Whale Watching in Victoria, BC

Whale watching is one of the popular activities to do while visiting Victoria, BC

Growing up on the island we’ve sort of taken this for granted.  We’ve sailed back and forth to the mainland on BC Ferries too many times to count.  During our many commutes we’ve been lucky enough to spot a few whales.  So we’ve never really felt compelled to spend extra money to take a “touristy” whale watching tour.

However, we were recently fortunate to go on a complimentary whale watching tour, thanks to our friends at Days Inn.

Now we know what the hype is all about!

We went on the Sunset Cruise, departing Fisherman’s Wharf at 6pm.  The company we went with was Eagle Wing Tours and they were fantastic!!  They were so friendly and informative and really wanted us all to have a wonderful time.

The boat we went on was their largest, a 50 person catamaran with both indoor and outdoor seating and two bathrooms.  We started off indoors where we still had a great view of the waters.  The walls are all glass so the view is not obstructed much at all.

 

However there’s nothing like being outside on the deck and seeing those whales up close and personal.  We ventured outside and quickly realized how icy cold that ocean wind is.  Brrrr!  We had brought our sweaters but it didn’t help.  Our hands quickly turned to ice and my ears hurt.  It was so windy!

Luckily Eagle Wing thinks about their guests and has a whole rack of super warm jackets to lend everyone. What a life saver!! We felt so much more comfortable after putting those jackets on.

Tip: Bring gloves and if you have long hair, tie it back!

After about an hour we heard the captain say there was a pod of humpbacks nearby!  So off we went in that direction.

To be honest, when we started the tour, I wasn’t really expecting to see many whales.  I figured they would be off in the distance and we would only see them briefly from afar, much like on the ferry.

But soon the captain cut the motors and the whales started emerging all around the boat!  And I mean RIGHT next to the boat, almost within arms reach!

It was outstanding. You can’t appreciate how massive these animals are until they are staring at you in the face. Such beautiful creatures.

We sat there in peace and were all in awe at this special moment of being surrounded by 4 gorgeous humpbacks.  It was so quiet we could hear them whistling and communicating to each other.

We spent probably 45 minutes in that area with the humpbacks and saw some orcas as well.

 

On the way back we stopped by Race Rocks and saw some seals and sea lions lazing on the rocks.

There was a lighthouse and building on one of the small islands and many people on the boat expressed how they would love to live there.  It would be a peaceful life indeed.  Too remote for my liking but a dream for others.

The whole tour lasted about 3.5 hours.  Even though we did not pay for this tour, it would be well worth the money!

You can book on the Eagle Wings website.  The sunset tour like the one we went on is $124/adult, with discounted rates for kids.  They also have daytime tours available.

Tip: When you arrive back at Fisherman’s Wharf be respectful of the neighbourhood.  People DO actually live in the float homes so keep your voice down.  Sound echoes and carries on the water more than you think.

 

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