A really great tour with very knowledgeable crew. Warren and Cassidy knew their stuff! First bear spotted within 20 minutes and we seen 5 in total. About 100 Sea Otters as an absolute bonus! Loved seeing Eagles, especially an Eagles nest! Highly recommended! read more

Knowledgeable boat captain that knew the best route to take to find bears patrolling for a meal. Office was well run and organized. Great experience. read more

When you visit Tofino you should really go out Whale watching on a tour boat. You should see not only whales but, lots of other creatures like sea lions, eagles, seals, sea otters and maybe walruses. You never know what the weather is going to be like so don't be disappointed if the skies are cloudy. You should still see wildlife. One of the prettiest areas on Vancouver Island. read more

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We had a really great time on our whale watching tour! The staff was amazing, so friendly and full of interesting information. We saw a couple whales that day but also saw some brown pelicans, the reaction from the staff really let us all know that they truly love their job read more

We enjoyed the trip to Hot springs cove today very much. The booking process was easy and the information provided was more than adequate. Customer service was excellent through the entire process. Our Captain Scott was knowledgeable and full of information. We didnt feel hurried or pressured. The trip was relaxing and enjoyable. We highly recommend Jamie's. read more

T'ashii Paddle School (tofinopaddle.com) runs a Meares Island dugout canoe tour out of Jamie's Whale Watching, and we had a great time! Terrell guided 6 of us out in a hand-carved red cedar traditional canoe, and introduced us to the culture of the First Nation people who still protect the wildlife and forests of the area. Tofino has become quite gentrified of late with day spas, exclusive resorts and expensive art galleries, so I was pleased to find one place to learn about the people who are responsible for the protected environment that everyone can enjoy. We walked into the old growth forest on the island along the Big Trees trail, where we stood in the shadow of a massive 800+ year old red cedar and learned how an '80's protest by the indigenous people saved the area from loggers. Our Tribal Park guide memorably called it a 'celebre-tree', as the resulting court case won by the tribes has protected these lands indefinitely. Terrell deftly navigated the severe tidal currents between the islands in our surprisingly stable canoe, and as we paddled, he told us personal stories about the too often tragic past forced upon the Tla-o-qui-aht people and the deep damage done to their culture. Perhaps if we learned from this history, we would not allow similar tragedies to occur today (yes, I'm talking about Trump's baby jails). This tour is a uniquely moving experience, and I highly recommend it. read more

I was hovering between 3 and 4 due to a handful of issues with our hot springs tour. To start they ask you to be 30 minutes early which is fine but this tour is at a weird time (leaves at 1130) so it really makes it hard to do much else with your day as its a six hour or so tour. There also is no reason to make you be there that far in advance. We unfortunately for me got there even earlier than 30 minutes early. When we checked in they told us instead of boarding at 11:15 like they normally do we'd be boarding at 11:30am. At 11:45 not only was there no boat no one had come to the dock where we were waiting to tell us what was going on. Eventually I went back to the office. The boat was being serviced and out of the water and hadn't been put back in yet. The captain of the boat never called to let anyone know he was running late. Eventually he showed up around noon and we got on our way. This tour was specifically to go to the hot springs about 90 minutes North. If weather permits you go up the coast one way and through a more inside passage the other. Everyone seemed interested in seeing whales ( which requires going up the coast) so we headed out to the open water. The water was extremely rough. Two people (out of 7 of us) got sea sick. The waves were huge and choppy. I felt fine but I even got a bit of a headache from all the rocking around. The hot springs were awesome! I'd recommend anyone up in Tofino going to check them out. Its about a 30 minute walk once you get to the park that they are in! We were all supposed to be back at the boat at a set time (430) I thought it was pretty unprofessional that a member of the tour actually works for Jamie's and was on our tour. Her party was at least 20 minutes late getting back to the boat (mind you we already had left 30 minutes late to start our trip). So it was frustrating to be prompt and have to wait for the rest of the group especially people who should know they need to be on time! On our way back we were asked if we wanted to try to find the pod of Orcas that had been spotted that day. Everyone wanted to so we went back down the coast in the open ocean. It was even bumpier/ crazier on the way back. We did spot a small pod of orcas which was pretty cool. Someone on the boat also spotted a humpback whale but I think we just saw a huge fin ( hard to see for the untrained eye). Overall I enjoyed our trip but the captain of the boat probably should have used his judgement instead of going with everyone's wishes to see whales. My friend who I was with is also a boat captain and has been for decades. He was beyond shocked that our captain kept going (especially on the way back) down the coast due to how sick passengers were getting/ had gotten and how choppy/ insane the water was. Overall I'd recommend this tour. I am sure we just had an off day but when the tour is 120 dollars a person and you leave 30 minutes late, your group is late getting back to the boat, the captain has you in insanely choppy water and you get back an hour later than you are supposed to it makes it hard to give a top notch rating. read more

This is for their kayaking tour (Paddle West, I think). I was a tour guide, so I know the difficulties of wrangling a bunch of strangers eager to explore. We had Rain and Patrick as our co-tour guides - because of them and the area, this was one of my FAVORITE tours ever. * 4 hour rainforest tour - about 2.5 hours of paddling and then time and then a Rainforest walk on Meares Island - do this! * Professional - the whole experience from waiting in the comfy waiting area (free hot cocoa and coffee) to being instructed on how to kayak was clean, consistent, and makes you feel in good hands * Wild - Rain's knowledge of nature (and history) was extensive and a bonus to the views. We saw an array of wildlife, from massive jellyfish to baby crabs on kelp. * Reverance - Meares Island is gray area, with "ownership" split between First Nations and provincial government. Patrick is a local who knows the area super well, and he and Rain did their history justice. Even if you're not a fan of guided tours, I highly recommend this one to learn more about Tofino history from both cultures :) read more

Whale watching was so much fun!! My husband and I had an absolute blast!!! Appreciate the guides knowledge of the animals and area! We went on the faster boat - zodiac boat - which is the best way to go!! Because you go FAST! We saw Grey whales, sea lions (massive and Hundreds!), sea otters and more! We also did the four hour kayak tour and loves it as well. Our tour guide found a crab let us hold It and also knew so much info to share with us about animals the sea and the area. Perfect for a casual kayak tour. read more

This is a review for Paddle West Kayak Tours... Super friendly staff with a central location in Tofino. They helped us get out own boats launched and made sure we were safety equipped. If you are looking for caring guides - this is where to go! read more

When in Tofino this is a must do activity to whale watch or take a trip to Hot Springs Cove! I have never seen so much wildlife than I have on these tours - whales of many kinds, seals, walruses, bears, eagles, sea lions, otters! The west coast of Vancouver island is nothing less than amazingly wild! When arriving in Tofino make your reservations immediately as they book out a day or two in advance! It is worth the cost ($110+/person) as this might be a once in a lifetime experience! Captains who do well showing you the sights and getting you back safely appreciate a tip. read more

This review is only for their customer service. We didn't end up using Jamie's b/c of a boat switch and we are to old and injured to ride the fast bumpy boat. They were awesome and switched our excursion to another company. All we had to do was show up at the other place down the street. Even though we didn't go on a trip with them I would still use them in the future. The hospitality was awesome! read more

I had a great experience with Jamie's Whale Watching- the boat to the hot springs was a blast and our boat driver was knowledgeable and well experienced!! read more

My fiancee and I just got back from taking the hot springs tour, and it was fantastic! Our guide, Scott, was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the area. It gave us the opportunity to learn a bit about Tofino at the same time we were enjoying the beautiful scenery and wildlife. We had the luck of coming across both a grey whale and a pod of orcas, plus seals, otters, and eagles. The hot springs themselves are also fantastic, though we were lucky to be there on a day without too many other people (we could see how they could get very crowded very quickly). Nothing beats hanging out under a hot waterfall in a Pacific northwest rainforest! We'd definitely recommend both the excursion and this tour group! read more

My husband and I went out for the 4 hour kayak tour with our tour guide Sam and 2 other couples. We had such a great time-Sam was incredibly knowledgable about the surrounding area, history of the First Nations people and the trouble this area faces with salmon farming, logging as well as potential mining. We had a picture perfect day in the Uclulet Sound, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and definitely recommend SAM! read more

We utilized Jamies for a bear watching tour. Staff was freindly and knowledgeable and we observed about 9 bears while on the tour. I'd recommend Jamies, they didn't dissapoint. read more

I took advantage of this company's Groupon for an early father's day present. Big, BIG hit, and a very pleasant change from the Groupon experience with Gentle Touch Esthetics (see my review of them). My only complaint is that they advertise that if you don't see any whales your next trip is free... well, we drove four hours for the trip, and when we got on the boat they held a vote to see if people wanted to see orcas or gray whales. It was a tie and they decided to go for orcas - I later found out that it was because gray whales don't 'perform' as well as orcas. That's fine and all, but as an island girl, I have *seen* orcas. Lots of orcas. So that was a big disappointment. The orcas were still fun, but a) they are not whales, and b) there are tours in Victoria that are much closer with far more to do both before and after the trip than a drive all the way out to Tofino. Having said that, this was a really great tour and I would use them again for future tours. *Every* staff member was friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We had a pleasant time in the gift shop on our arrival, and when my father started fussing about getting our tickets one of the girls at the counter heard us and distracted him with some paperwork to fill out while I continued to look through some *really* nice jewellery (they have local and local-ish crafts of all kinds in the shop, and there is a *lot* of nice stuff in there!!!) The girl was patient when I ended up having to make three debit transactions due to a couple of misunderstandings. Both girls were very friendly and spoke enthusiastically and knowledgeably about the tours - they got us excited before we got on the boat. The boat itself was clean and very comfortable. We took one of the larger boats, which had padded open air seating up top and padded seating in a windowed area on the lower deck. The guides on the boat were just as knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic, with even the driver getting involved in the tour at some points. There are snacks and drinks available for purchase, with complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate (can't tell you if it's 'good' or not, I didn't bother with any as it was a gorgeous day), and the tour was a relaxing and pleasurable three hours. All in all, even though I was disappointed not to see 'real' whales, I came away happy and tired and absolutely ready to use this company again, so in my opinion, they fully deserve each of the five stars I'm giving them. read more

My husband and I recently did the hot springs sea to sky tour. The office staff was absolutely terrible. Customer service was awful. The captain of the boat was quite nice and very knowledgeable. The tour itself was quite expensive for what it offered. We paid $400 for 2 people (this was because of the sea plane option) and I think it was quite disappointing. The hot springs were small and packed with mosquitos, many passengers got sea sick from the choppy waters and while the sea plane ride was great we were dropped off 20 mins away from where the tour started (where our car was parked). With the price tag that we paid for such a simple tour, I expected more. I definitely wouldn't recommend this tour. read more

Amazing! Booked the hot springs tour, guide Eugene was a native to the community and a first nations person gave us insight into the ecology of the area. He was in contact with the whale watching tour by radio, so he managed to get us to an area where grey whales had just been spotted, also saw sea otters, harbour porpoises, seals, sea lions, bald eagles and a black bear as well as a river otter (apparently rare in the area). Hot springs were amazing. Arrived at low tide and as the sea rose, the waves crashed over us which was a great way to cool off. The whole day it rained, and to be honest, I think it made the experience that much better, keeping us occupied and entertained. Jamie's is a well run company, and I have to say, I was highly impressed with the check in staff and safety demonstration before the tour as well. And I am not just saying that because my first name is also Jamie. Well worth the trip from Toronto. A day I will never forget. read more

The guarantee policy is crap. You get a rain check where you are on standby as long as other paying customers don't book a spot. No whales. Didnt get a second chance. And they were rude to boot. read more

Four of us went on both the kayaking tour and the hot springs tour. The guides in both cases were terrific. The front office staff, not so much. We had booked the boat up to the hot springs and the plane back. We were supposed to have been picked up at 3 pm, but were completely forgotten and stranded. There was a family from Texas that were in the same situation. So they stranded a total of 8 people. Luckily one of our phones worked so that we could make our own arrangements to get back. When confronted with this and asked why we were left stranded, the lady at the counter lied to us and stated that one of the planes had engine trouble, so they were running late. I had talked to the people from Tofino air directly and was told that nothing had been booked for us or the family from Texas. When confronted with this information the lady's response was " well you made it back, how was the flight". Completely denying any responsibility. The rating would be 5 stars for the guides and 0 stars for customer service for an average of 3 stars. read more