Adventures By H.I.P.
Adventures By H.I.P.
5
Boat ToursEco ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursPhotography Tours
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
Eco tourism and Ocean Adventure attraction. Explore the open waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the experienced wildlife photographers of Adventures By HIP. We are Sooke, BC's premier ocean tour service for true wildlife enthusiasts. Adventures By HIP is located at the doorstep of the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina and only steps away from The Prestige Oceanfront Resort.
Sooke, British Columbia, Canada
Features animals
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023
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(54 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
265 reviews
Excellent
261
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Martin H
Sooke, Canada25 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Family
The boat was surprisingly smooth and quiet. Had a briefing at the dock, fitted out with immersion suits, toasty warm, bring wooly hat and gloves because it can get pretty chilly on the water in October.
We saw all kinds of wildlife. For a while we were completely surrounded by humpbacks feeding, never knew that they were so huge and so graceful. Seals, sea lions, eagles, the whole trip was truly magical. My visiting family were completely awe struck.
Skipper Mike did a great job. The ride felt safe and comfortable, the kids actually fell asleep for a while after all that fresh air and excitement.
I highly recommend this whale watching trip.
We saw all kinds of wildlife. For a while we were completely surrounded by humpbacks feeding, never knew that they were so huge and so graceful. Seals, sea lions, eagles, the whole trip was truly magical. My visiting family were completely awe struck.
Skipper Mike did a great job. The ride felt safe and comfortable, the kids actually fell asleep for a while after all that fresh air and excitement.
I highly recommend this whale watching trip.
Written October 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.
CARTIER A
1 contribution
Sep. 2023 • Friends
I had the chance to take a tour with Adventures By HIO in Sooke, twice with family and friends, and it was wonderful each time! It's a family business. Sarah and Mike are amazing, kind, welcoming and perfect professionals. You can trust them. They really want you to be happy with your tour experience. They respect distances from animals. Bonus: You can fully enjoy your experience on the ocean, they take the photos for you and send them to you afterwards. It was magical to hear and to see the whales and orcas. My best ocean wildlife tour experience! I highly recommend it, enjoy!
Written October 9, 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.
Pavlova
Chingford, UK14 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Friends
A once in a lifetime, awesome experience! Huge thanks to Mike for a day to remember. Had never been whale watching before and was on my bucket list.
What joy to have Orcas come up to and under our boat followed by an amazing sighting of two humpbacks, one whom gave us a superb display of a "cartwheel". Cannot wait to receive the photos from Mike.
He was a terrific guide and skipper. His passion for wildlife and nature being equally matched by his knowledge.
I cannot recommend Adventures by H.I.P. enough. A huge thanks. Paula and Malcolm
What joy to have Orcas come up to and under our boat followed by an amazing sighting of two humpbacks, one whom gave us a superb display of a "cartwheel". Cannot wait to receive the photos from Mike.
He was a terrific guide and skipper. His passion for wildlife and nature being equally matched by his knowledge.
I cannot recommend Adventures by H.I.P. enough. A huge thanks. Paula and Malcolm
Written October 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.
Run Into Chaos
Delta, Canada2 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Family
It was amazing , best whales watching trip i took, we saw orcas and whales swam right under the boat it was a fantastic experience
Written October 1, 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.
K W
Vancouver, Canada3 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Family
Thank you Mike for making our whale watching experience so amazing and informative. We saw humpbacks breaching, orcas hunting and hundreds of sea lions.
Written September 20, 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.
james b
1 contribution
Sep. 2023 • Family
We had an incredible afternoon with the Orcas, Sea Lions, and Humpbacks. Very magical. Captain Mike's enthusiasm was infectious and his knowledge of the ecosystem amazing. I can't wait for the photos he took of Orcas breaching right by our boat!
Written September 18, 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.
tracymajewski345
Phuket, Thailand18 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Family
I have done a few whale watching tours in the Victoria area and I found this to be the best so far. Mike was a great guide - he was very knowledgeable and went to great efforts to show us as much as he could. We saw humpbacks, orcas and seals and spent time observing them and learning about them. You can tell Mike loves his work and is genuinely interested in the whales and wild life.
Written September 5, 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.
kleic
San Antonio, TX1,013 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Friends
All I can say is that there's a reason for all the 5-star reviews. This company is run by a couple that clearly loves the water, the area, and the living things that call it home. We saw orca and humpbacks and sea lions and seals but that's all almost beside the point, as being out on the water (even in spooky smoky conditions) with someone who so clearly loves the place was a great pleasure. Also a shout out to the customer service; getting a call a week in advance walking me through what to expect was really appreciated!
Written August 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.
claire77772020
Montreal, Canada1 contribution
Aug. 2023 • Family
Excellente excursion,
Mike is a great pilot and we were lucky to see a lot (>10 !) of humpbacks eating, playing and travelling around for more than 1 hour.
Safety to clients and animals is fully respected. We loved our excursion.
Mike is a great pilot and we were lucky to see a lot (>10 !) of humpbacks eating, playing and travelling around for more than 1 hour.
Safety to clients and animals is fully respected. We loved our excursion.
Written August 11, 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.
Shirley S
Wilmslow, UK4 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Family
Great fun ride in the boat worth going just to go in rib boat. Whale and other animals and birds a bonus
Written July 11, 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, we are planning to go for a retreat in the end of October. Do you think we can see any whales on boat then? Thanks!
Martin G
1 contribution
I think you have a high chance of seeing Humpback whales. Seeing killer whales (Orca’s) is always a lower chance because they’re on the move all the time. H. I.P.offers the best chance of seeing them. They’re a husband/ wife team so Mike the owner/boat captain is the one who will be driving the boat. Mike is basically a biologist. He knows all about all the different species of birds and mammals that are around.
S Moorfield
Thunder Bay, Canada14 contributions
Hello, we just arrived in Sooke yesterday from Northern Ontario. We are here visiting family, golfing, and are interested in a tour. I am wondering what may be seem at this time of year? Thank you in advance, Sandra 😊
Sarah P
Sooke, Canada
Hi Sandra, Our apologies for the late response. TripAdvisor does not send notifications when questions are posted. There is always lots of wildlife to see in our area. Right now we have Steller and California Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Elephant Seals, Porpoises, Otters, and also the possibility of seeing Orcas and Humpback Whales (although we are not yet in peak whale season). Please call or text 250-818-1093 for an immediate response to any other questions. Cheers
Tracy F
STALWART12 contributions
We are planning to stay in Sooke in July with our family - do you allow 3 year olds to come on the whale watching tours? Fingers crossed!!
Sarah P
Sooke, Canada
Hi Tracy, We are a family friendly tour operator. We allow children of all ages to join us on our tours. We do ask that our guests please judge for themselves if their children are capable of enduring an open boat ride for up to 3 hours. All well behaved children are welcome. To be honest, the little ones are often rocked to sleep by the gentle movement of the ocean. Feel free to call us at 250-818-1093 if you would like to discuss the tour in full detail. Cheers
cdnchikrocks
Niagara Falls, Canada25 contributions
Is it possible to see any marine life of we come the end of Feb.?
Sarah P
Sooke, Canada
Hello cdnchikrocks, In February we would expect to see; habour seals, sea lions, elephant seals, and IF we are lucky, orcas. We do have orcas that are around the island all year long, but sightings are less frequent in the winter months. Please keep in mind that it rains quite consistently in the winter months, so if you would like to get out for an Ocean Wildlife Adventure, please give us a window of a few days so that we can try to arrange a trip when weather conditions will be the best. Hope this helps, feel free to call us at 250-818-1093 for detailed tour information. Cheers