Vancouver Whale Watching Review // Everything you Need to Know •

Vancouver BC is considered to be one of the best whale watching locations in the entire world.

We lucked out and happened to be visiting the city during the tail end of whale watching season, so of course this was at the top of our sightseeing priority list. The very thought of encountering Orcas in the wild makes me want to cry.

We took two different whale watching tours during our time in Vancouver. On our first trip we saw multiple humpbacks but no Orcas so we decided to pick a different company, servicing a different area of the water the next day.

I think the Orcas could sense my desperation because I never got my sighting, but we saw dozens of Humpbacks which made it more than worth it. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about whale watching in Vancouver, plus an in-depth review and comparison of two top companies, Prince of Whales and Vancouver Whale Watch.

WHEN IS VANCOUVER WHALE WATCHING SEASON?

Vancouver whale watching season begins in March and lasts until October. It’s important to note that some companies do not start operating tours until April.

WHAT KIND OF WHALES WILL YOU SEE?

British Columbia is one of the most famous destinations in the world for whale watching. The types of whales passing through these waters include Humpbacks, Grey whales, Minke whales and Orcas (although they are technically not whales as they are members of the dolphin family).

ORCAS (KILLER WHALES)

Orcas aka Killer Whales are the most popular draw for tourists taking a whale watching tour in Vancouver BC.

Two types of orcas exist in these waters: resident Orcas and transient Orcas. Resident Orcas stay year round and do not migrate, while the transient Orcas are just passing through. They make their way from Baja, swimming up the coast to Alaska, stopping in the waters off Vancouver along the way.

Vancouver has two central residents of Orcas, the southern and northern. The best time to spot southern residents is between May and October and the northern residents are more often found around July and August.

HUMPBACK WHALES

Humpback whales spend their Spring/Summer months feeding in the colder waters of British Columbia, Alaska and Eastern Russia (cold waters produce an abundance of krill and plankton).

After they’ve built up their fat reserves during the Summer, Humpbacks migrate 3,000 miles to the warmer waters of Hawaii and Mexico to breed and have their babies.

Over the span of 2 different whale watching tours, we saw dozens of Humpback whales feeding off the coast of Vancouver. It was interesting to see how slow and docile they are in colder waters. My sister lives in Oahu and always sends me videos of them during the Winter, jumping around and being playful.

GREY WHALES

Grey whales undertake the longest migration out of any other mammal in the world. Each year, they travel 12,000 miles round-trip from Arctic waters to the warm lagoons of Baja.

Each spring, around 20,000 Gray Whales travel pass through British Columbia on their way to their main feeding grounds in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea.

MINKE

Minke whales can be found in Vancouver’s waters between May and October. They are the smallest species of baleen whale and there is not a ton of information known about them.

Like the Humpbacks and Grey whales, Minke whales also migrate to colder waters in the Spring/Summer, but the specifics of their migration are not very well documented.

Minke whales do not spend a lot of time on the surface, so a sighting is slightly more rare than the other whales you may see in this area.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING ON YOUR VANCOUVER WHALE WATCHING TOUR

Dressing in layers is going to be the best strategy when choosing what to wear on your whale watching tour. Even if the weather is warm on land, it can get really cold and windy out on the water. As usual, I was underprepared and wished I had packed a few more layers.

If it’s a warm and sunny day, I recommend a light jacket or sweater to throw on top of your outfit. If it’s rainy or cloudy, add a windbreaker or some type of water resistant jacket (preferably with a hood) as your outer layer. It started pouring rain on our second tour and we got pretty wet but we didn’t want to go inside because we were in the middle of a pod of humpbacks.

Be sure to wear comfortable, flat shoes as it is bumpy on the water and you’ll need solid footing. If you’re the type of person to get cold easily, I also recommend packing gloves and/or a scarf to stay warm.

TIP: Check with your tour operator as some of them offer complimentary jacket rentals. At Vancouver Whale Watch, they had jackets, overalls, gloves and hats available for use. It’s helpful if you’ll be sightseeing all day and don’t want to carry around all your warm layers after your tour.

WHAT TO BRING

CAMERA If you’re a photographer, I also recommend packing a zoom or telephoto lens. Due to whale watching regulations, boats must keep a certain distance from the whales at all times. I really wished I owned a telephoto lens because there were so many opportunities to get some great shots.

SUNSCREEN Even on a cloudy day, sunscreen is a must if you’re going to be out on the water for hours at a time.

SUNGLASSES If the sun is out, the glare on the water can be super bright.

CASH To tip your guides and/or the shuttle driver.

DRY BAG OR CAMERA BAG Many tour companies will operate rain or shine, so be sure to check the weather before you go. When traveling to rainy destinations, I always pack a dry bag to protect my camera, phone and personal belongings. I also use these plastic bags to cover my camera, and they came in very handy when taking photos of the whales during a particularly rainy hour.

SNACKS OR A PICNIC LUNCH Some tours offer snacks and drinks, but the selections are limited. You will most likely be on the water for 3-5 hours, so it’s nice to have something in case you get hungry.

BINOCULARS Due to whale watching regulations, boats must keep a certain distance from the whales at all times. While you can still get an excellent view without binoculars, I found myself wishing I had packed some so that I could see even better.

MOTION SICKNESS MEDICATION If you’re prone to sea sickness, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Getting sick while out on the water could ruin your whole tour.

VANCOUVER WHALE WATCHING // A REVIEW OF TWO TOP COMPANIES

PRINCE OF WHALES

THE LOCATION

Prince of Whales has 3 different departure locations in British Columbia: Vancouver, Victoria and Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island.

The Vancouver departure location leaves from Granville Island which makes it super convenient for visitors who are staying in the popular downtown area.

THE BOATS

Prince of Whales has several different types of boats depending on which whale watching adventure you sign up for.

One of their most popular tours is the half-day trip from Vancouver’s Granville Island, which utilizes their Cruiser boat. The Cruiser accommodates up to 74 people, is 2 stories tall and includes an indoor seating area, on-board restrooms and a small snack bar.

Compared to the smaller zodiac style boats at Vancouver Whale Watch, I preferred the Cruiser for this particular type of trip. Since it was rainy and cold during our stay, having a larger boat made for a more comfortable, less bumpy ride on the water. It was also nice to have the option to go inside and warm up in between whale sightings.

Complimentary tea, coffee and hot cocoa is available, as well as a small selection of snacks (for purchase).

In addition to the Cruiser boats, Prince of Whales also has Catamaran boats, which are larger than the Cruiser and are meant for longer day tours. The Catamaran fits up to 95 guests and has 3 stories of viewing platforms.

Last but not least, you can also choose to sign up for a whale watching tour on their smaller zodiac boats. The zodiacs fit up to 12 people and put you almost at sea level viewing distance.

THE GUIDES

On the half-day whale watching adventure, 3-4 marine certified naturalists will be on board with you to guide the tour and answer questions.

I have been on a lot of whale watching trips and the guides at Prince of Whales are the best I’ve ever come across. They were not only extremely well educated about the wildlife in the area but they genuinely seemed just as excited as the guests (and in some cases even more excited).

It was obvious that the naturalists are passionate about what they do which made it even more fun to listen to them. We learned a ton of unique facts and they kept everyone engaged and informed throughout the whole trip.

THE TOUR

When you start your half-day Vancouver whale watching tour with Prince of Whales, you’ll leave from False Creek and make your way into the Burrard Inlet. The guides, captain and marine biologist on-board started looking for the whales immediately and within 15-20 minutes, we had our first sighting.

The first group of whales that we saw were Humpbacks, and there were 6-7 of them surrounding the boat in all different directions. The captain stopped the motor and we floated alongside the whales for about 20-30 minutes. It was incredible to have that amount of time to just witness and watch them peacefully swim and feed.

The naturalist on board pointed out that one of the whales was sleeping on the surface of the water while another one swam slowly next to her. She said this was very unusual but seemed super excited that we were able to witness that type of behavior.

After spending a long time with this group of whales, the captain started the motor back up and continued along the route. Eventually we found a few more humpbacks that we spent some time with, but not nearly as long as the first group.

After the whale sightings were over, we took a long but beautiful ride back to Granville Island. On the way back we spotted some Dall’s Porpoises swimming alongside the boat, as well as sea lions and 2 bald eagles.

CONSERVATION

Anytime I participate in wildlife tourism I make sure to do my research and ensure that no animals will be harmed or exploited as a part of the activity. I was happy to find that Price of Whales is committed to safe, environmentally conscious whale watching.

They are a founding member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and adhere to all “Whale Wise” viewing guidelines for respecting orcas and humpback whales in the wild. They also do not use any form of sonar to track them.

In addition to respecting the whales in the wild, the company also donates 1% of their annual sales to local conservation initiatives.

PROS

Easy to get to the departure location on Granville Island.
Larger, more comfortable boats.
Restrooms on board (Catamaran & Cruiser boats).
Complimentary coffee, tea and hot coca.
Multiple guides/naturalists on board (Catamaran & Cruiser boats).
Ethical and adhere to all “Whale Wise” viewing guidelines.
The Year-Round Whale Sighting Guarantee states that if you do not see whales, you can join another whale watching tour. This guarantee is valid for a lifetime.

CONS

Bigger boats = more people. When we saw our first group of whales, everyone was so excited that they all crowded onto the front of the boat making it hard to see. After people settled down, they spread out a little more but we didn’t have that issue on the zodiac boats at Vancouver Whale Watch.
During our visit it was cold and rainy but it was hard to see the water from the heated inside seating area due to the windows being foggy and scratched.

PRICE

The Prince of Whales half-day tour starts at $170 CAD ($121USD) per person. They offer discounts for children.

TO BOOK WITH PRINCE OF WHALES CLICK HERE