Vancouver Whale Watch

I guess it’s hit or miss. We did come across a family of four orca’s, but all we saw were their dorsal fins (?) come up out of the water here and there. The kids (9 & 12) were bored after seeing the whales fins a few times, and were finding other ways to entertain themselves. We left the orca’s after about an hour to find a humpback whale — crew could’ve told us it was Moby Dick and we would’ve been, «ya, cool» cause this whale just kind of would surface and you’d be like «was that the whale!!!» A little splash. Later we were told, it was porpoises we’d seen on the last splash — couldn’t tell the difference.
Do get there early if you go; we were on the tail end of boarding and didn’t get seats up front — had to sit in back where the only view is off to one side of the boat. The good thing was we got access to the top first, but then they tell you to give everyone a turn — we didn’t have seats so it didn’t seem fair that we should have to leave the to top when all the people who have great seats come up top.
Like I said, hit or miss. I’m sure there are great days but big bummer if you pay the big bucks and don’t see much. Side note — the smaller zodiacs were definitely getting closer to the whales than our big boat could get to. Don’t know if the bigger boats have to keep a farther distance? (And if you ask them about it, just remember, they’re sales people — good luck!)

I was very pleased with Vancouver Whale Watch and would take another whale watch tour with them.
We went through the Southern Gulf Islands near Vancouver Island and oh my were they breath-​taking! In the beginning of the trip we weren’t seeing any whales just seals, but our guide said they are in contact with other whale watching tours in the area so when one group sees them they contact the other companies and tours. This is so ideal because there is A LOT of area to cover!
When we finally got to seeing some whales there was about 4 different pods interacting with each other. So we got to see a lot of different behaviors such as breaching, pectoral slapping/​waving and tail lobbing. We stayed with the whales for a little over an hour before heading back (which was really nice!)
We rode on the Explorathor, which is their biggest boat. Thankfully they still had the top on so we could close the windows and stay relatively warm since it felt about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, that high speed wind hitting your face really freezes you up! But once you slowed down to see the whales or other marine life you could pull the Windows up and get a perfect view. The captain does respect the Whale Watch guidelines. He slowed down when he was about 400 yards away and would shut off the engine. So when the whales swam by the boat they were not breaking any laws.
I recommend to bring warm clothes, some snacks and lunch. The boat does offer bottled water so no need to make your bag super heavy with bottles.

This company has been observed chasing and corral killer whales. Please don’t support this disgusting practice. These peaceful animals should be viewed from a distance and left to enjoy their natural surroundings. BC law state you must be at least a 100 yards away, that’s at least 2.5 football fields away. This behavior should not be tolerated please don’t support companies who don’t care

Our tour guide was amazing, so intelligent and knowledgeable about the habitat and its species we were exploring and visiting. We were running late due to a flat, and they were beyond patient with us, when they didn’t have to be. Our boat was nice, we were plenty warm with our extra coats they provided, and we saw SO MANY ORCAS! Well worth the cost, and it was an experience we will never forget.

Smooth ride, comfortable boat, informative and friendly biologist with a sense of humor, and moreover orcas! Lots of orcas! Definitely the highlight of my trip to Vancouver :)

We went whale watching in late August a few summers ago with this company. To date, it remains one of my all-​time favourite Vancouver outings. It was pricey but overall, I’d say it was worth it. We used their shuttle service to get from Vancouver to Steveston and rode in one of the Open Air Zodiacs for the day’s adventure.
My boyfriend gets sea sick, so he didn’t enjoy the experience as much as I did. While he was popping anti-​nausea meds, I was enjoying front row seats to a humpback whale playing in the Strait of Georgia. It was an awe inspiring sight. We also saw harbour seals, hawks and a few dolphins.
It can be a long day on the water, so I recommend bringing snacks, layers of clothing, and closed toe shoes. They provide wind breaker jackets on the boat but it can’t hurt to bring your own if you have it. Despite it being summer, it can get cold out on the open water.

It was such a wonderful experience with Vancouver Whale Watch today. The staff was very nice. We got to the office at 8:45 with two kids and were on the boat at 9am for departure. It was rush but they were being super helpful.
The boat was so clean, even the bathroom! It was very steady as well. The guide was nice and she gave us detailed and useful information. The captain followed the orcas very well and we were able to go side by side with the whales for a long time. He only stopped and turned back because we were about to cross US water.
I highly recommend them to anyone who is planning to go whale watching.
We didn’t know it could get so cold in the boat even in 27degree weather on a sunny day. So dress warm.

A must do for anyone in and around Vancouver!!!
We saw eagles and sea lions on our way out to the whales. We drove around for about 3 hours searching for orcas, without finding them. Then, success! One of the other tour boats found them and radioed around so we zoomed off to find them too. We saw 9 killer whales and it was wonderful, it really was. So happy I went!
Cons: can be a long day, depending on how long it takes to find the whales. It is also cold, so take lots of layers.
Pros: killer whales were awesome, the scenery was also truly stunning.
Tips: This company also have a shuttle going from downtown Vancouver if you don’t have a car, which is handy. Cost was $ 120 per person, which was cheaper than those leaving from Vancouver Island.

First tip: if you’re from far away on vacation, don’t do this on your last day. If you don’t see any whales they’ll let you book again for free, or take 50% off a gift shop purchase, but there are no refunds (the rebook offer does not expire). So give yourself some time to take another crack. We got skunked on our trip, so that makes for a very long five hour boat ride, and you can only spend so much time looking at harbor seals. There was no lunch provided, so bring food. They did provide bottled water and a granola bar about midway through. Prepare for cool weather even in the summer. There is free parking, but it’s a few blocks from the dock. The crew and staff were very nice, the boat and facilities were clean and we’ll cared for. It’s not cheap, so if there’s no chance you can make it back, I’d think hard about it. The 50% off discount will not be worth it.

Amazing experience, these guys are pros! We saw eagles, seals, sea lions and had a magnificent time, about an hour and a half, with the Orcas. The whales were in a playful mood so we got treated to a real show — they spyhopped (head out of the water), breached (full body out of the water) and one even flipped its half-​eaten lunch (an unfortunate seal) into the air with its tail — real nature documentary material. They got very close to the boat as well and swam directly underneath us at a couple points — they were so close that some of the younger ones aboard even stuck their arms out in the hopes of touching them, but alas, no Free Willy magic ensued.
I am a local so I utilized their coupon in the Entertainment book, but even without the discount, this is fantastic entertainment value for your money. I have not been out with any of the other companies that do whale-​watching tours from the Vancouver area, but the other companies’ boats were on the water with us, and I have to say that our boats were by far the nicest. The cover was on and it was a nice day so the temperature was very pleasant inside the boat, but the windows also slid up to provide a perfect picture-​taking vantage point — a feature that seemed to be missing on the other boats.
We went on the May long weekend, and I don’t think I would recommend going much earlier than this due to the generally awful spring weather we have here, but they do open for the season in April. All in all, a childhood dream fulfilled and I have amazing photos to remember the magic — highly recommended for both visitors and locals!

The crew was great. We apparently went out on the longest tour of the year (it started at 11 and we didn’t get back until about 5:15 PM) and we saw humpbacks, orcas, and plenty of porpoises. I appreciate that they went out quite a distance to see whales — and they did ask if we had any other commitments — but it was a really long time to be on a boat. Their website says that the tour can go from 3 – 5 hours depending on where the animals are, so I wouldn’t plan anything for the rest of your day. Make your dinner reservations for 8 PM.
The crew was really kind and did a great job of explaining what was going on, and pointing out facts, and making it a great experience.
I will say that it gets really, really cold out there. We dressed warmly, but it was raining, and once you start getting wet and everything it just goes downhill from there. Dress as warmly as you possibly can (especially if you go out in October, like we did!) and bring an extra raincoat or something. Gloves. A hat. Trust me.

I am writing to express my disappointment with this company. I had heard great things and particularly wanted to experience my whale watching trip with this company but especially on the red zodiac. We called around 12:30 to speak with a customer agent who notified us that Sunday did not have any space for 2 people but Saturday at 2 did on the red boats. We decided to go down. We drove over paid $ 15 to park because we were not aware there was parking provided (misunderstanding) and than we paid for our trip. We purchased a lunch for $ 17 and than headed to the boat only to find out we were on the wrong boat. When we returned to the office we were told the red zodiacs had been booked solid and there was no way we could have been on that boat. What disappoints me most is the owner distinctly blamed us for the misunderstanding and said his staff would never make a mistake as this. I find this difficult to accept as everyone makes mistakes and I do honestly feel an apology would have been nice or I am sorry it was an inconvenience for you. However all I seemed to get was «what do you want me to do?» It is also very discouraging to have someone be rude about how close you live to the Whale Watching place that they insisted that it was not a big deal to drive down, park, pay for lunch, buy your ticket and than discover they were sold out on the one you wanted. Such a shame as I hear it is an amazing experience! Oh well, I am sure Nova Scotia will have much better tours!

Good things: they honored a coupon that I had seen online even though I didn’t have it. The lunch was pretty tasty (though over priced), the guide was fantastic with a lot of knowledge and answered all of my questions
Bad things: it was freezing cold! I am from Calgary AB so know a few things about the cold and they did warn that it is colder at sea then on land, so I was prepared for a few degrees colder, but not sub zero! They provide big yellow rain suits, hats and mitts but they should have warned people to bring their winter boots as well. By the end my toes were blue in my hiking shoes and regular socks. Also my face was frozen so a scarf would have helped too. The trip lasted about 5 hours and the majority was spent traveling at high speeds through the water. I knew we wouldn’t be seeing whales the entire time we were out but in the entire 5 hours we were with the whales about 20 mins. On the way a few people spotted some seals and dolphins but we never even slowed to see them… it was all about the whales which were very far away. All in all, it was an experience that you have to have at least once but this company should warn people a bit better on what to expect– 4.5 hours traveling through freezing sea air with the wind blasting in your face and about 20 – 30 mins of whale watching. With this information I feel like I would have been better prepared or at least brought a book. This experience would not be suitable for children. The two children on board looked absolutely frozen and did not care on bit once we got to the whales. Not worth the $ 100 those parents spent!

you guys were great! WE couldnt have been happier. Guide Joan and Brittney did such a good job!!! My son Dustin said Brittney is super cute also!!! WE saw Orcas and a humpback lunge feeding, thrilling. They told us so much about the orcas and everything we saw.
Thank you again
Michelle & Dustin

Great trip. Very Knowledgeable guide, very skilled captain, amazing orca sightings as well as other wildlife. Service was outstanding. A-​plus all around.

I am not joking when I say this: On my deathbed, I will think of the wonderful things I’ve done in my life. Pictures from my Vancouver Whale Watch trip will flash in front of my eyes. I will have a smile on my face. This was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
I went the summer of 2008 with my 8 year old son– who had a great time too. We saw eagles, seals, otters, and of course, whales. Orcas– tons of them. It was magical. (see photos I posted).
I think I paid around $ 200 for both me & my son. Totally worth it. The trip lasted for about 5 – 6 hours. They took us miles and miles south into US waters. The staff was professional & friendly. I felt safe & secure.
You’re probably reading this thinking how your whole life you wanted to go on a whale watching trip– but it seemed kinda expensive. Trust me– the money is worth it. I would have paid double for this trip. Can’t wait to drive 3000 miles across the country again to visit Vancouver & go on another boat trip.
When I was there, I got my son an official VWW jacket. After a few years, he grew into it and still proudly wears it today. I love that jacket because it reminds us of a dream come true! Thanks Vancouver Whale Watch! It’s been almost 5 years and I still get excited just thinking about that trip.

We took a group of 9 on a tour. I made the reservations months in advance and they were ready for us when we got there. They even worked with me on the price.
They give you weather gear to wear — pants, jacket, hat and gloves. It gets very cold out there so it was nice to have these! There are restrooms available inside the shop. The boat was clean, the captain very nice. The lady who helped the captain out and kept us informed was AWESOME! She was so nice and told us all about the pods in the area. She walked around to make sure everyone was comfortable and talked to everyone as well as using the mic to keep us updated. They even put a mic in the water to listen to the whales.
We saw a ton of whales. It felt like we were surrounded by them. What I thought was nice is that we were close enough to get good pictures, but not so close that we disturbed the whales.
They handed out snacks and waters as well.
With all of the whales, the nice employees and the beautiful scenery, I highly recommend this to all ages.

vancouver is toll, aber fahrt mal nach hornby island und kauft bei familie laffin was handgetöpfertes. nette hippies, kenne ich durch meine eltern. außerdem kann ich die örtlichen outdoorsorten nur empfehlen.

Gut organisiert, nettes, fachkundiges Personal und bei uns mit 100%igem Erfolg: nach längerer Suche, die aber durch die atemberaubende Kulisse der Insellandschaften um Vancouver Island schon fast so ihr Geld wert war, fanden wir eine Orca-​Großfamilie, die wir dann über eine Stunde begleiten konnten.
Tolles (nicht ganz günstiges) Erlebnis!

Wir waren 5 Stunden mit dem kleinen 12 Personen Zodiac draussen und es war ein tolles, unvergessliches Erlebnis. Ich kann nur jedem, dem sich diese Möglichkeit bietet empfehlen mitzufahren. Orcas in freier Wildbahn zu sehen ist wirklich eine einzigartige Erfahrung. Ach ja und es gibt eine Wal Garantie. Das bedeutet, wenn man einmal keine Orcas sehen konnte, kann man an einem anderen Tag wiederkommen und nochmal umsonst mitfahren.
Alle Daumen hoch !!

Though I went with Vancouver Whale Watch, before planning a trip it’s good to know a little Whale watching trips from both Vancouver, and from Victoria on Vancouver Island actually go to find the same ‘population’ of whales. The whales range through the area, though they are most commonly found down near Victoria. As a result trips from Victoria may be shorter (so might be better if you are not keen on spending hours on the water), but may not go all the way up to the North end of the range should the whales be there. The Northern based tours might involve more hours on the water (for the same amount of viewing), but are set up to go down south on a regular basis and so may guarantee sightings.
Vancouver Whale Watch have a choice of two types of vessel (which do both have very basic bathrooms): semi-​open, which are apparently a lot of fun, and (slightly) more sedate closed boats. They also say you shouldn’t go if you have back or neck problems. I have them but when I asked my doctor her reply was ‘you can go whale watching?! Take a painkiller! The right advice I think, though I did find parts of the trip rough, even though I choose the closed boat. If you have problems also don’t sit in the bow: the guy sitting there on my trip got bounced right out of his seat at one point!
So, the trip it actually lasted around 6 hours I believe, as we headed right down to the sea off Victoria. On the way we got wonderful views of the islands. We also saw wildlife including seals and porpoise. The pilot spotted an elephant seal, a rare sight apparently, but it dived before anyone else saw it.
Excitement grew as we got closer to where the whales were reported and saw other whale watching boats heading at full speed in the same direction. Finally we arrived. Watching is done to strict rules that govern where boats can go in relation to the whales, when they can and can’t approach (according to what the whales are doing at the time) etc. There were several boats there and we took turns going in closer and then sitting dead in the water to allow the whales to come closer if they choose. To be honest it was a bit confusing as we often spun, so I totally lost all sense of direction and it seemed they were coming from all over! We got to see whales spyhopping, breaching and swimming right under the boat. We were actually very lucky: I later heard that they thought the whole ‘Southern Population’ of around 70 whales was there, and the pair we saw swimming together were probably mating.
After that it was several more hours back to base All but a couple of the passengers fell asleep! Seriously, they were all konked out, leaning on each other. Apparently it happens on every trip! LOL! I passed the time reading some books they had on board and learnt lots apparently there are 3 populations around Vancouver. North and South ‘Resident’ populations, and a ‘Transient’ population which ranges throughout the area. The populations don’t interbreed, and some people think that the two types are actually diverging into two different species. Residents feed on fish, while Transients eat sea mammals. Also family is incredibly important to Orca. They stay with their birth pod throughout their lives, whether male or female. Different pods within the population meet up for mating, which was what was happening the day I was there. I’m not absolutely totally against keeping whales in aquariums, but I now think keeping single orca, as was often done in the past, was a terrible mistake and tragedy.
Staff were lovely, though I have to admit I was too busy watching to take notice of what they were saying while we were near the whales! They also provided crystalised ginger for those that needed it, which I think was a nice touch!