Throughout the coastal towns of tofino and ucluelet and around the pacific rim national park reserve, its an allout celebration of life on the coast. We are due to stay on vancouver island in early june 09. Get out on our open vessels to view grey whales, killer whales and humpback whales. Jamies whale watching and adventure tours in tofino bc. Remote passages brings many years of experience and a responsible approach to whale watching in tofino on the west coast.
Known as the place to go for the best whale watching in british columbia, vancouver island offers amazing opportunities to witness wild marine life. Both places can have good whale watching depending on the time of year. Killer whales are best observed from mid july through the first week of september. Orca dreams offers fourday allinclusive tours from our luxury island camp site in the wildlife rich area of northern vancouver island, british columbia, canada. In downtown tofino, check out the whale centres gray whale skeleton. In a couple hours you can see gray and humpback whales in tofino and ucluelet. Five dead as whale watching boat with 27 on board sinks.
Gray whale migration passes vancouver island vancouver. From one of our many shoreline viewpoints you can watch humpback whales feeding. At jamies whaling station, our team of local experts has been professionally guiding adventure seekers from around the world to explore the nooks and crannies of clayoquot sound and barkley sound since 1982. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your time on the water with us. Jeff spotted two gray whales heading north at his last weather report at 9. Remote passages whale watching tours from tofino, bc, vancouver island, canada. The whale centre, tofino, bc tofino whale watching, bear. These are all typical maneuvers you may expect to see while whale watching off the west coast of vancouver island. Ucluelet and tofino whale watching tours explore both the sheltered waters of. Celebrating over 33 years of operation on the west coast of vancouver island, the whale centre continues to venture out into clayoquot sound, off the coast of tofino, bc, taking passengers on whale watching tours, bear watching tours, hot springs cove tours, bird watching tours, pelagic. Whale watching in july and august vancouver island, british. Wildlife and whale watching in tofino, bc travel for wildlife. We offer tofino whale watching tours, bear watching tours, bird watching tours and hot springs cove tours on both open boston whaler and covered.
Tofino and ucluelet are the two favourite northern gray whale watching communities on the west coast of vancouver island. Ucluelet winter whale watching discover vancouver island. Whale watching and sea kayaking on canadas west coast. Where best to whale watch in august tofino vs victoria.
The whale centre tofino all you need to know before. Half day guided kayak tours ocean outfitters, tofino bc. Whale watching british columbia vancouver islands watching. Whale watching tours in tofino, bc they dive, spout, breach, spyhop and lobtail. From there we will provide directions for boarding your boat. The top tofino road trip must do stops mindful explorer. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to respond to individual requests for tourism information. Five britons have died and another person is still missing after a whale watching boat with 27 people on board sank off vancouver island in canada as darkness forced rescue helicopters, planes.
This is the best place in the world to see orcas, the mr. Whale watching around vancouver island in british columbia is an exceptional experience that will leave you awestruck after watching whales that weigh thousands of pounds frolic in their natural habitat. Experience some of the best whale watching on vancouver island. Atleo river air offering charter flights for groups to tofino harbour.
We will take a ferry from vancouver and then drive to the town of tofino, bc, where guests can choose to take a whale watching tour or simply spend the rest of the day relaxing. Whale watching vancouver island news, events, travel. Bc whale tours victoria aktuelle 2020 lohnt es sich. Welcome to the pacific rim whale festival pacific rim. We are located on granville island, 510 minutes from most downtown hotels. Whale festival for 2020 is unfortunately postponed due to the covid19 directives from bc health, the who, and other authorities. During the months of march and april, more than 20,000 gray whales swim north from their breeding grounds in baja california to their feeding grounds in alaska. The 30ton giants can be seen on tofino whale watching tours, as early as february, with females and calves passing by from mid march, through april and into early may. Were in the planning stage of our trip so we can adjust our itinerary.
The whale centre located in tofino, british columbia has offered whale watching, bear watching, bird watching and hot springs tours in clayoquot sound to the ecominded explorer for over 33 years. Whale watching in tofino will also deliver many other sightings like bears and wolves. We respect the investment our guests make to join us and we are dedicated to making your trip the experience of a lifetime. My plan is to head towards tofino, and do a boat tour which will hopefully coincide with the grey whale migration. Luckily, there are a number of boat trips to areas where you can see 30ton marine mammals majestically glide through the open waters of canada. Campbell river takes up to 6 hours because the whales dont just stay in one place. Whale classification breeding patterns of whales whale migration join us british columbia.
British columbia is home to dozens of whale species, 23 to be exact, according to the vancouver aquarium. Our eco adventure tours combine a learning atmosphere with the excitement of personal encounters with wildlife in their natural habitat. Our hotel in victoria has told us that it is the wrong time of year to see the whales from tofino and we would be better off going on a whale watch from victoria. Tofino whale watching remote passages, tofino, british. The whale centre invites you to join us for an exciting sea adventure in pristine coastal ecosystems. Oct 26, 2015 the boat carrying 27 people sank near tofino on vancouver island, the coastguard said. A lot of tours start from here and long beach and wickaninnish beach are just beautiful. Should we just plan to do it there or head up to sidney or some other spot. On the west coast, tofino is a quaint town with an embedded orcawatching culture. Tofino whale watching tours ocean outfitters, tofino bc.
Explore the wonderful wildlife of the west coast in perfect comfort with discover vancouver islands winter whale watching adventure based out of ucluelet, british columbia. Whale watching tofino and ucluelet bc humpback, grays. An alternative is the west of vancouver island with tofino and ucluelet. For more information about the festival, please contact. Campbell river whale watching, grizzly bear, wildlife and ocean rapids adventures tours go wild. The resident fish eating orcas are usually not reliably seen until midjuly the last few years it has been between july 7 and 14. Come explore the beauty that lies outside the tofino harbour as you embark on an intimate guided kayak trip through the quiet waters of remote inlets away from the busy tofino harbour.
Welcome aboard the whale watch plus program remote passages brings many years of experience and a responsible approach to whale watching in tofino on the west coast. Orca dreams is the only sea kayaking base camp where we catch our own salmon for dinner. There are also opportunities to fly directly to vancouver island via 4 international airports in victoria yvr, nanaimo ycd, and comox yqq comox valley internation airport on vancouver island, only a 3 hour drive from tofinoucluelet. Whale watching off tofino, ucluelet, and vancouver island. We have booked a couple of nights in victoria and then plan to move up to tofino. There are several great companies in tofino including ocean outfitters, jamies whaling station, and the whale centre, but also an amazing company in ucluelet called aquamarine adventures local company, with the owner running the boat himself outstanding experience. The west coast of vancouver island is another great place for whale watching, most notably out of tofino or ucluelet. Tofino guide has been the goto website for informatin about vancouver island s pacific rim since 1997. With only 2 days tofino may be hard to do as it takes a minimum of 3 hours to drive there from nanaimo victoria and vancouver tours go to the same whales as do tours from san juan islands. Best whale whale watching discover vancouver island. Departing from granville island in downtown vancouver, the wild whales experience allows you to observe whales and the diverse wildlife of the pacific coast in their natural habitat. People from all parts of the world come here to watch these magnificent creatures of the deep.
We offer a halfday whale watching program that travels to gray whale feeding areas near tofino, and a combination package which includes the thermal pools at hot springs cove. Before boarding, we ask all guests to check in at our office. Choose from a range of vessels offered by our member outfitters, from the wind in yourhair zodiac boat to a covered vessel. Whale watching in july and august vancouver island. Three pods of about 80 resident orca whales live around the southern tip of vancouver island and in the gulf islands. Grand canyon tour skywalk, guano point, hoover dam, helicopter and boat trip 4k duration.
Generally they are a bit further north so you have to travel up to them. The gray whale is the most common sighting here, most recognizable by its encrusted barnacles. Or travel with us to oxford river for some once in a lifetime grizzly bear viewing. Prince of whales whale watching tourism vancouver island. Oct 28, 2012 whale watching in tofino, vancouver island, bc remote passages more videos, photos and information about bc from.
Im wondering what everyone would recommend between the three, as tofino looks more picturesque and slightly cheaper, but is it true orcas are more prominent closer to victoria or cmpbell river. After that, hike the wild pacific trail, or do some storm. There are many options for transportation to our office and departure point. Board one of our four vessels at vancouvers unique and historic granville island. Both sides of vancouver island afford primo opportunities. Whale watching in april vancouver island forum tripadvisor.
The best place to kayak with orcas is the north end of vancouver island in johnstone strait. Whale watching vancouver island is a once in alifetime exerience. Vancouver, we offer a wide variety of marine wildlife experiences that range from three hours long to a halfday. Daily whale watching tours in tofino, british columbia. Ill be in vancouver in the first couple of weeks of april, and am really keen to see some whales. If luck, weather, and the almighty universe conspire against usand you dont see the wildlife you came forwe will give you the tofino promise, a raincheck that will not expire, and guarantees you can come back for free to see. This is your chance to sea kayak with killer orca whales or watch them from our boat, the.
We offer competitive rates, experienced guides and are locally owned. It sounds like you had incredible encounters with both killer whales and humpback whales and with other local marine wildlife. Our 34 hour whale watching tours depart daily from downtown nanaimo bc, april through october. Whale watching vancouver island is a onceinalifetime exerience. Whale watching in tofino, vancouver island, bc remote passages more videos, photos and information about bc from.
Whale watching in june vancouver island forum tripadvisor. Well take you through the salish sea ecosystem to see whales and other marine life in their natural habitat. Feb 16, 2015 grand canyon tour skywalk, guano point, hoover dam, helicopter and boat trip 4k duration. The majestic orca has long been the proud symbol of our incredible city. Whale watching off tofino, vancouver island youtube. We can arrange a private shuttle to tofino right from your accommodation for a night. Choose from a range of vessels offered by our member outfitters, from the windinyourhair zodiac boat to a covered vessel. Our coastal wilderness is home to killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals, eagles, and more. As mentioned above, if you are heading to tofino, it is really a different show than victoria and ideally i would do both. Annual pacific rim whale festival tourism ucluelet tourism. Kayaking the serene waters of clayoquot sound a lifelist experience for paddlers the world over is suitable for all skill levels.
Where on vancouver island is the best place to go whale watching orcas in the summer. Whale watching season in tofino begins in march and. British columbia whale watching in british columbia whaletrips. The pacific rim whale festival in the coastal towns of tofino and ucluelet kicks off an allout celebration of the gray whale migration and life in general on the fabulous west coast of vancouver island. The 30ton giants can be seen from shore, as early as february, with females and calves passing by from mid march, through april and into. Before boarding, we ask all guests to checkin at our office. Then ill go to victoria and do a whale watching tour, before either heading back to vancouver or straight to seattle. Killer whales orcas, gray whales, humpback whales and minke whales ply the waves and perform their watery rituals. Im visiting victoria, tofino and cmpbell river next mount and i am wanting to do some whale watching.
Launching from tofino takes you into clayoquot sound. Ocean ecoventures is the most centrally located whale watching company on vancouver island with the highest sighting of orcas and humpback whales every year. Whale watching in tofino, vancouver island, bc remote. The marine life in the waters of bc is abundant and diverse, but there is no greater creature than the mighty whale. Tofino whale watching tours the whale centre, tofino, bc. If seeing orcas is a priority, please keep these dates in mind when you book your tour with us.
The boat carrying 27 people sank near tofino on vancouver island, the coastguard said. Each spring, some 20,000 gray whales travel past the western shores of vancouver island, past tofino. The whale centre tofino all you need to know before you. Sea conditions at the time were reported to be calm. Rentals, lessons, moonlight paddles and extended tours are available. This is your chance to sea kayak with killer orca whales or watch them from our boat, the tenzing.
The whale centre offers safe and educational tofino hot springs tours, whale watching tours, tofino bear watching tours, bird watching tours and private tours in tofino on vancouver island. There are also opportunities to fly directly to vancouver island via 4 international airports in victoria yvr, nanaimo ycd, and comox yqq comox valley internation airport on vancouver island, only a 3 hour drive from tofino ucluelet. Hop aboard one of our adventurous open boston whalers or a comfortable, heated cabin cruiser. Considering the wild and unpredictable nature of vancouver island s west coast, we are really proud of this. Highest killer whale sightings in british columbia. Our morning will be spent travelling to the west coast of vancouver island. To ask a human about specifics please contact tourism tofino for visitor information. The whale report remote passages whale watching, tofino, bc. Meanwhile on vancouver island, canada, the people of tofino and ucluelet celebrate the arrival of the gray. Victoria is one of the top spots for orca killer whale watching on vancouver island but you also have a chance to spot humpback, minke and gray whales.