While in Vancouver, don't miss the chance to take a whale-watching tour and spot killer whales, porpoises, seals, eagles and other wildlife amid the stunning scenery of Canada’s southwest coast. Join your professional naturalist and board a first class, modern vessel for a 3- to 5-hour expedition, starting in the picturesque, historic fishing village of Steveston and traveling through the spectacular Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands.
The area is renowned for attracting whales, and this tour enjoys a 90% sighting success rate. On your quest to find orcas (killer whales), you’ll have the opportunity to see the inhabitants of this diverse marine ecosystem, including bow riding Dall’s porpoises, sea lions, bald eagles and seals. Select the shuttle option to include round-trip transportation from downtown Vancouver, and spend a morning or afternoon in touch with nature on this memorable whale-watching tour!
Killer whales (also known as orcas) migrate to coastal British Columbia between May and October to feed on the salmon that return to the Fraser River to spawn. There are three pods (families) of approximately 80 killer whales that return to the area every year, meaning sightings are almost guaranteed.
The vessels used on this whale-watching tour are open-air or covered high-speed zodiac boats that ensure a smooth and comfortable trip whatever the weather! On your thrilling expedition, you will hear illuminating commentary delivered by professional naturalists, and you’ll see the magnificent orca in its natural habitat. Onboard hydrophones allow you to experience the wild calls of the orcas first hand, and photo ID charts will even help you to identify them. Look out for the orca named Granny, believed to be over 100 years old!
Air-conditioned shuttle transportation is available from nine centrally located pickup points in downtown Vancouver, and free parking is available in Steveston Village for those arriving by car.
Don’t miss this extraordinary rendezvous with nature on the southwest coast of Canada!
GUARANTEED WHALE SIGHTINGS OR YOUR NEXT TRIP IS FREE!
This was an absolute highlight of our time in Vancouver.
Review by: SUSAN W, December 2017
Excellent tour would highly recommend! Very professional, friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. We booked the pick up bus would recommend this also! Plus we were lucky enough to see a few Whales!
Review by: Kate M, November 2017
Our whale watching tour was fun. We had a few people with us who had never been on a whale watch before and they really enjoyed it. It was nice seeing bald eagles and sea lions as well as the humpback whales. I was disappointed not to see orcas, as the website mainly talked about them and I can't see them at home. But it was still a good day and the company ran things well.
Review by: greg, November 2017
From the pick up to actual boat was fantastic,saw 5 large humpback whales,good throughout again water provided and warm clothing
Review by: mandm, October 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: kimhollanders1983, October 2017
Enjoyed the boat ride. The guide was very informative. Best part was that i actually got to see some whales _br/_ up close. And some other animals.
Review by: Adam S, October 2017
Wonderful tour. Great information on the way and well conducted. Easy check-in as well.
Review by: michael f, October 2017
Great experience!
Review by: Ina V, October 2017
it was very enjoyable, water was not rough at all and we saw 5 humpback whales very close to the boat, there were 4 adults and a calf. It was not that cold if dressed warmly. The shuttle from the city was very comfortable and timely. There are several pickup sites so it is easy to walk to one. If you need warm clothes you can borrow them from the company before boarding.
Review by: Michael M, October 2017
Perfect!
Review by: thelastmove, October 2017
This tour was excellent from start to finish, the staff at the reception were very friendly and helpful and thank goodness they advised to use the oilskins for the trip which were free by the way. Our guide on board was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain things about the whales and other wildlife along the way. We were fortunate to see during the trip seals, bald eagles, deer on the shoreline and finally a pod of whales so a very successful trip.
Review by: Stephen T, October 2017
This whale watching tour was good but we only saw a few Orca's,we just followed the same one's around for a while,obviously this is wildlife and you cant expect them to be jumping out of the water all the time,I was hoping to see Humpback whales but they didn't even get a mention that's the luck of the draw.The staff and crew on the boat were very friendly and knowledgeable,after a misunderstanding I had to get a taxi to the port which they paid for,good company,would still recommend this trip,you could get really lucky
Review by: Margie V, September 2017
We saw 3 groups of whales!!! Very good information provided by the commentator to understand everything about the orcas!
Review by: Frederic B, September 2017
It was a well run operation. We did see whales in the distance due to regulations. The boat was comfortable and the day was very nice. The tour did tell us they would drop us off at our hotel but did not tell the driver which led to some confusion and a detour for a few of the guests that stayed with us as the driver made the detour.
Review by: timlin77, September 2017
A great tour and you will see whales. You go for a nice boat ride and will see other sea creatures. We ran late because of getting confused while driving from North Vancouver and didn't make it by the half hour before the tour but everyone was friendly and understanding. Warm rainproof outfits are provided and the boat has a toilet if needed. _br/_ Take some time afterward to walk around the area where the tour quarters are located. We enjoyed some delicious seafood, like sockeye salmon, and toured an old salmon packing factory.
Review by: Anna S, September 2017
Truly a lifetime highlight experience for my family! Our guides were excellent. It was a warm day and we didn't need or little rain suits that we were issued. We were comfortable, well informed, enjoyed seeing 2 families of Orcas of which our guide was very knowledgable. It was a great time! We saw so many various animals from bald eagles to harbor seals. We had a brief time to shop when we returned before our shuttle left. The driver of our shuttle was as interesting as the boat guides. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone of any age. It was a primary reason why we decided to visit Vancouver from Seattle and it was worth it!
Review by: Dana B, September 2017
We lived it! We got to see several whales and one got pretty close to us. I will recommend this to anyone in the area
Review by: Sue-Ellen W, September 2017
recommended
Review by: Fiona M, September 2017
This tour is worth every penny. If you're coming to Vancouver from Europe, do it early in your visit because it's an early start and it's much easier to do this in your first few days. The tour will almost certainly show you some Orcas and whales. We were luck enough to see a pod of Orcas feeding on a less lucky seal. Nothing gory just a bunch of Orcas swimming towards us with some purpose.
Review by: Glen P, September 2017
Excellent trip
Review by: Nadia W, September 2017
We had a great time on our tour. It was such a treat to see orcas in the wild! Within the first five minutes of leaving the harbor, one of the guides on board told us that local fisherman had spotted a pod of orcas so we would head out to see them first, then search for others if we couldn't find them. No less than ten minutes later, we approached the orcas and were able to follow them for pretty much the whole trip. We kept a safe distance, but at one point one of the orcas got curious and swam right under our boat. Unbelievable to see this creature up close!
Review by: Ljalthoff, September 2017
Great whale watching! Lots of time spent with an orca whale family. Tour guide did an excellent job pointing out all the wildlife and providing information on whale behavior.
Review by: Lynette V, September 2017
Well organised tour. Beautiful harbour, saw bald eagles, stunning scenery, but no whales. The company gave us a free return ticket, which may never be used, as its along way to travel from Australia. We met people who where on the PM tour, and they saw whales, as did the day before, according to the tour guide.
Review by: Karen F, August 2017
We saw lots of whales in their natural environment. The right way to see whales! So much better than Sea World or Marine Land.
Review by: Susan A, August 2017
saw and followed a pod of whales with a baby orca - soooooo cool! Our guide Ellen was awesome!
Review by: Allison V, August 2017
An enjoyable trip. We did see whales - a pod of 5.
Review by: Ruth A, August 2017
We had a real nice trip with Vancouver whale watch on August 4th_br/_ The explorator is a wonderful ship, the crew was really great !! Lots of information.. We saw humpback whales, seals, bald eagles but unfortunately didn't see any killer whales and that was our primary target.. _br/_ We participate twice a year in whale watching around USA west coast and very familiar with humpbacks and grey whales.. We really hoped to see orcas
Review by: JILL M, January 2017
Our tour was led by Andy and Captain James CPN James is also a native of the area, if I recall. The initial commute to the whales was well spent with several interesting native animals to see along the route. Once we did reach the whales, we spent hours alongside them. The boat is large enough to allow one several vantage points to catch a glimpse of the wildlife, but small enough to allow group conversation / questions for the guide as they reveal extensive information on species. The guides were also very knowledgeable about several organizations working to protect the animals and the history of whale treatment, current aquarium efforts, and research.
Review by: Michael W, December 2016
Good tour - very informative and great crew. Sadly didnt see any whales - thats mother nature for you - but they've offered a lifetime guaranteed free tour when I'm next back.
Review by: steven, December 2016
Saw whales, bald eagles, and more
Review by: anne F, November 2016
Really good experience and we were lucky enough to see some whales but would have liked to have been a little closer to them. Would suggest tea, coffee and snacks be on offer for return journey._br/_ Very informative crew on board.
Review by: Glenn W, November 2016
A little cold when we went but very enjoyable. Lots of videos taken.
Review by: Richard C, October 2016
Collected on time early in fact on comfortable coach. Others picked up on route with some nice commentary to the journey. Booked in at their office where waterproofs available. The boat was very safe and comfortable with mostly enclosed seating. Some open seating at the back and an open upper deck which was great for photos. When moving at speed it can be a bit bumpy but less so if sitting at the back. Professional and very well informed guide and lots of time to take photos and ask questions once whales spotted. Everyone got some good photographs and got a good look at orcas, seals, sea lions and bald eagles. Very enjoyable day in spite of some rain and slightly chilly conditions. Highly recommended to see these wonderful animals in their natural conditions as well as good views of the islands and locality from the water.
Review by: FLAVIO R S, October 2016
I recommend, very corteous, very professional, and the shutler driver was a real gentleman, entertainer and educated. The whales show up, the pilot very calm and pacient.
Review by: Ronald T, October 2016
No whales but not really their fault - that's the way it goes with wild animals. Nice tour of the islands and very friendly staff, They offered for us to come back free of charge anytime - nice offer but hard to achieve when coming from OS. Maybe a token gesture for that situation would be good the offer of 50 off any merchandise did not really appeal to anyone.
Review by: ROB, October 2016
Great experience seeing the 3 killer whales plus the seals thrown in
Review by: Angela S, October 2016
Everything's been great. Saw some seals and orcas.
Review by: Sharon W, October 2016
A great day out in Vancouver. We were fortunate to track a family of transient killer whales Orca. Our tour guide Joan was very knowledgeable. We also were able to see large male Sea Lions, smaller harbor seals, and the gorgeous coastal landscape and sandstone of the Veldez island. On the way back we saw 2 bald eagle which are usually gone by this time of year. Highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Philip H, October 2016
The trip was fine and we saw some wildlife, but no whales, which was a huge disappointment. Offered another free trip, but we were leaving Canada before we could take it up.
Review by: Margaret M, September 2016
Very informative guides. A great experience
Review by: tajathome, September 2016
Great day out
Review by: Jacqueline R, September 2016
Excellent tour whales close so did not have to spend a lot of time looking..... agent in am and spent pm in Stevenson came back on later coach had a great time just relaxing visited the canning museum and had a lunch in the Brittania - flight of craft beers and a superb ploughman's lunch.
Review by: John O R, September 2016
Fantastic as we were very fortunate to see a wonderful pod of killer whales and the lady who accompanied us was very forthcoming with terrific information.
Review by: Claudia S, September 2016
We have seen about 12 to 15 whales. Great!!! it was a rainy day
Review by: Paula B, August 2016
saw alot of whales
Review by: Thomas B, August 2016
finally see the killer whales after 2h or so...great experience._br/_ Friendly and helpful boat crew._br/_ The journey is a bit longer than advertised 4h but worth it!
Review by: M W C, August 2016
Very accommodating where the tour was cancelled and I was transferred to another tour that weekend. The tour guide was extremely helpful and knowledgable, happy and it was a pleasure to gain so much from her forgive me I forgot the tour guides name. The added complimentary bus was very useful and informative. Got to see 4 generation of whales, so all in all an excellent tour.
Review by: Patricia L, August 2016
Absolutely gorgeous day and experience! Great Whale Watching experience
Review by: Alistair M, August 2016
An exccelent day trip superb weather knowledgeable staff with Orca's sea lions seals and various bird life to see I would highly recommend this trip to anyone coming to Vancouver on holiday 10 out 10 for everything about it and really friendly local staff
Review by: John p, August 2016
Not their fault, but after spending 225 and 4 hours on an open Zodiac boat, all we saw was one sea lion and about 20 Harbor Seals. I was so very disappointed, a waste of nearly seven hours of our valuable time counting back and forth transport to our hotel.
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