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The Best Place for Vancouver Whale Watching

By Matthew G. Bailey 7 Comments

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killer whales vancouver

Last updated: March 13th, 2020

It wasn’t long before a black dorsal fin broke through the water. Like a sharp blade, it sparkled as the sunlight hit the beads of water falling from the fin and back into the Pacific Ocean. It’s an incredible experience to see these beautiful whales off the coast of Vancouver and there’s really no better place to see them in the wild.

It was an incredibly lucky day for everyone on the water. It wasn’t more than 20-minutes from the time we left the pier before the first killer whale graced us with its presence. It was a quick start to what turned out to be an unforgettable day. Over the next three hours, we must have seen various orca whales breach the surface more than 100 times.

whale watching vancouver

Whale Watching Vancouver BC

There are two types of orcas that call this area home; Transient killer whales and Resident killer whales. The ones we saw first were the Transient killer whales. These killer whales feed on a variety of mammals including seals, sea lions, dolphins, and other whales. They are called Transient killer whales because they travel along the coast from California to Alaska. Resident killer whales, on the other hand, travel less and eat salmon only.

orcas in vancouver

whale watching vancouver

Sometimes they’d be seen in the distance and other times they’d be very close to the boat. Sometimes we’d see just the dorsal fin break the water and other times we’d see their tail splash the water as a form of communication. My favourite moment was seeing the entire upper body glide out of the water, allowing us to spot the signature white mark near the whales head. It was a magical experience.

After three hours of Vancouver whale watching, it was time to call it a day. After all, it was time to let the whales have peace and quiet. As we approached land, however, we got another surprise. Resident killer whales! As if the day wasn’t incredible enough, we came across a big family of Resident killer whales frolicking about in the water and putting on yet another fabulous show for all of us. Some of them were smacking their tail-fin on the water over and over again while others were just swimming by. At one point, three or four different whales breached the water at the same time.

best whale watching vancouver

best whale watching canada

killer whales in the wild

seabreeze adventures vancouver

seabreeze adventures vancouver

Whale Watching Canada

It had long been a dream of mine to see majestic killer whales in the wild. In terms of whale watching Canada, we’ve seen humpback whales in both Quebec and in Newfoundland but had never been to the Westcoast to see orcas. Canada is one of the best countries in the world to see whales. We have the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans surrounding the country, and we also have the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, which is home to the biggest Beluga whale migration in the world. It’s really incredible how many types of whales you can see here.

So if you’re after Orca whale watching, Vancouver and Vancouver Island is the place to go!

Whale Watching Tours

Planning a Trip to See the Killer Whales?

The two best places for killer whale watching on the Westcoast is Vancouver and Vancouver Island. We’ve done both and each location is great. We got lucky both times. In fact, on our whale watching Vancouver Island trip, we saw dozens of Orca whales and dozens of Humpback whales. It was incredible. At the same time, no whale watching tour is guaranteed. It’s very common to see them, especially from May to October, but there’s no promise.

If you’re in Vancouver, Steveston whale watching is where you’ll want to go. We went with Seabreeze Adventures, which is located in a small historic fishing village called Steveston. This “village” is in Richmond, which is located just 30-minutes south of downtown Vancouver. Their guides are very knowledgeable and friendly and the boats are top notch. Best of all, we saw loads of killer whales!

Whale Watching Tours Vancouver

The best time to see killer whales is from May to October. Our trip above was done in September. Whale watching trips can be a magical experience and it’s a great way to get out into nature, see some scenery, and possibly catch a glimpse of some big incredible animals.

For more AWESOME travel photography, find us on Instagram:

  • Instagram.com/MustDoCanada
  • Instagram.com/MatthewGBailey
  • Instagram.com/GlamourBohemio

Have you seen whales in the wild before? Where?

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Whale Watching in Vancouver, British Columbia

Whale Watching in Vancouver, British Columbia

 

(This post was originally published on Oct 2, 2016 but was updated in 2019.)

About Matthew G. Bailey

Matthew G. Bailey is the founder and editor-in-chief of Must Do Canada. Growing up in Alberta to a mother from Quebec and a father from Newfoundland, Matt spent his childhood playing hockey under the Northern Lights and hanging out in the forest before moving to Calgary and travelling to more than 250 cities spanning 42 countries and 6 continents. He loves travel, learning new things, playing sports, writing, making videos, photography, and scuba diving. You can also find him at LiveLimitless.net.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alison says

    November 25, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    What a wonderful trip! I haven’t been to BC yet but it is definitely on my bucket list and seeing the orcas sounds like a great reason to visit.

    Reply
    • Matthew G. Bailey says

      November 29, 2016 at 3:43 am

      Thanks Alison. It is a great reason to visit! It’s also a great province for scenery in general 🙂

      Reply
  2. Miranda P says

    November 29, 2016 at 7:43 am

    Great photos. Funny, I lived in Vancouver for 10 years and never thought to go whale watching. So much fun to be had so close to home. Who knew?

    Reply
    • Matthew G. Bailey says

      December 1, 2016 at 3:43 am

      haha I know what you mean. At the age of 24 (8 years ago) I did my first hike and it was in New Zealand. Yet, I live in Calgary.

      Reply
  3. Margarita Ibbott says

    December 2, 2016 at 1:58 pm

    They are amazing aren’t they. I was whale watching in Québec Maritime this summer and loved it.

    Reply
    • Matthew G. Bailey says

      December 4, 2016 at 7:26 pm

      yea the whale watching in Tadoussac Quebec is pretty incredible! Is that where you went?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 10 Must Do Activities in British Columbia | Must Do Canada says:
    July 1, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    […] are not many places in the world where you can see killer whales in the wild but Vancouver (and Vancouver Island) is one of them! Although sightings aren’t 100% […]

    Reply
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