On the Water
4 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 96% of travellers
96% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
C$239
per adult
Vancouver Island Whale Watch
Vancouver Island Whale Watch
5
Full view
About
Experience BC's most sustainable whale watching on an unforgettable day at sea aboard our open zodiac-style boat or our semi-covered boat. Our coastal wilderness is home to killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals, eagles, and more! Our 3-4 hour whale watching tours depart daily from downtown Nanaimo BC, year-round. We guarantee you'll see a whale, or your next trip is on us!
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Tours and Tickets by Vancouver Island Whale Watch
On the Water
4 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 94% of travellers
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
C$239
per adult
Travellers talk about
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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
311 reviews
Excellent
285
Very good
11
Average
5
Poor
6
Terrible
4
Mervyy27
Nanaimo BC77 contributions
Jul 2021
I have done 3 trips with 2 open boat and one covered boat, all 4 hours, leaving from Nanaimo. The boats are excellent and well maintained with detailed safety orientation and access to bathrooms if needed. Safety suits are provided.A knowledgeable naturalist is present on all trips and they love to teach! The first trip was a long travel in search of whales and finally caught up with a humpback. The next was a fantastic encounter with an orca pod and the finale was an amazing show with over a dozen orcas and a humpback partying together with all kinds of action. I took almost 2000 pics as I go for the photograph opportunities as well as sightings. Expect sightings of bald eagles, seals, sea lions, possibly dolphins and a variety of other wildlife.The boat operators are photographers as well and do a great job of setting up the boat for optimal lighting. I would highly recommend this operator and company. I am a local resident and appreciate the convenience of having them so close in Nanaimo
Written July 25, 2021
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.
Thank you for such an awesome review! We are so glad you enjoyed your trips and we hope your photos of the whales and wildlife turned out. It's been great to see so much local support this year, we can't thank you enough for supporting us during these hard times. We hope to see you again some day!
Written August 7, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Travelbug
Regina55 contributions
Sept 2021 • Couples
We had originally booked our tour on the covered boat, but our reservation was changed to the open boat. We were given the option to keep our reservation or to cancel if we wanted. We went along on the open boat as it was a fairly nice day. We had a great experience and were fortunate to see a mother and calf humpback whale, a a pod of 5 Orcas and some sea lions.
Rebecca was extremely knowledgeable and told us so much about the whales and sea lions. She is really passionate about here work. Mateus, our captain was very friendly and did a great job of getting us around.
Rebecca was extremely knowledgeable and told us so much about the whales and sea lions. She is really passionate about here work. Mateus, our captain was very friendly and did a great job of getting us around.
Written September 29, 2021
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.
Thanks for the amazing review! It's great to hear you had fun on the trip, even with your boat change. Sounds like you were lucky in getting to see both the humpback whales and the orca! We are always happy to hear that the passion that our staff has for the wildlife shines through during the tour as well. Thanks again for coming out with us!
Written October 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Departure594850
25 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Ryan our guide and Mike the Captain did not disappoint...and neither did the orcas! We saw three orcas hunting seals and swimming. They surfaced about 50 ft from our boat! Amazing bucket list experience. Also saw seals and sea lions and interesting birds. Ryan gave great information and was very pleasant. Our group was me, my mother and daughter. It was awesome, highly recommend.
Written July 29, 2020
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.
Thank you for your 5 star review! I'm glad your whole family enjoyed the adventure watching orcas with Ryan and Mike! Sounds like you had an exciting encounter and a lucky close pass! Thanks again for joining us and hope to have you back one day.
Written August 3, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AlbertaTravelpaul
Qualicum Beach, Canada17 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
Three of us took the covered boat whale watching trip from Nanaimo today (July 30). This tour didn’t disappoint. Saw several whales as well as other sea life on the way back through the islands. The vessel we were on had plenty of space and cover, which was important on a hot day. We were glad we didn’t take the Zodiac option - those Mustang suits looked hot! Took less than an hour to get to where the whales were in mid-channel and we spent more than an hour with them. Came back through the Gulf Islands, stopping at places of interest.
Thanks for a great day.
Thanks for a great day.
Written July 30, 2021
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.
Thank you for the fantastic review. We are so glad you had a great time on the water with our whales and wildlife. The covered boat has definitely been a blessing in this heat and we're very glad our guests are enjoying it as well. Hope to see you again one day.
Written August 7, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa S
Airdrie, Canada11 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
The initial impression was good and equipment was nice. The guide was knowledgeable and showed us what we be the only whales we saw on a laminated page.
To my surprise as we started up we were headed to Vancouver (following the ferries). Bumpy ride for around 40 mins (or moreI) in the small boat and then up Howe sound. No whales found, back the "other way". To my surprise there was Horseshoe Bay where we left the mainland from. Why a Nanaimo company goes back to Vancouver?
We did not see any whales. The commute was long and guide spoke very little. Raced to the island just outside of Vancouver (they didn't communicate this to us) only to find out it was 'false' information they had about a whale sighting. Again, nothing said and back to Nanaimo and the lighthouse island. Saw seals and this part was interesting (ironically only 10 minutes from the harbour we left from - only 3-4 hours later).
Since they have a guarantee to see whales we were all given a voucher. I don't think we will sign up to ride a Zodiac across the ocean for 30-40 minutes each way again. I asked if I could give it away. No it was for person named. I don't think we will come back.
Vancouver Island whale watch that commutes to Vancouver / Howe Sound to look for whales. Interesting business model...
To my surprise as we started up we were headed to Vancouver (following the ferries). Bumpy ride for around 40 mins (or moreI) in the small boat and then up Howe sound. No whales found, back the "other way". To my surprise there was Horseshoe Bay where we left the mainland from. Why a Nanaimo company goes back to Vancouver?
We did not see any whales. The commute was long and guide spoke very little. Raced to the island just outside of Vancouver (they didn't communicate this to us) only to find out it was 'false' information they had about a whale sighting. Again, nothing said and back to Nanaimo and the lighthouse island. Saw seals and this part was interesting (ironically only 10 minutes from the harbour we left from - only 3-4 hours later).
Since they have a guarantee to see whales we were all given a voucher. I don't think we will sign up to ride a Zodiac across the ocean for 30-40 minutes each way again. I asked if I could give it away. No it was for person named. I don't think we will come back.
Vancouver Island whale watch that commutes to Vancouver / Howe Sound to look for whales. Interesting business model...
Written July 26, 2018
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 Lisa S,
Thanks for taking the time to write a review for us. I'm sorry to hear you weren't satisfied with your experience. I'd like to shed some light on the points you've raised to hopefully provide a better understanding of what happened on your tour.
Our tours have a very large range, and while we often find whales near Nanaimo, sometimes reports of wildlife are further away, bringing us to the Southern Gulf Islands, sometimes Vancouver (as you experienced), and even US waters! Similarly, Vancouver whale watching companies will often travel across the water to Nanaimo, if whales are found here. This large range gives us a very high success rate in finding whales (over 90%).
On the date you joined us, we received two separate reports of whales spotted in Howe sound, and no other reports. So off we went to Howe Sound to search for these whales. In fact, multiple vessels from other whale watching companies also searched Howe Sound for whales, because the industry is collaborative and sightings are shared. But as you know, we were unlucky and were not able to find the whales.
Although we are successful finding whales on most of our tours, it's important to keep in mind that we are looking for wildlife, so there are some tours where we aren't able to spot whales. However, it sounds like you were able to spot some harbour seals and Steller sea lions at Entrance island on your way back to the dock. We are very passionate about marine life and we do our best to show you as much wildlife as possible, rather than just whales. I'm glad to hear you felt your guide was knowledgeable and used the onboard material to provide some education on BC's coastal wildlife.
As for the length of commute, I'm sorry you felt it was long. We advertise a tour length of 3-4 hours, and up to 5 hours if whales are reported at the edge of our range. This is mentioned in your confirmation, and is a typical length of tour for whale watching in our region. The whales travel great distances throughout the day, so to have success finding them we must allow at least a few hours to cover the large area where they travel. And even when whales are found very close to us, we always stay out for at least 3 hours to give our guests time on the water to enjoy the boat and surrounding scenery.
Finally, we are pleased to offer a voucher for a free trip if whales are not found. Keep in mind that your voucher never expires, it's good for life!
I hope this has provided an explanation to your points, and I hope you'll decide to join us again next time you're in town. We'd love another chance to show you some whales!
Written July 27, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
BCtravelman61
Ladysmith, Canada8 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Awesome afternoon of whale watching on the semi-covered boat. Mike our captain/driver and Val our on-board naturalist were a fabulous pair of guides, along with Rodrigo the photographer and the transient pod of Orcas, we had a treat-filled trip! We went from Nanaimo over to Howe sound and spent an hour and a half with the Killer Whales - got some great views, and pictures. On our trip back we stopped to watch seals and sea lions basking in the sun near Entrance Island. Another one checked off our bucket list - Thanks to everyone at Vancouver Island Whale Watch - you must go on this adventure!
Written May 28, 2018
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.
Thank you for writing such a great 5 star review for us! Val, Mike, and Rodrigo will be happy to read your review and I'm sure we all agree that Howe Sound is one of the most beautiful paces to watch killer whales! Sounds like you had a lot of wildlife on your tour and good weather to top it all off. Thanks again for coming out with us and hope to have you back soon.
Written May 29, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Linda H
1 contribution
May 2018 • Friends
This was the best Whale Watching tour I have been on. Having a marine biologist on board to explain the Orca activity, answer questions was fantastic. This is a new company and were absolutely terrific. We felt like they were as thrilled as we were to see the whales. I recommend highly them .
Written May 28, 2018
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.
Thank you for your 5 star review Linda! Our staff are amazing and super passionate about the wildlife that we see on our tours. I am happy to see that this came across and that you enjoyed having someone onboard to interpret behaviours and answer questions. All of our naturalists have a background in marine or environmental science and love being out on the water. Even though the zodiacs don't require a naturalist onboard, we found that this was the best way to make the tour more educational and to make sure guests could have all of their questions answered. Thanks again for taking the time to review us on Trip Advisor, we really appreciate it.
Written May 29, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Julia Y
9 contributions
May 2018 • Family
This was my second whale watching trip and it was the best experience so far! My favourite part was watching a small family of orcas, my 10 year old's favourite part was breezy, wavy ride to the orcas in her survival suit and goggles and my hubby loved seeing the seal lions. The crew was professional and knowledgeable. We rode in an open boat called a Zodiac. They are a new company so their equipment is new and clean. The company is located in Nanaimo which was very convenient for us, we will use this company again!
Written May 28, 2018
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.
Thank you Julia for an amazing 5 star review!
Sounds like there was something for the whole family to enjoy on your tour! Of course the majority who come out with us are most excited to watch the wild whales - they are the superstars afterall - but I am very happy to hear that your son had fun on our newest boat and that your husband liked seeing some of the large and lazy sea lions. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful islands and all sorts of species of wildlife. There's always something new to look for.
Thanks again, we appreciate that you chose to come out with us and hope to have you back soon!
Written May 29, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brad K
Mission, Canada24 contributions
Sept 2020
First off, shout out to the crew. Val our Naturalist for the day was super friendly, and gave us tons of awesome information about the area and wildlife. Rodrigo our Captain was also very nice, and it was awesome to see them both get so excited when they found whales for us. They truly both seem to love their job and that makes it more enjoyable for us. Speaking of enjoyable, having a nice new boat to cruise around in was a bonus. nice clear windows comfortable seats. no rattles, and a bathroom!!!
I feel we were very fortunate on this trip, we came across multiple humpbacks, two of which were "logging" for quite awhile, but when they finished resting they gave us quite a show. Then we were able to spot a pod of resident Orcas. they were quite far off, but we were able to see them jumping. Wish we were closer, but as soon as they were recognized as locals, our guides did the right thing and we had to leave them behind.
A wonderful afternoon!
I feel we were very fortunate on this trip, we came across multiple humpbacks, two of which were "logging" for quite awhile, but when they finished resting they gave us quite a show. Then we were able to spot a pod of resident Orcas. they were quite far off, but we were able to see them jumping. Wish we were closer, but as soon as they were recognized as locals, our guides did the right thing and we had to leave them behind.
A wonderful afternoon!
Written September 26, 2020
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 Brad, thanks for the review! It's great to hear that the passion our crew has for the wildlife got through to you during the trip. Our naturalists all have backgrounds in biology and are very knowledgable about our local wildlife and they love sharing that with our guests! Sounds like you got to spend some quality time with some local humpbacks and got to see some action out of them too! Also, thank you for understanding about not watching the Southern resident orca as they are endangered and we want to leave them undisturbed as much as possible.
Overall it sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks again for taking the time to leave us this review.
Written April 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
tinahu89
8 contributions
Sept 2020
We love our tour guide who was very knowledgeable and you could tell genuinely is interested in the animals. The boat journey itself is worth the $$ and it was extra special to see sealions, humpback whales, and orcas!
Written September 24, 2020
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.
Thanks for the great review! It sounds like you got to see a ton of wildlife during your tour and were lucky enough to see both species of whale as well! We also agree that the boat ride itself is pretty fun getting to see all of the scenery while out searching for the wildlife. Thanks again for taking the time to review us!
Written April 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hallo
Würde es auch ein Boot für das Wale watching geben das für Schwangere geeignet ist? Lg
Written December 2, 2019
Thank you for getting in touch with us but unfortunately our tours are not suitable for pregnant women.
Written December 2, 2019
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