We have been avidly watching whale reports and sightings over the winter counting down the days until april 1st. Take a break from city life on a halfday whale watching cruise through the beautiful vancouver gulf islands. British columbia and particularly vancouver island is a brilliant location to. With our large number of vessels, locations in both victoria and vancouver, and almost 50 staff in peak season, prince of whales is now the largest whale.
For example, one whale from j pod a resident killer whale is named. In 2010 she came back to vancouver island to complete high school. Our crew bc whale tours victoria whale watching tours. I joined quite a few whale watching tours in british columbia. We provide whale and grizzly bear tours, and great bear rainforest tours. Tripadvisor whalewatching tour from vancouver provided. We offer world class tours in the gulf islands with a focus on marine conservation and sustainability in the salish sea. Whale watching vancouver island is a once in alifetime exerience. My question is where is the best area on the island this time of the year for this and who. Each vessel has a private washroom and has a maximum capacity of 12 guests per trip. Humpback watching in vancouver can be quite special as they are the largest whale we would encounter on one of our tours. Travel from seattle to vancouver, bc on a scenic amtrak cascades train ride for a whale watching tour that will also afford time to explore victoria.
Vancouver whale watch was the first whale watching company to operate from the vancouver area, in their 21st year of operation in 2019. Every trip is different, as we follow reports of the whales location. Hi, we party of 2 will be staying 3 days in vancouver as from 2908 until 3108. The main target species from vancouver victoria are orcas and humpback whales, and neither are relieably present in early spring. All three of their vessels are zodiac style one open and two semicovered, customdesigned for marine wildlife viewing, and all. Apr 10, 2018 our 2018 whale watching season has begun. Sidney whale watching is a family owned and operated company that has been serving sidney and the saanich peninsula for over 20 years. Thank you for a great 2019 season please check this page again in march for the 2020 season which begins april 1st, for coupons, specials and our calendars of events. Our whale watching tour focuses on magnificent orcas killer whales, majestic. Vancouver island is worldrenowned for its whale watching, and at the heart of the action is the city of victoria. Why victoria has the best whale watching on vancouver island.
Come for the afternoon, or stay a few nights at one of our partner hotels. While the pods may be out there 247, you have a better chance of your boat actually finding orcas if you go out later in the day. Steveston seabreeze adventures offers vancouver whale watching tours from april 1st to october 31st. She later studied criminal justice at camosun college. This page is about the giant species inhabiting british columbias waters. Whaletrips british columbia whale watching in british.
Each and every one of our team members loves what we do, and therefore, we strive to make our tours as memorable as possible. Orca dreams offers fourday allinclusive tours from our luxury island camp site in the wildlife rich area of northern vancouver island, british columbia, canada. Whale watching is a truly unforgettable experience and vancouver, bc is one of the best places in the world to watch their activity. Killer whales orcas, gray whales, humpback whales and minke whales ply the waves and perform their watery rituals. Whale watching in vancouver in winter march vancouver. Our mission we aspire to be the best whale watching company in the area by. Our whale watching tour season here begins in april, and finishes in october. Orca whale watching in bc, british columbia canada johnstone strait, northern vancouver island is one of the best locations for whale watching tours in bc, british columbia canada killer whales orca whales, humpback whales, bald eagles and more.
Whale watching tours from vancouver island tourism victoria. All of our vessels are custom made by titan marine and hand designed by the owner of the bc whale tours, harold. In true comfort and style, the crew is excited to explore the local waters in search of the majestic wildlife that floods the local waters here in the summer months. Both sides of vancouver island afford primo opportunities.
Depending on which species of whale you want to see, and what type of experience you would like, the answer can be different. Tofino whale watching tours ocean outfitters, tofino bc. Our whale watching season usually starts in mid february and lasts until the end of october. You can choose from various tours around the gulf and san juan islands. The port of vancouver, the port of prince rupert, bc coast pilots, bc ferries, the. What you need to know about whale watching in british columbia.
This is the best place in the world to see orcas, the mr. Frequently asked questions about whale watching in bc. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. Whale watching tours in tofino, bc they dive, spout, breach, spyhop and lobtail. A professional naturalist accompanies you to the best sighting locations and helps you spot a variety of marine creatures.
How to go whale watching from vancouver explore bc. Known as the place to go for the best whale watching in british columbia, vancouver island offers amazing opportunities to witness wild marine life. Day tours and safari camps like orca dreams run throughout the spring, summer and autumn months. Amazing whale watching experience at telegraph cove we drove up all the way to telegraph cove to go whale watching with prince of whales, and it became the highlight of our trip to the island. Whale watching around vancouver island in british columbia is an exceptional experience that will leave you awestruck after watching whales that weigh thousands of pounds frolic in their natural habitat. Uk 0203 424 9673 download brochure send an enquiry request a. The whaleplanner march a whale watching infographic whaletrips.
Small personal tour groups, never more than 12 passengers on our boats. Whale watching victoria prince of whales wildlife adventures. See whales and other marine wildlife on a whale watching tour in vancouver. Although wildlife is the focus of our trip, the scenery along the way is not to be forgotten. We view transient orca pods, migrating humpback whales, grey whales and other marine animals that reside in our coastal waters. Growing up to around 16 metres in size, these ocean giants travel from mexico some from hawaii where they spend their winters, up to bc and alaska in the summer where. Highest killer whale sightings in british columbia. Whale watching in british columbia mainly boils down to whale watching on vancouver island, even if you can also book tours directly from vancouver. Steveston seabreeze adventures vancouver whale watching. Looking for the best whale watching on vancouver island. Come celebrate the over 20,000 gray whales that pass by the coast during their winter migration north, and enjoy some fantastic winter whale watching adventures. Vancouver whale watching deals in vancouver, bc groupon. With locations in vancouver, victoria and telegraph cove we offer a wide variety of marine wildlife experiences that range from three hours long to a halfday.
Theres something to be said about the majesty of watching these giants of the sea in all their glory while your boat skips along bcs coastal waters. Luckily, there are a number of boat trips to areas where you can see 30ton marine mammals majestically glide through the open waters of canada. Spring is also for numerous events like vancouver sun run or cloverdale rodeo. Whale classification breeding patterns of whales whale migration join us british columbia.
Tofino has a long whale watching season, running from march sometimes late february through october. Pacific rim whale festival, march 1624, kicks off famed west coast vancouver island whale watching season. The shores around vancouver also prove a practical. Whale watching british columbia vancouver islands watching. Members of the public are encouraged to download the whalereport app and. You can spot various kinds of whales, like humpback whales, orcas, grey whales, and minke whales. We monitor and post sightings and behaviour of whales, dolphins and porpoise in our inside waters of the pacific northwest of british columbia. Tour operators, both on the mainland and the island, have specialized on orcas another highlight is the migration of the gray whales past the western part of the island. Here is a good guide to help you make a decision about the whale watching season in victoria. Experience bc s most sustainable whale watching on an unforgettable day at sea aboard our open zodiacstyle boat or our semicovered vessel. During balmy spring months, the city starts to bloom, and you can get suitable accommodation for a song.
Whale watching in bc british columbia travel and adventure. Whale watching in vancouver steveston seabreeze adventures. Oct 15, 2015 with our large number of vessels, locations in both victoria and vancouver, and almost 50 staff in peak season, prince of whales is now the largest whale watching and ecoadventure company in. Some even come in the winter months for an uncrowded adventure. To raise public awareness, respect and enthusiasm for the protection and welfare of coastal wildlife and marine ecosystems. Southern british columbia is one of the premier areas in the world for whale watching. Returning from the pilot season of its dronebased killer whale study along the central coast of british columbia, ocean wises marine mammal research team marked the sixth year of its photogrammetry project, documenting the relative health of b. Experience some of the best whale watching on vancouver island.
Ethical and sustainable whale watching departing from nanaimo, british columbia, canada. These are all typical maneuvers you may expect to see while whale watching off the west coast of vancouver island. On your tour, you will see a wide range of marine wildlife, but throughout the year your chances of seeing whales off the coast vary widely. Reports of killer whales were plentiful during our offseason and we are expecting this trend to continue. Theres simply nothing better than a whale watching tour in bc with orca spirit, some prefer viewing beneath the summer sun, while others prefer cooler spring and fall viewings. Whale watching in british columbia tour guide canada. The best time to visit vancouver is mild spring and pleasant autumn. Enjoy a scenic 35 minute float plane ride from vancouver s coal harbour to downtown victoria, then start your southern resident killer whale watching adventure with us. Apr 25, 2016 this was taken 42016 on a whale watching tour with wild whales vancouver in bc, canada.
Winter and whale watching dont seem like theyd go together, but they do in ucluelet, b. Jessicas love of wildlife, and breathtaking vancouver island, brought her to the bc whale tours team in 2017. It starts with a mind boggling 20,000 gray whales swimming past our shores in spring on their annual migration from birthing waters by the baja peninsula north to the bering strait by alaska. Prince of whales wildlife adventures have a whale sightings gaurantee. For a large part of the year this applies to the killer whale, but tour companies only operate during the late spring to early fall time period. Mackay whale watching in bc vancouver island canada. Chances are youve travelled a long way or youre about to and you want nothing more than to fulfill your dream of seeing whales. British columbia is one of the worlds most famous places for whale watching and the city of vancouver is the perfect place to start your whale watching tour during the summer months, whether you take a trip from downtown or a scenic suburb near vancouver international airport. The 5 best whale watching tours from vancouver 2020. Wild killer whale adoption program adopt a killer whale.
During whale watching season, theres nothing like seeing the fluke of a humpback whale. When is the best time of year to go whale watching in. Halfday whale watching adventure from vancouver 2020. Up and down the coast of british columbia, from victoria to port hardy on vancouver island, from vancouver to the bc gulf islands, and up to haida gwaii queen charlotte islands. Top 10 best whale watching tours in vancouver, bc last. Explore the beauty that is british columbia on this halfday whale watching excursion from vancouver.
Whale watching in june vancouver forum tripadvisor. The whaleplanner september a whale watching infographic. A whale watching trip is a once in a lifetime experience. Not only, because we were lucky, to see so much of the beautiful wildlife we saw several humpbacks, porpoises, bald eagles, sea lions, minke whales and. In recent years the majestic humpback whale has been sighted more and more on our whale watching tours. We are coming to the vancouver area the second week in june and are interested in going on a whale watching tour. Meanwhile on vancouver island, canada, the people of tofino and ucluelet. On the 30th or 31st we would like to do a whale watching excurison. Ocean ecoventures offers daily whale watching tours departing from cowichan bay, only 45 minute south of nanaimo. We look forward to taking you on one of our fabulous tours sometime in the near future.
On any given day between april and october, you can witness up to 89 orca whales frolicking in the southern vancouver island waterways. In the fall pacific humpbacks are readying for their winter migration to hawaii. Campbell river whale watching, grizzly bear, wildlife and ocean rapids adventures tours go wild. Whale watching opportunities in march around vancouver island are very limited. By then all the operators have been out since morning and have figured out where the pods are clustering that day. We offer various morning, midday, and afternoon departures. Whale watching holidays orca watching canadian affair. Ocean ecoventures is the most centrally located whale watching company on vancouver island with the highest sighting of orcas and humpback whales every year. March is a great time to visit argentina go for a hike in patagonia and visit valdes. Whale watching season 2015, victoria bc springtide tours. This was taken 42016 on a whale watching tour with wild whales vancouver in bc, canada. Or travel with us to oxford river for some once in a lifetime grizzly bear viewing.
Enjoy a scenic 35 minute float plane ride from vancouvers coal harbour to downtown victoria, then start your southern resident killer whale watching adventure with us. The whalereport alert system wildwhales bc cetacean. See whales and other marine wildlife on a whalewatching tour in vancouver. This is your chance to sea kayak with killer orca whales or watch them from our boat, the. Stanley park indigenous walking tour led by a first nations guide. Step aboard the flagship vessel ocean magic in downtown vancouver for the adventure of a lifetime. On the west coast, tofino is a quaint town with an embedded orcawatching culture. Whale watching season april 1 to october 31 vancouver whale watch provides passengers with the adventure of a lifetime through excellent customer service, first class vessels, the highest possible safety standards and added value from an onthewater education of the west coast ecosystem. To download the full whaleplanner as a graphic, please just click this link and. Most of them have been in the foodrich waters around vancouver island. We offer year round whale watching and marine eco tours.
All three of their vessels are zodiac style one open and two semicovered, customdesigned for marine wildlife viewing, and all are equipped with hydrophones to listen to the whales. Steveston village is a destination not to be missed and is home to a myriad of shops and restaurants for all tastes, a perfect location to begin and end your vancouver whale watching adventure. Youll see orca whales, migrating humpback whales and much more. These can be kayaking, highspeed zodiac trips, cruises, or even seaplanes. Eagle eye adventures is the most reliable whale watching tours company in canada. Locate and compare whale watching in sunshine coast bc, yellow pages local listings. Nothe fraser river is the main salmon producing watercourse in the province and the various orca pods gravitate there late in summer often forming whats called a superpodthis past august we saw them countless times feeding on hordes of returning pink salmonits a sight most people in the city wontcant believe in because its only a 15 minute fast boat ride away from downtown. Well take you through the salish sea ecosystem to see whales and other marine life in their natural. Humpback whales the world over are known for their epic migrations, complex songs, and the acrobatic jumps that earn them their name. Located in victorias inner harbour, prince of whales is perfectly positioned if youre looking to see and do as much as possible in one day. I have found 3 companies that operate from granville island or from richmond, but i have no clue which one to choose.
Whale watching in vancouver in winter march vancouver forum. Mackay whale watching in bc, port mcneill since 1981. Whale watching vancouver island news, events, travel. Welcome the first gray whales of the season on vancouver. Our location wild whales vancouver is situated on granville island, a 510 minute taxi ride from most downtown hotels. Whale watching vancouver vancouver forum tripadvisor. There is no seagoing experience quite like watching, closeup, a sleek whale weighing thousands of pounds frolic like a child in its natural habitat.