Sidney Whale Watching
Sidney Whale Watching
4.8
Boat ToursEco ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
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
Ecologically-minded whale watching and wildlife tours located in the beautiful seaside town of Sidney, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. We are located at the gateway to the magical Gulf Islands National Park Reserve among the Salt Spring archipelago, one of the most beautiful cruising grounds on the planet. We offer three-hour tours everyday from March-October, as well as private charters for a variety of functions. Our captain/naturalist guides are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the local wildlife and area, and love to share their knowledge. Family owned and operated for over 20 years, come share our passion for the beautiful region called the Salish Sea.
Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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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
4.8
395 reviews
Excellent
352
Very good
21
Average
6
Poor
6
Terrible
10
Scott B
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Couples
The whole process for this trip from check in to finish was seamless and top notch. Our captain and guide Adrian was excellent at not only putting us on orcas and other wildlife but also very informative in regard to explaing all of the biological aspects of the entire surrounding ecosystem. Highly recommend this experience and will go again.
Written June 14, 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.
GUIDEL38
Crawley, UK21 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Efficient and friendly staff.
Warm and confortable suit to enjoy the ride without freezing.
We really appreciate the small and fast boat which allows to move fast between various locations and to enjoy a perfect sight.
The driver was excellent for riding, explaining and finding games to watch.
We saw only 2 orcas but the ride between islands was awesome !
Warm and confortable suit to enjoy the ride without freezing.
We really appreciate the small and fast boat which allows to move fast between various locations and to enjoy a perfect sight.
The driver was excellent for riding, explaining and finding games to watch.
We saw only 2 orcas but the ride between islands was awesome !
Written April 16, 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.
kkerke01
2 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We had an amazing family trip with Adrian as our captain. We saw two different types of orcas. The endangered, southern pod and a separate, transient orca pod. Adrienne showed great respect for the endangered pod by giving them the required space to keep from stressing them and notifying nearby boats of the pod. The transient pod was surrounded by other whale watching tour boats, which felt a bit more intrusive. The orcas didn't seem to mind too much as they were swimming right by the boats when accidentally in their path. One slight negative to be aware of is that the tour will be cancelled if you don't have at least 5 people signed up. I ended up paying for a 5th spot on our boat so our family of 4 could still go on the tour. There were multiple other tour boats out of Port Angeles that were packed, so I'm guessing the tour leaving Sidney decreases the traffic to this organization. Honestly, an extra $115 for a private tour boat ended up working out well.
Written June 11, 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.
Amy B
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Friends
Highly recommend Sidney Whale Watching to anyone visiting Victoria. We did not see any whales on our first trip (we went during shoulder season) but had a great time touring around and seeing other wildlife like seals, sea lions, porpoise and eagles. We were able to join a tour the next day (without paying extra!), and saw whales within 15 minutes of leaving the dock. I was very impressed with how respectful they are of the whales - it never felt like we were disturbing or causing stress for the whales. Our skipper Adrian was very knowledgeable about the whale population and local wildlife, and was a great guide. Overall great experience and excellent service from the whole team. We will definitely be back!
Written March 27, 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.
Explorer32457927599
11 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
A great 3 hr trip in the early evening last week. The Captain was friendly and got us through the islands just off the coast from Sydney BC quickly to get us to where a Transient Orca pod were in the Georgie straight. The boat left around 5pm, was quick and remarkably smooth. We felt very safe and got within 200m of the small Orca pod of about 5 or 6, which we observed for at least 45 mins. The boat ride was scenic, winding through the islands and passing the ferries and when we arrived there were only 3 other boats there, so it was quiet and felt personal. The Orca's breached often and the younger ones were playful. All in all mission accomplished, which was for me to see real live Orcas! Sydney is a lovely little seaside town to depart from only 30 mins drive from Victoria. I would recommend this place over the trips parting Victoria harbour of you want to see Orca's.
Written July 27, 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.
Ellie F
Cheltenham, UK5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
We had an incredible time with Sidney Whale Watching and were lucky enough to see a number of orcas. Our Captain, Sean, was hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic; he took the time to ask us what we'd most like to see, and planned our route accordingly. He was able to identify each of the whales we saw, telling us about their unique personalities and backstories. The scenery was absolutely stunning too, even in torrential rain! A truly once in a lifetime experience. Thank you!
Written August 30, 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.
Landon W
7 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We went out with Adrian and had an amazing time. We got to see a family of orcas with a baby. Adrian knew so much about orcas and how they live and was able to tell us about their behaviors and why they were doing the things they were doing.
He also pulled out an underwater microphone so we could hear them talking to each other. We also hopped over to see Sea Lions. It was an amazing adventure.
Best part is that we got to spend more time on the water than the other boats because we started out in Sidney and not Victoria. The whales tend to be closer to Sidney. Really a wonderful time.
He also pulled out an underwater microphone so we could hear them talking to each other. We also hopped over to see Sea Lions. It was an amazing adventure.
Best part is that we got to spend more time on the water than the other boats because we started out in Sidney and not Victoria. The whales tend to be closer to Sidney. Really a wonderful time.
Written May 15, 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.
Emily T
25 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
We had an unforgettable time on this tour. We saw 28 orcas in total, some in the first 20 mins of setting off! Our driver was really knowledgeable about the orcas and their behaviours. He also took the time to show us other wildlife in the area including bald eagles, cormorants and an island with unusual deer and sheep on. The suits we were given were warm and waterproof and we didn’t feel the cold at all. The smaller uncovered boat gave us a great view of the wildlife. We would definitely recommend this tour!
Written May 2, 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.
jjmmaacc
Hurst, TX6 contributions
Our whale watching trip was amazing! Cal was our captain and was awesome! We found orcas that none of the Victoria boats were on. We spent a good amount of time just watching them. I cannot give enough kiddos to this small group, they know exactly what they're doing. It was such a great experience!
Written August 6, 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.
Lydia R
4 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
Sidney Whale Watching is an indigenous owned business. We went out with a group of 6 people total. Our guide, Cal, was well informed, took us out into some beautiful areas, and found a couple of Humpback Whales, two types of sea lions, three bald eagles, and multiple birds, some of which are quit rare. We would definitely go again.
Written October 14, 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.
induvenk
New York City, New York
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?
Written July 31, 2016
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.
Written August 3, 2016
What is the maximum number of people on each trip?
Written July 27, 2016
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.
Written June 5, 2016
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