Good morning kiajewelers, During peak season (May-October), there is no better time to join us for a tour. The whales aren’t more active at any particular time of day, so we suggest choosing a tour that works best for your schedule and booking well in advance. As our vessels get ready to leave the dock in the morning, we consider sightings from the previous day. We also use our knowledge of the travel habits of the whales to decide where to start searching. We coordinate with other companies to cover more area, and we all share sightings information. We also have an extensive network of people who call in with sightings from shore, ferries, fishing boats, private vessels and sometimes even float planes. This ensures a high sightings success rate. We’re usually able to find whales very early in the day. We strongly recommend leaving yourself a bit of free time after the tour. Our company is well-known for extending tours as needed—depending on weather, and location and behaviour of the whales—to ensure you get an amazing experience. We’ll literally go the extra mile (or 50!) as needed. Nature is flexible, and so are we! If you have any other questions we can help you with, please don't hesitate to contact us! All the best, Mika, Social Sustainability Manager

My husband and I just visited BC in May and it didn’t get dark until way later (I’d say past 9:30PM). And I would actually not agree with the previous person. What’s great about Eagle Wings is they are a company that is willing (as long as you and the other customers are) to extend trips at no extra charge to you so that you can see a whale. Sometimes they’ve extended over an hour if it means you get to see a whale. You may not see every kind of whale (we only saw Orcas on our trip) but they do their VERY best to get you at least one sighting. You can always call them too if you’re concerned. They are very nice. And they actually HAVE to stay back but provide you with binoculars to see them much better. They also will follow them along so that it’s more than just one glimpse. We got about 15 minutes with one pod before heading to a different location to see a different pod. Remember, you are in their habitat and it’s respectful not to get extremely close to them.

They do offer a shuttle service but it cannot go into the pier due to regulations. They just pick you up across the street from the cruise ship terminal in their whale van. If you are looking for this option contact them at least a couple days prior to your tour to book the time. The 9:30am might be pushing it because it can take more than 30 minutes to disembark. The 10am would be a safer option. The 9:30am and 10am are both on catamaran styles so you cannot go wrong with either vessel :) both have plenty of indoor/outdoor seating as well

Good afternoon Ms. Robertson, When booking the open vessels (Serengeti and Goldwing), we cannot guarantee which boat in particular we will be sending out as it depends on the number of guests booked for that tour (as well as weather, on occasion). That being said, in peak season (summer) we generally send both boats, so if you put a note with your preference in the reservation we will do everything we can to put you on that boat! If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask. We look forward to seeing you soon! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good morning Hannah90, Thank you for contacting us! We would recommend a morning tour, as the wind sometimes picks up later in the afternoon. Goldwing, our larger open scarab, is always a good option, as being out in the open and being able to watch land is always beneficial for those who suffer from mal de mer. If you decide to take any medication for it, just be sure to take it well in advance to allow it to start to work before you head out for your tour. We do recommend making reservations as this is a busy time of year for us, but do feel free to all us when you arrive in town and we are happy to update you with the most recent weather predictions. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good morning Vic687, Thank you for contacting Eagle Wing Tours! We have taken people of all ages on all our vessels, but with small children we usually recommend the semi-covered catamarans as they have more room to move around, and can get out of the elements as needed during the tour. If you choose the open boats, in the case of high winds or inclement weather, your captain may recommend moving to the catamaran, but generally it is up to you which experience you prefer. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good afternoon ojimon, Thank you for contacting us! Rest assured that there is plenty of space for all our passengers on board, both inside and outside on our semi-covered vessels, and comfortable seating on our open boats as well. We offer 3.5-4+ hour tours, and we would not expect you to stand for that duration! You are of course welcome to move around as you like for the best viewing and comfort during your tour. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good morning CharDar, We would recommend parking in Robbins Lot 61 (located at 203 Quebec St.). Just be sure to arrive early and pay for the number of spots you are occupying. This is only a 6 minute walk to the wharf. Our parking lot at Fisherman's Wharf does not have the space for larger vehicles like this. When planning your tour, please keep in mind that while our tours run 3.5-4+ hours, we do like to be a bit flexible with our timing, so please don't book anything (like a ferry!) immediately after your tour. If you need any help with planning, we would be happy to assist you. We look forward to seeing you soon! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good morning Steven, July is an amazing time to see whales! We have close to a 100% success rate at that time of year, with over 70% of tours seeing orcas, and almost 60% seeing humpback whales—often our guests have the privilege to see more than one species, also including minke and grey whales. (For more information on our sightings, please check out our blog post "Planning your whale-watching adventure".) Our whale guarantee is in effect, so if for some reason you don't see whales you get to come out again for free. We also see a variety of other wildlife including porpoise, seals, sea lions, otters, and a variety of sea birds. This is a busy time for us so reservations are definitely recommended! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager

Good afternoon Heather, May is a great time to see whales! Our whale guarantee starts May 15, so if for some reason you don't see any whales, you get to come out again with us for free. Last year in May we had over a 90% success rate, with just over half of those tours seeing orcas, and the other half seeing humpback whales. We may also see minke whales and grey whales, as well as an abundance of other wildlife like porpoise, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and plenty of marine birds. We do recommend making reservations in advance, which can be done online or by calling our office directly. If you have any other questions we can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask! We look forward to seeing you in May. All the best, Mika Ogilvie, Social Sustainability Manager