one of the most beautiful waterways in the world. Fun and informative, the new venture by Captain Brett Ginther will hopefully become an island tradition.

In Coupeville, Monte Hughes has started his second season of gray whale tours in his boat, the Mystic Sea, through May 20. Though pricier at $49 for adults and $39 for kids, the longer cruise offers passengers a chance to see gray whales in action during their migration between Alaska and California. Anyone who has seen and heard the whales up close knows that the money is worth it. And if the whales aren’t around on any given day, the scenery combined with the joy of sailing on the open sea is reward enough.

Traditionally, Whidbey Island has been a do-it-yourself type of tourist destination. We offer fantastic shopping with a variety of small, independently-owned shops, a host of scenic hiking opportunities, some of the best bicycling routes in the Northwest, and plenty of camping experiences. But in recent years it’s been hard to get visitors out on the water, short of renting a plastic kayak and hoping for the best.

There are more tourists with more money these days, so the new boating ventures have a chance to succeed. Hopefully they will, and in doing so will breed other tours. We can imagine tourists hopping a boat at the future Oak Harbor pier and selecting from among several possible destinations: Coupeville, Greenbank or Langley, and taking the return trip to Oak Harbor that evening.

To continue the dream, foot ferries from Camano Island, Mukilteo and Port Townsend could be part of the mix. With Washington State Ferries having raised rates exorbitantly over the past few years, people need a less expensive way to bring the family to the island. Let them hop off the boat in Langley, Coupeville or Oak Harbor and enjoy the day without the cost, worry and pollution of a car.

The two new boat tour operations are the beginning of what should become a major tourist attraction for Whidbey Island: A chance to get off the freeway, onto the water, and enjoy a relaxing cruise between points of interest.