Victoria: Winter Whale Watching & Marine Wildlife Tour
5
Victoria: Winter Whale Watching & Marine Wildlife Tour
By Orca Spirit Adventures
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 6-99, max of 12 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More
- Professional guide
- Certified Marine Naturalist
- Full flotation cruiser suits
- Dry storage under seat or place to leave belongings in the office during the tour
What's not included- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Start:
- 950 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 1T3, CanadaLocated on the same dock as Seaplane Terminal
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7111P8- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not suitable for pregnant women
- Not suitable for participants with pre-existing injuries and/or health conditions
- Minimum age of 6 years old
- Operates rain or shine, please dress appropriately
- Not recommended for travellers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travellers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7111P8
From
C$156.45
per adult
Select date and travellers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 950 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 1T3, CanadaLocated on the same dock as Seaplane Terminal
- 1Come aboard a 12-passenger zodiac to experience the wild west coast. Let the snow-capped mountains of the Olympic Peninsula be your guide to open the doors to fascinating wildlife of the waters surrounding southern Vancouver Island. With tours lead by a passionate, knowledgeable, and experienced captain, you will be equipped with a cruiser suit, hat, and gloves before departing from the dock in search of the mysterious and exciting wildlife that’s waiting to be discovered. Possible wildlife that you may see include Stellar and California sea lions, harbour and elephant seals, humpback whales, otters, Bigg’s killer whales, and a variety of birds such as cormorants and bald eagles. Tours are three hours in length, departing from our inner harbour location daily at 1pm.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- gerardbialot0 contributionsWe came from 🇫🇷 to see the big animalsA magnifient journée among orcas and whales. A dream has become true. Three hours on the water. Thank you Mike for your commentsWritten October 3, 2024
- dazzle90 contributionsIncredible experienceA fabulous experience with professional staff who were very knowledgeable and just brilliant. One member of the team took photos with a top end camera that they share with everyone on the trip which enabled us to just look and take in the majestic whales and other sea life. It was an incredible time and thankfully calm waters, to be near the humpback whales, seals, sea lions, porpoise and birds. If you need a whale watching tour, this company is who to go with.Written October 1, 2024
- bobvB8294OG0 contributionsAwesome Whale Watching ExperienceAwesome, the crew was very knowledgable, obviously either marine biologists or whale geeks (their terminology). Saw both transient and local killer whales, lots of humpbacks and sea lions. I like that the crew took pictures and within a week we will have access to them.Written September 28, 2024
- B7661NXkaylas0 contributionsSpringtide Company was amazing!We were actually off loaded to a different company the day before called SpringTide and they were amazing! Courtney one of the naturalist was amazing and took the time to get to know my wife and I ! Definitely glad we got transferred to this company as we were able to meet this amazing crew and see so many Humpback whales and Sea lions! Thank you!Written September 27, 2024
- reelpilot0 contributionsDisappointed,Booked through RC for Sunday Sept 22. It was on the larger Orca Spirt with 170 other people. We elected to not go! Way over crowded to be able to enjoy our last day of the cruise. Spoke with other people from our ship that went,most were not pleased with the large crowd.Written September 23, 2024
- janlI2244MM0 contributionsOrca Spirit adventure 17/9/24Yesterday, 17/9/24, we were lucky to have a fantastic morning tour with Orca Spirit. The staff, Liam, Ryan, Bella, Ashleigh and Captain Michael were fantastic hosts, Very friendly and knowledgeable. We were very lucky to see 3 humpback whales (multiple sightings of the whales) along with a sea otter, sea lions & seals around Race Rock lighthouse. They took professional photos of which we are allowed to download free of charge, an added bonus. Complimentary tea/coffee throughout the trip was welcoming. We would highly recommend anyone booking through Orca Spirit. Jan & Colin - UKWritten September 18, 2024
- cmadders0 contributionsWonderful experienceWe had a great morning whale watching with Orca Spirit and were lucky enough to see a pod of three orca's, as well as seals, sea lions and a bald headed eagle. Our guide Briar was passionate and knowledgeable throughout the entire trip and we were able to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience as there was another member of staff on the deck with a camera taking pictures that were later uploaded to their Flickr account.Written September 18, 2024
- X4599GLluisap0 contributionsAmazing experienceIt was an amazing experience and Liam did a great job as captain! We saw five killer whales - Thank you so much for the nice trip!Written September 14, 2024
- MarkQS0 contributionsAmazing sights of whalesHad an amazing trip see several whales during the three hour trip. Guide very knowledgeable and made the experience a memorable one. The zodiac trip was great and would highly recommend.Written September 14, 2024
- GayleJP0 contributionsDream come true.This was a dream come true adventure for us. It was really the most perfect day to be on a zodiac boat, calm waters and light winds, not a cloud in the sky. The captain, Johnny was informative and professional. He took us around 40min ride out into the strait where Orcas had been spotted. We were fortunate enough to see two pods who were playful, spy hopping, tail slapping and came close to the boat. Also saw sealion and seals. All in all a magical experience.Written September 13, 2024
- diegoaU6356JI0 contributionsWhale view victoriaIt was an amazing tour i completly recommend this whale view tour Liam was a excellent captain and over pass my expectativeWritten September 12, 2024
- 858martynasv0 contributionsGreat, fun, interesting, great experienceIt was amazing. Captain Sam gives us the best experience. Saw 3 humpback whales, 1 orca, and lot of seals. It was very interesting to listen to Captain Sam! Very recommended!Written September 8, 2024
- Nitram21210 contributionsA truly beautiful experienceThis was the very best experience. Saw humpbacks…seals and otters but the highlight was def the performance that the Orcas seemed to put on for us! Stayed with them for a good quiet while and saw them hunt and play. Pinnacle was when one came right underneath the boat! We were the only boat there as well which made it feel even more special. Such beautiful creatures. Our guide/captain was Johnny and he was great. Friendly/ informative/ funny and most of all respectful to the whales. Highly recommend this tour.Written September 7, 2024
- Tour339012064500 contributionsOrca Spirit - the team’s great SpiritEspecially for visitors from Hong Kong and China. An outstanding experience. From the front desk inqury through Check in to the tour. It is not a hard sell company and they do give advance warning that it’s in the lap of the Gods if all the mammals are out on a certain day. We had Tim, the first mate at the inquiry desk when first inquired and he was terrific. Immediately booked and no regrets at all. About 60 clients boarded a lovely catamaran (which seats 170 - and by the way we were told had 194 life vests), that was clean and comfortable. I think 170 would be a bit uncomfortable but 100 -110 is early doable and not cause discomfort. Within an hour we were amongst a pod of 5 Orcas, and they were swimming with a bay calf teaching it how to hunt and breathe. It was an amazing vision. Nobody expected this wonderful surprise. Then we saw seals on the lighthouse island and to top it off was a close by spotting from a humpback whale. All up the trip took 3 hours. The whole crew are true environmentalists. You will learn why they dont bother one specific of killer whales, because they are facing extinction and you will also understand there is a protocol on the water. The crew did a great job, they certainly deserved a good tip and I hope all visitors reward outstanding service, which this team provided. There is a chance you wont see Orcas but even had our trip only been limited to porpoises, seals and humpback whales I would still have gone. Wonderful!!Written September 7, 2024
- I3074XOmariol0 contributionsWhalewatching on Vancouver IslandToday we went out to watch whales on the 10am trip. We did see lots of seals and also a lot of humpback whales. Megan and Ryan were a great team and did very well explaining everything. Thx to the skipper too, didn't catch his name.Written September 6, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
171 reviews
Excellent
153
Very good
10
Average
3
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Trip527921
18 contributions
Our family of six adults had such a good time on this whale watching tour. We were set to enjoy the tour regardless of whether we saw whales are not. First though came the ‘blow’ which guided our captain towards the whale. Sightings began to happen and we were so excited to see humpback whales. Towards the end, an amazing sighting occurred. A mother humpback and her calf kept us thoroughly entertained with multiple displays. A few were so close to the ship, we could see amazing details. The captain and his crew were excellent! Very knowledgeable and no questions seemed silly. As well, we really liked the ‘giving back’ to environmental groups which was a primary reason we selected this tour over others. We would encourage you to go in this tour.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Trip527921,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your five star review on Trip Advisor.
Wow! By the sounds of it, you had a great trip exploring the Salish Sea! We are so fortunate that we are surronded by such incredible wildlife and being able to showcase it to our guests is what we love doing best!
Thanks for mentioning our give back to nonprofit environmental organizations. Each guest that comes on tour with us donates $4 to 3 different local organizations the help and protect the animals that we see on our tours.
Our crew on board is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate in what they do and they love sharing that with their guests. I will be sure to let them know that you enjoyed yourselves.
We hope that you enjoyed the rest of your time in Victoria and hope to welcome you on board with us again soon!
Best regards,
Hailey
Sales Manger
Written October 26, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
crazydudechief
Aberdeen, UK106 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
We had a great time on the whale watching experience im Victoria. We had withered between whether to go on big or smaller boat and feel we absolutely chose the right one for an entertaining experience!
Mick the guide was incredible and we cannot believe that we got to see hump back whales, orcas, seals and sea lions! The whales were literally metres from our boat it was just incredible!
You are provided with a suit to keep you protected from the elements which is really helpful too! Thanks orca spirit and Mick!
Mick the guide was incredible and we cannot believe that we got to see hump back whales, orcas, seals and sea lions! The whales were literally metres from our boat it was just incredible!
You are provided with a suit to keep you protected from the elements which is really helpful too! Thanks orca spirit and Mick!
Written September 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi crazydudechief,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your five star experience on your recent zodiac whale watching tour.
We are thrilled to hear that you had a great experience and that your skipper shared some knowledge on the wildlife and surrounding areas! Being able to see Humpback whales in our waters is very special as at one point they were considered critically endangered due to whaling.
Thanks again for recommending Orca Spirit to travellers coming to Victoria!
Best regards,
Hailey
Sales Manager
Written January 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jonathan S
4 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
Our Captain Laurie was exceptional in so many ways. Calmly positive and upbeat, and genuinely enthused about all aspects of the journey. She was beautifully informed about the whales and all wildlife and environment, and shared her knowledge authentically. She handled a careful balance between proximity to the whales and respecting their space, all with relaxed warmth towards all of us. At the end of the excursion, she navigated a route closer to the inside of bays to minimize getting wet from the waves that had come up.
Thank you Laurie and all at Zodiac Marine.
Thank you Laurie and all at Zodiac Marine.
Written November 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott H
1 contribution
Aug 2022
I had a friend visiting from out of town and we spontaneously decided to buy tickets for a whale watching tour just hours before it departed, not really knowing what to expect. Our expectations were exceeded and then some.
We were very lucky with the weather and the wildlife that were were able to find and observe, but what made it all so much better was our guide, Lori.
Lori was extremely kind and very knowledgeable, making us all feel safe while teaching us countless things about the animals we were hanging out with.
I had never been out on a Zodiac for whale watching before and this experience certainly made me want to do it again. It was even more special to share it with my friend during her visit, she was equally as impressed.
10/10 experience, would recommend to anyone.
We were very lucky with the weather and the wildlife that were were able to find and observe, but what made it all so much better was our guide, Lori.
Lori was extremely kind and very knowledgeable, making us all feel safe while teaching us countless things about the animals we were hanging out with.
I had never been out on a Zodiac for whale watching before and this experience certainly made me want to do it again. It was even more special to share it with my friend during her visit, she was equally as impressed.
10/10 experience, would recommend to anyone.
Written August 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz
Vancouver, Canada1 contribution
We had loads of fun on this zodiac trip at sunset, the waters were really calm and Jordan was a really friendly guide. We found a humpback that we followed around and it was fun searching for him to surface.
I was a little disappointed as I was expecting to see orcas given the name of the company and previous reviews but it sounds as though it’s highly unlikely... Still worth it to see the humpbacks and the sea lions though!
I was a little disappointed as I was expecting to see orcas given the name of the company and previous reviews but it sounds as though it’s highly unlikely... Still worth it to see the humpbacks and the sea lions though!
Written August 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Excursion57128585610,
Thank you for sharing your four star experience with our future guests!
We are thrilled to hear that you had loads of fun on your sunset tour and that you were able to see the once almost extinct Humpback Whales that have made an incredible comeback in our waters!
Killer Whales are a common sighting year round in the Salish Sea, but they are wild animals and can sometimes travel over 150Km in a single day in search of their next meal!
We hope that you enjoyed the rest of your time exploring beautiful Victoria and hope to welcome you back on board with us sometime soon!
Best regards,
Hailey
Sales Manger
Written October 26, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jon C
2 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
Awesome experience!
I went on the zodiac trip with Jonny, first boat out at 9am. The zodiac is a really thrillingx rapid way to get out into the Haro Strait which adds to the whole fun. Jonny is a great pilot too, really knowledgeable and friendly - great job navigating some pretty choppy waters coming back, which I appreciated as a first timer on a boat like this!
We were out for a little over three hours and spent the vast majority of that time watching 3/4/5 families of orcas do their thing. It was breathtaking to see them like that, really quite life-affirming!
I also want to note how wonderful it was to see how respectful all the boats in the area were. Jonny coordinated with all the boats in the area, some naturalists were out too - everyone was checking in to see where the orcas were, identifying them, and most importantly making sure no one was getting too close or disturbing the families. It's great to see that aspect on experiences like this, and I'm so happy that these trips are done appropriately, and with the orcas' welfare the priority.
I will definitely seek out Orca Spirit again if/when I'm back in Victoria. Thanks so much to you all.
I went on the zodiac trip with Jonny, first boat out at 9am. The zodiac is a really thrillingx rapid way to get out into the Haro Strait which adds to the whole fun. Jonny is a great pilot too, really knowledgeable and friendly - great job navigating some pretty choppy waters coming back, which I appreciated as a first timer on a boat like this!
We were out for a little over three hours and spent the vast majority of that time watching 3/4/5 families of orcas do their thing. It was breathtaking to see them like that, really quite life-affirming!
I also want to note how wonderful it was to see how respectful all the boats in the area were. Jonny coordinated with all the boats in the area, some naturalists were out too - everyone was checking in to see where the orcas were, identifying them, and most importantly making sure no one was getting too close or disturbing the families. It's great to see that aspect on experiences like this, and I'm so happy that these trips are done appropriately, and with the orcas' welfare the priority.
I will definitely seek out Orca Spirit again if/when I'm back in Victoria. Thanks so much to you all.
Written June 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave W
Norwich, UK2 contributions
These guys were really interesting to listen to and able to get us to where they know the whales are feeding. They remained respectful of the distance we should keep from whales and seemed to be very happy in their work. We were lucky enough to find a calf that was playful and jumped clean out of the water
Written September 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Dave W,
Wow - What a review! Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. Reading this has put a smile on all of our faces!
We are so glad to hear that this tour was so incredible. It is always an amazing experience seeing Orcas in their natural habitat and we are thrilled that we were able to share this moment with you!
Thank you for mentioning our passionate crew. We are extremely lucky to have such an amazing team and we are glad they helped make this experience a memorable one!
Best regards,
Hailey
Sales Manager
Written January 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kat B
5 contributions
Sept 2022 • Friends
We were fortunate to have Captain Bill at the helm and Lauren & Jake as our Naturalists. They made it so easy to have fun. We were fortunate to see an orca family of 4, mom Esperanza, daughter Nuka and sons Sputter and Galiano. Galiano was easily recognizable with his approximately 7 foot long dorsal fin. It’s so big tha it’s weight bends it over at the top! I loved learning about these wonderful whales. How to spot them coming up for air, watching them break the surface of the water, check out our sister Zodiac vessel, moving from one side of the boat to the other. We learned about the harbour seals, birds and even the kelp as well. This tour was exactly the right length and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a “must do” the next time you’re in Victoria. Can’t wait to see the photos!!! 😊
Written September 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M K
Berlin, Germany24 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
It was amazing! We went in a big boat with 95 person capacity. We could see a few humpback whales and one of them did quite a show. The team, from the captain to the crew were very helpful and gave a lot of nice information about the area and it’s wildlife. We couldn’t get to see any orcas. But after the humpback’s show we really didn’t need to.
Written August 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello M K,
Thank you for sharing your five star whale watching experience on Trip Advisor!
We are so happy to hear that you had an incredible and enjoyable tour on the covered vessel out of Victoria. how incredible to be able to see a Humpback Whale put on a show for our guests. Because these animals are wild, their behaviours are unpredictable, which keeps us doing what were doing. We are so lucky to be surrounded by these animals and we love casing them to our guests.
Thanks again for sharing your experience with our future guests. We hope to welcome you back our with again soon!
Best regards,
Hailey
Sales Manager
Written December 30, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ellen L
Toronto, Canada2 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
Loved it. Have paid for whale watching tours in the past with no success. Here we saw 8 whales in our three hours. I appreciated the heads up from the staff when booking about wearing extra clothes. The captain was fun, engaging, and impressively in command of a high powered dual engine Zodiak. We got close but always felt safe. The perfect dock at the end was … chef’s kiss.
Written November 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As a sufferer of sea sickness how calm are the waters? Would love to do something like this but would hate to feel ill, I have managed to go round coves in Turkey and feel ok with the help of tablets, so if it was quite calm I think I would be ok, thanks
Written February 26, 2020
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