Sidney Whale Watching
Sidney Whale Watching
5
Boat Tours • Eco Tours • Dolphin & Whale Watching • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing
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9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Full view
About
Whale watching, wildlife tours and sea kayaking tours located in the beautiful seaside town of Sidney, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Our advantages include; calm protected water and the closest departure point to the Resident Killer whale routes meaning more whale time and an average of 30 minutes less travel time then Vancouver or Victoria. We are also at the gateway to the magical Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, less then 5 minutes off our dock and your among one of the nicest cruising grounds on the planet. Family owned and operated for over 15 years, come share our passion for the beautiful region called the Salish Sea.
Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
Features animals
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2022
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Sidney Whale Watching
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(16 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
348 reviews
Excellent
308
Very good
20
Average
6
Poor
7
Terrible
7
Monica G
1 contribution
May 2023 • Couples
Wouldn’t go out with any other companies on the island besides Sidney Whale Watching, solely due to the amount of time afforded for wildlife viewing resulting from their proximity to the viewing areas in comparison to other tours. We saw 5 orca, 2 humpback, young and adult bald eagles, harbor seals, stellar sea lions, California sea lions, sheep, and some out of this world topography. Our guide, Orion, was very kind, knowledgeable, and a very good boat captain.
Written May 8, 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.
We appreciate you for taking the time to write a review. We are glad that you enjoyed your time with Captain Orion and the wonderful wildlife of the BC Coast. We will pass on the compliments to him! We hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
The Crew at Sidney Whale Watching
Written May 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Erica C
Thamesford, Canada2 contributions
Apr. 2023
April 25/23
Wonderful experience. I was sooo excited to see a pod of 4 Orcas which included a 'baby' . Oryan was our captain . He said the whales were "sleepy' that day but he was very informative & made a huge effort for us to spend time following the whales & seeking out harbour seals, sea lions , bald eagles, We, (7 women in total) were kept informed of where we were in the islands which he added some history. When next in the area I will return to this company to whale watch again. Thank you for the experience. Erica Cater
Wonderful experience. I was sooo excited to see a pod of 4 Orcas which included a 'baby' . Oryan was our captain . He said the whales were "sleepy' that day but he was very informative & made a huge effort for us to spend time following the whales & seeking out harbour seals, sea lions , bald eagles, We, (7 women in total) were kept informed of where we were in the islands which he added some history. When next in the area I will return to this company to whale watch again. Thank you for the experience. Erica Cater
Written May 2, 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.
It's great to hear about your positive experience with us Erica! Captain Orion will be happy to hear your feedback. We look forward to the next time we can bring you for another Whale Watching adventure!
Sincerely,
The Crew at Sidney Whale Watching
Written May 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sabrina D
Garland, TX4 contributions
Apr. 2023 • Friends
Would def recommend! Oryan was an amazing captain we saw orcas,humpbacks, and sea lions! Loved it! Glad we booked this one
Written April 30, 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.
Pamela G
1 contribution
Apr. 2023 • Solo
Many thanks to Orion, our knowledgable tour guide and pilot, for a lovely afternoon on the ocean tracking orcas and visiting the scenic spots where seals, otters, sea lions and birds hang out. Sidney is a great point of origin - relatively calm waters in the strait, and close to the wildlife you want to spend watching, so travel time on the ocean is short. The scenery you see when going through the islands on the way to the whales is time well spent, anyway!
Written April 13, 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.
Stay295819
22 contributions
Mar. 2023 • Couples
Very professional friendly staff! Amazing experience and would do it again!! Highly recommend for anyone visiting Sidney, BC.
Written March 31, 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.
Miles B
2 contributions
Oct. 2022
Cal was wonderful. He's a marine biologist. Cal studied at UVIC, and now is a Captain of Sidney Whale Watching. I felt he was sincere in his answers to questions about sea life, and had interesting details about Harbor-Porpoises, Orca Whales, and the predatory behaviors of large sea mammals. He was a nice young man, he drove the boat carefully, and followed all guidelines re safety and to protect endangered species. I would recommend Cal as both an academic of Marine Biology, and as an excellent sea-captain.
Written October 15, 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.
YYC-YYZ
Calgary, Canada85 contributions
Sep. 2022 • Couples
Caution - Sidney Whale Watching Tours does not honour fully confirmed bookings. My wife and I had a fully confirmed booking for a tour (they were only offering one time on this day at 1:30pm - we booked a day prior). We spent the entire morning in Sidney only to receive a call 90 minutes prior to departure to inform us that since we were the last people to book and since they hadn't sold enough tickets to operate both boats, we were being punted. When asked why they didn't split the full boat in to 2 boats, we were told that they didn't want to lose their profit to the price of fuel by operating two boats. I understand that this is a profit-based business, but once the booking is confirmed, they ought to do whatever it takes to honour their word. They refunded our money but made no effort in trying to get us on a boat the following day and seemed to have complete disregard for the fact that they had informed us too late for us to make alternative arrangements or had caused us to miss one of the things we were looking forward to most on our vacation. Really crappy.
I'd suggest strongly considering using a larger, more professional outfit - don't get sucked in by the suggestions that they offer "more whale time". We had friends on this tour and they indicated that they had seen one pod of whales and there were approximately a dozen boats from various companies all at the same spot. No boat received any more "whale watching time" then another. It's a marketing lie - whales move around and can be anywhere.
I'd suggest strongly considering using a larger, more professional outfit - don't get sucked in by the suggestions that they offer "more whale time". We had friends on this tour and they indicated that they had seen one pod of whales and there were approximately a dozen boats from various companies all at the same spot. No boat received any more "whale watching time" then another. It's a marketing lie - whales move around and can be anywhere.
Written September 15, 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.
Kenny L
1 contribution
Aug. 2022 • Solo
Fantastic experience. Captain Dave took us to see 2 large male Orca hunting near one of the US islands. They were within 5 metres of the boat at times and we saw them breach and tail slap. Captain Dave then took us to other islands to see birdlife and other animals. He was very knowledgeable about these subjects as well. All in all a great morning.
Written August 28, 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.
Diane H
1 contribution
Aug. 2022 • Solo
Captain Dave is incredibly knowledgeable and gave us lots of great facts about the humpback we saw. Great experience. Would definitely do it again and recommend to anyone.
Written August 25, 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 Diane,
Thank you for taking the time to write us this kind review. We are pleased you had such a great time out on the Salish Sea with Captain Dave! We will make sure he receives the compliments.
We hope to see you again!
Written August 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Becky B
North Bend, WA11 contributions
Jul. 2022
Captain Dave was great and very informative, we got see Orcas and it was just a wonderful and amazing experience!
Written August 9, 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.
Hi Becky,
We are incredibly grateful for the kind review and are happy to hear that you had a great experience with Captain Dave on our whale watching tour!
Written August 9, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
induvenk
New York City, NY
Hi, am a little worried about the open boats....are they safe considering we probably go near the whales to get a good view. Do the whales ever come real close to the open zodiac boats?
Sidney Whale W
sidney, british columbia1 contribution
No need to worry about the open boats as they are Transport Canada certified and very safe. All whale watching vessels in Canada and the USA follow the "whale wise" guidelines and mandated by law to stay 100m away from the whales. The whales sometimes change their minds on which way they are going and can get closer to the boats. This being said we will remain stationary with our motors off until they whales are at a safe distance (over 100m) away until we will maneuver again.
Hugh A
Split, Croatia4 contributions
What is the maximum number of people on each trip?
Sidney Whale W
sidney, british columbia1 contribution
12
michellejrz
Boca del Rio, Mexico
Que meses es la temporada de ballenas ???
Sidney Whale W
sidney, british columbia1 contribution
The best season to see our Resident Orcas is during June, July and August. But we see transient Orcas, Resident Orcas, and Humpbacks from March until October.