Category Archives: Whale Watching

Gray Whale Tours

Gray Whale watching usually takes place on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Pacific Rim National Park area. Tours originate in either Tofino or Uclulet. The area is serviced by both bus and air from Vancouver. For details on Getting to Tofino see Appendix.

As with orca tours, Gray whale watching is done from either small, manoeuvrable zodiacs or larger motor yachts. As the Tofino area is exposed to the open Pacific, however, you may want to take seasickness pills prior to boarding just as a precaution. Large swells, originating off Japan, are carried across the ocean on the Japan Current to break like thunder on the BC coast. Wild northern weather can whip those swells up into frenzy.

A German tourist and the skipper of a zodiac from Jamie’s Whaling Station were killed in 1998 when a freak wave broadsided the usually seaworthy craft. Some tours may be cancelled due to stormy conditions. Tour operators will usually explore more protected water when poor conditions prevail. Needless to say the chances of seeing the migrating behemoths is almost nil whenever this occurs. The protected inlets around Tofino offer a chance to spot resident Gray whales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises or scavenging wolves and bears on shore. Informed operators will also take the time to explain the various controversies surrounding the Clayoquot temporal rainforest. No matter the weather conditions be sure to carry along some extra clothing including hat and gloves, jacket and extra sweater.

Though camping in Pacific Rim National Park is an ideal way to explore this part of the coast the weather can be uncooperative during prime whale watching season. A new shuttle service has been inaugurated to ferry people between the national park and Tofino or Uclulet. To avoid the commute, put up at a centrally located hotel like the Maquinna Lodge instead. Though not luxury accommodation, the Maquinna Lodge is comfortable and close to tours, groceries, restaurants, pubs and gift shops. Be prepared to entertain yourself in the evening hours however, as Tofino is hardly an urban centre by anybody’s definition. The five-star Canadian Princess Resort has put together an excellent, whale-watching package for the spring season only. As a bonus the cheapest accommodation is aboard the 70 metre long Canadian Princess which was built in 1932 and served as a survey vessel until 1975. Now it serves as the centrepiece of the Resort itself. While ship accommodation is somewhat more rustic than that on shore, all staterooms have a sink and bunkbeds with shared bathrooms. Ship accommodations can be a bit noisy: creaking and groaning throughout the night. What, however, could be more in tune with the romance of high seas adventure than “roughing it” for a night on a charming old vessel? Shore-based accommodations are 2-4 person deluxe suites with private amenities.

Canadian Princess Resort customers receive a slight discount on bus transportation from Vancouver or Victoria and will be dropped off and picked up at the resort.

Whale Watching Introduction <<->> Henrietta Lake

Orca Watching: Victoria

Joining an orca watching tour in Victoria harbour on the southern tip of Vancouver Island is much easier than up island but the experience may be far less rewarding. With luck you may see a few orcas but chances are you’ll only encounter seals and sea lions or a few small pods of porpoises or the occasional minke or Gray whale. With a company like Seacoast Expeditions from May 15 to September 15 it is possible to participate in a Guaranteed Killer Whale Sighting program. For an extra $5 participants who are available for more than one day are given a pager and are alerted when contact with orcas has been made. They must then scramble down to the dock to meet their tour boat and are then whisked off to sea. Chances are you’ll then see a transient or two but not large feeding pods as on the north island tours.

If seeing orcas is your main objective, go north. If however you look on the tours out of Victoria as just an adventure and seeing orcas as a bonus then these tours are great value for the money [See below.] You’ll be screaming over the ocean on small, open but very sea-worthy seven metre zodiacs with just 11 other passengers. In two or three hours you’ll see excellent examples of west coast scenery, spot seals, sea lions and proud bald eagles. Dolphins and porpoises are likely to be encountered, minke and Gray whales are a possibility and orcas, well, they’re a bonus.

Orca Watching: Northern Vancouver Island <<->> Oregon Grape

Orca Watching: Northern Vancouver Island

By far the best place to view orcas is in the Johnstone Strait/Blackfish Sound area of northern Vancouver Island. Robson Bight, where orcas mysteriously congregate to rub against submerged rocks, is an especially important part of the northern residents’ habitat and, as such, was formally protected in 1982 as an ecological reserve. This tiny portion of Johnstone Strait is therefore off-limits to humans.

On one occasion I witnessed from close quarters, two or three pods of orcas feasting on salmon in a narrow passageway between islands. On another occasion our boat was surrounded by a giant pod of some 200 Pacific White-Sided dolphins. On all sides the frisky creatures danced and dove, surfing in the bow wake, seeming to play tourist tag with the awestruck onlookers, zigging and zagging from port to starboard and back again.

In addition to orcas and dolphins, expect to see colonies of basking Harbour seals, porpoises, Stellar sea lions and maybe even a minke whale or two. Minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales.

Telegraph Cove, where most formal whale watching tours in the Johnstone Strait area begin, is not at all easy to get to. While most whale watchers drive, there are a couple alternatives. Maverick Coach Lines services Port McNeill on a twice daily basis. Be forewarned though: it’s a grueling nine hour slog. For those with money to burn it is possible to fly from Vancouver to Port Hardy via Pacific Coastal Airlines. From the airport Port McNeill is a 90 minute taxi or limo ride. See  Getting Up Island.

Orcas: Distinctive dorsal fins allow scientists to identify individuals in the field. Under scrutiny, unique personalities manifest themselves alongside species-wide traits. Should orcas be captured, put into cramped pools to perform circus tricks for the consuming masses? View these gentle giants on their own terms just once and you’ll most likely agree they do not belong in jail. The lives of captive orcas are often woefully short.

Upon reaching Port McNeill walk to the Alert Bay Ferry dock at the foot of the main drag and head immediately to Cormorant Island. [See BC Ferries schedule] Be prepared to discover a island steeped in ‘Namgis history and tradition. The charms of Alert Bay far outweigh any advantages of staying in either Port McNeill or Telegraph Cove. The tiny fishing community of Alert Bay, population 691, boasts the world’s tallest totem pole, a gigantic longhouse with colourful frontispiece, fascinating U’Mista Cultural Centre, an ecological preserve oddly called Gator Gardens, native burial grounds, a very photogenic chapel dating from the 19th century as well as ample opportunity to fish for salmon or watch for orcas.

Cormorant Island Totems old and new stand sentinal over grave markers at historic Alert Bay. This one states: “Kla LiLiKla Ke Died April 8 1928 Chief of the Nimpkish Tribe”

Based in Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, Seasmoke Whale Watching offers 5-hour whale watching tours from the deck of a 44-foot [18.3 m] sloop. Under ideal conditions this vessel with its teak and Honduran mahogany cabin, polished brass fittings and low profile would be perfect for checking out the sea mammals. The north coast, however, rarely boasts ideal conditions. Inclement weather is not uncommon even during the dog days of summer. The cabin cannot comfortably accommodate a full complement of 14 passengers so some customers must necessarily brave the elements for an extended period of time. Obviously the elderly and those with children would be less than satisfied with such arrangements. The crowded, sloping decks are also not really practical for serious photography either. On the other hand, Seasmoke Tours boasts a 90% plus success rate backed up with the offer of a free, second day of whale watching in the event that the elusive orcas cannot be located.

Alternately you can take a $20 foot passenger ferry, directly to Telegraph Cove. This historic boardwalk community is certainly worth visiting though camping here is not recommended. Unfortunately, the private campground operated by Telegraph Cove Resorts is perhaps the world’s worst, obviously ripped out of the forest in a simple grab for money. Not only is it ugly but it is noisy with campsites cramped together to maximize profits. Bathrooms and showers are filthy. The only plus is the proximity to Telegraph Cove itself.

Whale watching tours in Telegraph Cove are operated by Stubbs Island Charters and depart from the main wharf in the tiny tourist community. Tours are conducted from one of two 60-foot sea craft capable of transporting 40 or more passengers. An optional lunch can be booked in advance for $8 but is pretty dull stuff. Bring your own. All whale watching vessels are certified for passenger service by the Canadian Coast Guard. Additionally, most boats are equipped with hydrophones to eavesdrop on the underwater vocalizations of whales. Passengers on all whale watching tours are advised to bring extra warm clothing even on the hottest of days as weather on the north coast can change abruptly with little warning.

Most whale watching companies offer two tours a day. The second one is usually the best bet not least because it allows you to sleep in. Often much of the first tour is spent just locating the whales. By the time they have been found it may be time to return to port. Once they’ve been spotted there is enough local marine and air traffic to keep track of each pod’s movements while loading customers for the second tour of the day.

Salmon and ground fishing charters are easily arranged in Port McNeill, Telegraph Cove or Alert Bay. Combining a day of fishing with whale watching is certainly a possibility and can even be a very cost-effective option if travelling in a group of four or more. Before booking a fishing charter be sure the boat is equipped with a good marine radio to zero in on the chit-chat between dedicated whale watching vessels. Your skipper should also have radar to follow the whales into more open water even when the fog banks roll in. Ask at the local travel information center, your motel or campground or even at the dock to find a skipper willing to take you out on a private excursion. Visit the Alert Bay Community website for further information.

For the truly adventurous a number of companies offer kayak rentals and guided kayaking adventures to Johnstone Strait. A multitude of steep-sided islands, fog, heavy maritime traffic and raging riptides makes doing it yourself ill-advised for all but the most experienced paddlers.

Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures

WeGo Kayaking

Paddler’s Inn

North Island Kayak Rentals & Tours

Nodding Onion <<->> Orca Watching: Victoria

Whale Watching Introduction

There are two kinds of whale watching in British Columbia: Orca watching throughout the summer months and Gray whale watching in spring and fall.

Orcas

Orca whales, also called Killer Whales, are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Of the nearly 500 known orcas off the coast of British Columbia some 60% are members of resident pods and generally survive by following large schools of salmon and other fish. The other 200 or so orcas are known as transients and predate primarily on seals and other sea mammals.

Orca pods are organized along family lines with the eldest female orca dominating. Average pod size is from 5 to 20 individuals though pods of up to 45 orcas are not uncommon. A typical orca is just 2½ metres at birth and grows up to 8 metres for a mature cow, 10 metres for an adult bull. Cows live as long as 75 years while bulls are lucky to reach 50.

Gray Whales

Except for a few year-round residents, Gray whales, are usually seen migrating past the British Columbia coast on their way to the Bearing Sea in the spring or back south to coastal Mexico in the fall. The biannual march of these cetaceans is the longest migration of any mammal on earth. Grays are suspected of navigating by using the globe’s magnetic field as a compass.

Baja California is the midwinter scene of both mating and calving. Since cows will carry their offspring for a full year mating occurs every other year. Without a suitable source of food in Mexico they begin their 8000 km northward trek as soon as these rituals are completed, living exclusively off thick deposits of blubber in the meantime. Every March and April some 18,000 members of the Pacific herd pass Vancouver Island’s western shores in small family groupings. Swimming slowly but steadily these monsters can cover a mere 60-80 km per day. Once they reach the Arctic Ocean and coast of Siberia the Grays gorge themselves on billions of tiny sandworms, sand fleas and other crustaceans which are sucked up from the sea floor in and filtered through the whales’ baleen plates. Once the whales have replenished their reserves of blubber they begin yet again their southward swim, driven by the urgency of the calves growing within the pregnant cows. From early May onwards whale watching excursions switch focus to the resident Gray whales which feed on the beaches of Clayoquot Sound. Transient orcas, seals, sea lions and harbour porpoises and the odd minke or humpback whale are often sighted as well.

While the fall migration reaches its peak off the coast of Vancouver Island in December whale watching tours are usually popular from September through to the end of October. Heavy winter weather and short daylight hours preclude a longer season.

Getting Up-Island <<->> Gray Whale Tours