BC Whale Tours
1234 Wharf St V8W3H9 Victoria, BC, Canada

We will be opening back up for tours starting on June 1st 2021. We want to do our part in lessening the spread of COVID-19 and look forward to being back out on the water with you all soon. Until then, we hope you all stay healthy and safe

NEW LOCALS DISCOUNT . . Receive 25% off your ticket price when you use the locals discount code: LOCAL25 *Valid on tours departing in the month of March and April.... *Valid proof of BC residency must be presented during check-in *Cannot be combined with any other offer. *Further conditions apply See more

We are open for the 2020 season and are currently offering 20% off of whale watching in March! Please use promo code SPRINGWHALE2020 on our website to receive this discount. Conditions apply.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of our doors due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. We have suspended our operations until March 31st, at which point we will reassess. This decision was not made lightly, and we apologize to all those who will be impacted from it. We want to do our part in lessening the spread of COVID-19 and hope that we will be back out on the water with you all soon. Until then, we hope you all stay healthy and safe

NEW LOCALS DISCOUNT . . Receive 25% off your ticket price when you use the locals discount code: LOCAL25 *Valid on tours departing in the month of March and April.... *Valid proof of BC residency must be presented during check-in *Cannot be combined with any other offer. *Further conditions apply See more

Dear Valued Guests, We understand and acknowledge the growing concern surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country and in our community. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those that have been impacted by this global pandemic. We at BC Whale Tours are taking steps to ensure the health and safety of all of our guests. We will continue to refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other public health agencies to ensure... that our guests are safe when taking part in our tours. Based on current guidance, we will continue to operate and are committed to providing you with a fun and safe whale watching experience! Outlined below are steps our company is taking in response to COVID-19: VESSELS: We are increasing the frequency of disinfecting/cleaning our vessels before and after all trips, including our on-board washrooms, hand railings, doors etc. We are increasing the frequency of disinfecting/cleaning the survival suits worn by guests. Our vessels are the largest zodiacs in the Victoria Inner Harbour and thus offer the most space per guest, decreasing the risk presented by close proximity. Our vessels hold a maximum of 12 passengers meaning our guests will never be subjected to a crowded boat. Most of our zodiacs are fully open and we will continue to encourage our guests to utilize our outdoor seating to limit the risk of exposure. OFFICE: Our office is a walk-up kiosk rather than a building that guests have to enter, naturally decreasing the risk of exposure. Our office staff are increasing the frequency of disinfecting surfaces that guests do come into contact with such as our POS machine. Our sales staff will be asking our guests to please not travel on our vessels should they have flu or cold-like symptoms and will subsequently be more flexible with our cancellation policy should these symptoms arise last minute. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make any necessary changes as information arises. We are committed to creating a safe environment in which our guests can enjoy sightings of all the amazing animals the Salish Sea has to offer. We wish all of our guests well and look forward to getting you out on the open ocean with us! Sincerely, BC Whale Tours CEO & Crew

Wow!! It is common to see tail slapping on our tours....but this angle is something else!!!!

We are open for the 2020 season and are currently offering 20% off of whale watching in March! Please use promo code SPRINGWHALE2020 on our website to receive this discount. Conditions apply.

Our 2020 whale watching season officially begins in 1 WEEK!!! March 1st here we come!! Our 2020 whale watching season officially begins in 1 WEEK!!! March 1st here we come!!

This is our last week out on the water for 2019! Weve had amazing sightings all season and they have continued into October! Yesterday we were with the T37As and T99s off of Smith Island. These two families together make up 9 individuals, most of them being juveniles. This led to quite a bit of playful action!

Photos of a humpback whale seen on Wednesdays tour. After a long search, Captain Gordon, spotted this travelling humpback near Sheringham Point Lighthouse. It was a beautiful day out on the water!! Thank you to our guest, Marcus Bergstrm, for the photos!

Recent photos taken by passenger, Marcus Bergstrm, who joined us for a morning and afternoon tour. In the morning, our guests were greeted with the wonderful sight of the white baby orca, T46B1B. In the afternoon our guests viewed two Orca families, the T37s and the T18s. Afterwards, we made our way to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve to visit Ollie the otter and his sea lion friends! Thanks for the gorgeous shots Marcus!

Sightings Report - October 7th 2019

Recent photos from a pleasant viewing of the T100s off of Lopez Island, along with humpback whale MMX0006 (nicknamed Pickle) crashing the party for a group of seabirds by consuming a bait ball!

The T99s making their way northeast of Vancouver Island last week. This family of four consists of mom T99 (approximately 35 years old) and her 3 offspring, T99B (12 years old), T99C (10 years old) and T99D (4 years old).

Sightings Report - September 18th 2019

We had a unique encounter earlier this week with the T99s, a family we see quite often in the area. However, with them were U083 and U084 and their families, who rarely come into our waters. These orcas are still considered transient, yet due to their encounters being scarce, are labeled "unknown transients". The group was seen traveling west in the direction of heavy fog. As they moved, they managed to snag a few harbour seals and expressed their excitement in front of us!

Yesterday we were with the T46s off of East Sooke in the morning, then Port Angeles in the afternoon. While on scene with them, a rare report of a fin whale came in! Fin whales do not usually visit the Salish Sea; the last known fin whale to come in and stick around was 3 three years ago! Fin whales are the second largest animal on earth, only being surpassed by the blue whale. They can reach 21 meters and weigh 48 metric tons! Merely seeing their long, flat backs is enough to give you an idea youre in the presence of a giant.

Coming out on the water with us soon? Check out our Sightings Report to see what has been in the area lately! https://bcwhalewatchingtours.com/blog

T109A2B showing off that adorable little face! After two successful hunts, the 1 year old was especially excited and continuously popped their head out of the water!

Wow, what a capture! Luckily the seal made it out unscathed! "A whale will usually take less than five seconds lunge-feeding, Chase says, but in this instance sunk slowly over 15 seconds with its mouth open, giving the sea lion ample time to swim away."

Today it was released that we have discovered a new species of whale off the coast of Japan. These whales are deemed very shy and quite elusive. The saliors of Japan would call them "kuro-tsuchi kujira", the black beaked whale. In 2004 one became entangled and drowned and when it was pulled aboard a fishing boat it was not a species that anyone on board recognized. It was not till a body of the new whale washed on shore could anyone study it. This is exciting news! It is just a startling fact of how little we know about our oceans.

August 31st, we found interesting groups and mixing of different Biggs families. We first spent time with a group consisting of T60, her son and daughter T60C and T60F, and her newborn calf, T60G! While two of her sons, T60D and T60E, were not around, two lone females, T2B and T59, seemed to take their place. Considering T60 had a new calf to care for, it is possible the two females stepped in to assist her while her juvenile sons went off with another group to give them spac...e. After leaving the group, we headed west following a report of Minke whales. On the way, we ran into another 3 dispersed groups of Biggs orca! Among them were the T36s, T37As, T99s, and T60s two juvenile sons, T60D and T60E! T37A also had a new calf! Soon after we arrived, one of the groups decided to swiftly dart west in the direction of where the Minkes were spotted. In the distance, we could see hunting behavior as the orcas and minke came fully out of the water. All the nearby groups became excited and started heading towards the hunt. The Minke ended up having a stroke of luck and got away! This tour was full of many different things to see and experience. Two new calves and a minke hunt are not seen often, especially in the same trip!

Off on the East Coast of Canada the Northern Right Whales are struggling as a species. Here is an interesting article how scientists are using the baleen from whales that have passed away to help the living. This valuable information might hold the key for conservation efforts to help the species survive.

A few days ago, there was a T-Party down near Puget Sound! The T34s, T37s, T46s, T60D + T60E, and the T100s spent most of Wednesday socializing and staying all together in the same area! We were able to witness different surface behaviors, especially from the younger juveniles and males! Biggs orcas usually travel in small groups of 2-8 consisting of family. It is common for two families to meet up and travel together temporarily. However, it is less common for multiple family groups to come together all at once, but when they do, its exciting for everyone! On this particular day, there were about 20 individual Biggs orcas!

Amazing morning news: the last of the orcas that have been held captive in the Russian whale jail have been released! We hope that the 75 beluga whales that are still captive will also find freedom soon. Keep our whales wild and free!

Yesterday the T10s and T109As were traveling together in the Juan de Fuca. The T109A family consists of females and young juveniles, so having the company of T10C, a 20 year old bull, can provide great help in hunting larger prey such as sea lions. These families mixing also gives T10C the opportunity to mate with the mature females of the T109As. With T10, his mother, being post-menopausal, and him being her only surviving offspring, she will want to ensure her genes are passed on through him! She is in charge of who he can mate with and will assist him in finding females willing to breed with him. The two groups passed through Race Rocks and then spent time around Becher Bay looking for seals close to shore.

We are so lucky to call Vancouver Island our home

Sunday morning was spent with the T10s, a mother and son duo, and over a dozen humpback whales in the Juan De Fuca Straight. The T10s were once a group of 4, consisting of mom T10 and her 3 sons T10A, T10B, and T10C. Sadly, T10A disappeared in 2002, and T10B disappeared in 2017. T10, who is an estimated 55 years old, has now gone through menopause and will not have anymore offspring. T10C being her only offspring left, they are incredibly closet. After leaving the T10s to continue their course west off Sooke, we entered humpback land! A trio consisting of MMZ0020, MMX0096, and MMY0074 surprised us as they popped up right off our port side! MMY0074 specifically took interest in us as he rolled over while going beneath us.

Well, thats certainly a birthday for the books!

Our neighbors were out and about before one of our afternoon tours took off! Always nice to see some cute, little faces before going off to look for some larger ones :)

Earlier this week we spent a majority of our trip around Race Rocks. We usually stop by this ecological reserve on our tours for the different species of pinnipeds, and the T109As decided to do the same on this particular day! We were able to see a lot of playful behavior from the youngsters of the group. We also saw quite a few on-edge sea lions swimming in the water nearby. Southeast of Race Rocks, BC Nova also spotted a large humpback indulging in some bull kelp!

We love a good success story

Time to test your knowledge! Take the CBC killer whale quiz and see how much you know about these amazing creatures!

The T101s passed by Victoria earlier this week! This family consists of T101, a 50 year old female, and her three sons. One of her sons, T102, was likely adopted by her. The group of 4 passed Sooke by noon and were around San Juan Island by the evening! Biggs killer whales can travel up to 100 km in a single day. Where they travel to cannot be predicted; all we know is they make their travel plans primarily around food. We also saw a variety of wildlife at Race Rocks and were able to spot a few humpback whales south from there!

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization Established in 1977, their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the worlds oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the Sea Shepherd Society Captain & Crew onboard the Martin Sheen yesterday. They invited us onboard their magnificent sailing vessel and gave us a ...tour. We talked a lot about the fish farms up in Clayoquot Sound and the negative impact they are having on our marine environment and the long term ramifications. We also had the opportunity to discuss the plight of the SRKW and their lack of food, especially chinook salmon. I had the chance to thank them in person for all they do for helping whales worldwide and all of their conservation efforts! Keep up the great work Sea Shepherd!

An interesting read regarding the Transient or Biggs Orcas.

Its humpback land out in the Juan de Fuca straight right now! Dozens of individuals have been feeding and socializing within a few miles of each other. The other day, we caught a glimpse of some playful behaviors! MMX0085 Zeppelin had draped some bull kelp over his dorsal, then around his fluke! Weve still been seeing Steller and California sea lions crowding up Race Rocks! Being able to travel south to the humpbacks gives us the opportunity to go by this ecological reserve to view these giant pinnipeds, along with the other variety of wildlife visiting Race Rocks!

WOW! What an amazing sight this must have been!