Sophie and Jacob were our naturalist and captain, and the trip was INCREDIBLE! We took the zodiac boat, of 12 passengers, and it was super fun, open air, quick, and intimate. Not a single bad seat without a view on the boat! We saw several humpbacks, their tales during some deep dives, a BREACH!!, sea lions, and a massive pod of ORCAS! We saw at least 6 orcas, including a baby that was a few days old, according to our guides. The baby was still orange/pink in color, and the pod was actively hunting. We saw them thrash around, jump completely out of the water several times, and even jump up and expose their entire belly! Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and overall we had an amazing time. Definitely the highlight of our trip! 11/10!!! read more

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An unforgettable experience! We were lucky enough to see multiple pods of orcas followed by two majestic humpback whales. Pascal was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and clearly passionate about marine life. I picked the open air vessel since I wanted the option to move around the boat. Will book again the next time I'm in Vancouver. read more

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We saw humpback whales and orcas. It was great to hear about marine life from Nicole. The boat worked well. The captain did a good job navigating. We went with the open boat but not the zodiac. read more

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Had a great time with Wild Whales. I went on an afternoon zodiac trip. It was a really fun, and a bit wet, ride. Tess, our naturalist, did a really great job throughout our trip to educate us about it the whales. Our captain was excellent. We saw Big Mama and her calf (2 humpbacks) and spotted the Northern Residents (orcas) on our ride in. I wish we had better encounters with orcas, but that's out of anyone's control. I would definitely recommend a trip with Wild Whales. read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wild Whales is such a fantastic experience for our family. If you're not sure which company to go with for whale watching, you won't be disappointed with this excursion. Since I had small children with me, we went with the semi open vessel option to provide protection. The boat still goes quite fast and although they warned that we would get wet, we were fine. The tour takes anywhere from 4 to 5 hours so bring snacks and water. They guarantee you will see whales or you can come back on the next trip for free. We ended up seeing so many humpbacks and it was amazing to see them in the wild. We unfortunately did not see any orcas this time. As we headed back to Granville Island we stopped by a smaller area with rocks and saw adorable seals. read more

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Amazing experience! Julia was so knowledgable. We saw 3 pods of of killer whale. We were very well taken care of throughout the trip.

There's a lot of operations out there but I'd venture to say Wild Whales is at the top of the list. Three different boat types and a naturalist who shared the enthusiasm for these beautiful beasts. Boat pilots are in constant communication, ensuring you have the best chance of seeing them. We opted for the covered boat that offered exterior decks for observation and an interior cabin to keep warm. We got fairly close to the whales but an airboat (one of their options) will get you closer. I'd probably opt to do that next time. read more

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Tess and Kevin were very friendly and welcoming. Tess shared lots of info and kept us entertained.

Fabulous experience. We booked a group tour for a corporate event using the partially covered vessel. Communication was top notch through out set up with my many questions. The group was able to extend time on the backend when the whales showed up in full force towards the end. Everyone had a great experience and would do it again. read more

These guys were fantastic! we had amazing trip with Brit and Darko. I can't speak highly enough of Brit's knowledge and passion for the amazing wildlife! We saw humpbacks and Orca's (bucket list item checked off there) as well as harbor seals and bald Eagles. Amazing day out. thank you all once again! read more

So I had a reservation for the "middle tier" boat (apologies...can't think of the exact name and too lazy to look it up.) The day before, I get an e-mail saying that boat is not available due to staffing shortages. Sh*t happens, I get it. But sooo last minute. They had a seat on their Zodiac...a twelve seater that sits right on the water. Yikes! Already a little nervous about the whole thing and definitely worried about seasickness, but thought "What the hell...YOLO! So said "yes" with just a little (ok, fair amount of) trepidation. Get there and this boat is, like, a pontoon away from being in the water! I could almost touch the sea. (Oh, but the seats are not rigid benches, they have shock absorbers to ease the bumps...a huge advantage for choosing this company). But... Yikes, again! But let me tell you, I would never be able to do anything except that boat again!!! This may have been one of the most awesome things I have done in my 63 years! The captain, Beth, was skilled and funny and our guide (so very sorry I have forgotten her name...red hair and an oceanography major or graduate...very passionate and knowledgeable, a great combination!) was the best! AND....we saw a pod of five Orcas and tracked them for awhile...so cool! But the greatest thing was seeing two humpback whales with two...TWO breaches! It was really awesome! These folks know their sh*t and it was worth every penny. Highly recommend them and would come back in a heartbeat. You won't be sorry. (Oh...and we saw some seals...meh...lol) read more

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Our guide and captain were able to find us multiple humpbacks, but also a pod of Orcas! It was incredible! One of the humpbacks breached! What a site, once in a lifetime! I would HIGHLY recommend Wild Whales! read more

amazing tour with our captain who is very knowledgeable and skillful. She tried her best to give us best view to watch the whales. Very fortunately we saw double whale splash for almost half an hour. Very satisfied with the tour. read more

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Really disappointed with this tour. We didn't see any whales, and while I know that's not guaranteed, the whole experience felt disorganized. Our guide seemed extremely nervous and unprepared, which didn't inspire much confidence. The rough waters and a sick passenger weren't their fault, but overall the trip just wasn't at all what I expected. I honestly wouldn't recommend this tour. I'd much rather have a refund than a "no whales" voucher. read more

Great Xpereience, we got to see the whales and the guide was knowledgeable. the service was great

It was a breathtaking experience and Anna is a fantastic naturalist. We saw 4 orcas and 8 humpbacks!!! We had such a beautiful time with the whales. read more

After a lot of research on different Whale watching tour companies out of Vancouver I landed on Wile Whales Vancouver and was excited to go out for trip. It started out with the check in for our tour. Upon approaching the check-in desk our we felt like we were being talk down to after a simple question around the tour and as well as some logistics questions. The one tour guide was just not a very pleasant person and really got us off to a bad experience. This is supposed to be enjoyable after all. There was some issues it seemed / confusion with the staff on who was going out on the boat as well which was not to reassuring. All the safety equipment was nice and all and get suited up was smooth. Luckily we did not have to go out in the same boat the tour guide we had a bad start to our day. Getting to the boat and all was smooth and professional on the safety review. Our guide and captain got us on our way rather quickly and we made out was through the English bay and out the open water. There was a fairly good chop and rolling waves which made for a bounce ride... I dont have issues with that and was all good. Except the seat I was in was not functioning properly and the special shock absorbing seat I was in had a bad shock absorber on it. I am not a heavy person or anything like that but my gosh it was not comfortable the entire way across and back. When we finally made our way to the channel's beyond Thetis island we did a deeper search after seeing some sea lions on a buoy. Our friends had gone out just the day before and said their crew was talking a lot and teaching about the nature and geology of the area. They also were in very good communication... on our tour it seemed like minimal communication with other boats and very little information flow from our guide. After navigating the channels we were coming up with no sightings and got to a point were we were told we were heading back as it seems like there are no sightings. The disappointing thing was you retold you will be out for 3 to 5 hours. We really saw nothing and I get you can't control what marine and wild life are going to do and when the will show up ( totally get that ). It seemed like we were in a rush to me to get back. We saw some more sea lions and then told the probability of seeing anything was minimal as we headed back. Uncomfortable seat again in the front row with the impact from the waves and we were pulling back to the dock within 3 hour maybe 15 mins. My complaint was some of the staff was just not friendly... and when asked our options of another tour we received more rudeness when told "oh there is no room on any upcoming trips". Here is your voucher.... we won't be able to use as we are an 6 hour flight away and will go somewhere else to try again a bucket list thing we wanted to do and get to see Orcas. When talking to a few other passengers on our boat with us... One was out 3 times never saw any whales and the other was their 2nd time same situation. Despite being told 90% of the time the see whales ... I am not sure about that. Very Disappointing and would recommend you try a different company. Our customer experience was poor. read more

I have always been the reviewer to leave 5 stars. But sadly I cannot for this company. My hopes were high with this adventure and I left feeling let down. Our initial tour was cancelled due to weather so we had to rebook with a different excursion, which they made really easy. But the difference in experience was a huge step down. On our tour we did see a whale, which we followed for nearly 1.5 hours for it to come up every 20 minutes. People slept, played on their phone, were giving obvious signs of boredom and we just sat around. If we had sat on the right side of the boat, I think I would have seen more. The captain of the ship did not seem excited to see a boat full of people, and our naturalist gave very shallow details/info to what we were seeing. Honestly I felt like a bother to everyone we encountered, from the check in, to the actual excursion. I think the professionalism of this company could use an improvement. Our naturalist could not be identified from the guests due to a lack of uniform, and eloquence. *don't sit in the back if you don't want to get puked on. read more

I had a fantastic trip! The weather was very good. The crew knew exactly where to take us for the best views of the sea lions (very chubby ones!) and the whales. My group was awesome too. One friendly lady gave me her binoculars to see even better. Without the binoculars, I could still see the orca pod. In fact, the captain was able to get us close enough to observe a family of 3 (or 4) orca whales swimming up and down. The naturalist (or tour guide?) was very knowledgeable. She gave us a lot of interesting information and always checked to make sure if we had any questions. I got many videos and pictures to show my family. :D read more

We had a wonderful day, saw lots of whales, had a great guide to explain whale stuff, and most importantly, would do it again. We did the enclosed boat in the colder weather and would highly recommend. Went outside when viewing whales. Definitely a five star experience. read more

*BUYER BEWARE* YOU WILL NOT SEE ORCAS! Do not waste your time or your money. There are ACTUAL companies in Vancouver that will take you to see Orcas, this company WILL NOT. I wish the reviews were more clear ahead of time and I had read the fine print with this company before wasting hundreds of dollars and half our day on a once in a lifetime trip to Vancouver to see Orcas. The claim time and time again this is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT. And it was, it was the biggest waste of time and money in our life that we won't ever forget. We spent four hours on an open air boat with no explanation of what we were seeing, what we were doing, until the trip was OVER. We have been on half a dozen other marine mammal trips and wrongly assumed that when we booked to see Whales with a whale watching company that advertises seeing whales and shows pictures of whales, that we would. We did not. Not one. What made this whole thing ever worse was a) they explain that they "communicate with the other companies to find the whales." We thought it was strange that we didn't see a single other whale watching boat on our tour, and guess why? Because they were seeing the whales while we were not. When I asked Hillary, the office manager, Why they hadn't communicated with the other companies or if they had seen any whales she explained "I don't know, you'll have to ask them." Which was very confusing seeing as how the captain, the tour operator, and Hillary herself explained they communicated with other companies before setting out. So I asked the other four companies and guess what, ALL FOUR OTHER COMPANIES SAW ORCAS. The final nail in the coffin for me was the lack of apology, accountability, and Hillary stating "If really you want to see Orcas I suggest you go to Seaworld where you can see one in captivity." This, coming from a company that literally advertises that you will see Orcas, and claims to be working for conservation, was just the most bogus thing anyone could ever say. They offered zero refund or resolution. They simply took our money, our time, drove us around wildly on a boat for half a day. DO NOT BOOK HERE. read more

Amazing experience! Once in a lifetime opportunity. The guide was so knowledgeable and the captain had great eyes and spotted a humpback for us just minutes into the trip. We had the chance to be the only boat on scene with a pod of orca for over an hour. Magical! read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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A few days after my Wild Whales Vancouver outing I stood on the shore of Sunset Beach observing a Wild Whales boat returning to Granville Island at 3 p.m". "What's up with that? Why do they get to come back at 3 p.m.?" I asked, seriously peeved. "They probably saw whales" he answered. And there you have it. The Wild Whales adventure begins upon arrival at 10:15 a.m., when you check in. At 11 a.m., after you've been outfitted in serious anti-exposure gear, your small boat departs and you're told that you won't be stopping for harbor seals, sea porpoises, and similar commonly seen sea creatures. Instead, you'll be venturing far and wide in search of whales but beware, if you fail to find whales (they're wild, after all) you won't be returning at 3 p.m. Nor will you be returning at 3:30, 4:00, or 4:30. It was well past 5 p.m. when my Wild Whales boat finally docked back at its point of origin and I was never so glad to be off a boat. Fail to see whales and this is one long-ass day. In fairness, the staff wants to find whales as much as the paying customers. This explains why failure to find whales results in such a long stay on the water. The staff really want you to see the whales you came to see but, though they partner with others to locate whales, it's no guarantee that whales will be found. As you motor around scanning the horizon for signs of whales you'll be shown photos of whales, be fed information about the various pods, eat your lunch, sleep... seriously, I've never been so bored in my life. As we searched in vain for whales I couldn't help but think of the other things that could've improved my experience. Booze for one, though there's probably good reasons this isn't permitted. I have no doubt that Wild Whales is an awesome experience if you actually get to see whales up close. That you might not however, should be a consideration when booking this trip. In the future, I'd not book any whale watching trip of more than 4 hours duration. I'd also come armed with an incredible lunch spread and perhaps some flask-contained contraband. In the end, our group was able to see a small portion of the hump of a single humpback whale 4 times sometime past 4 p.m. The 5th time, the tail lifted as the whale deep dove never to be seen by us again. Total time from sighting to disappearance: maybe 8 minutes. Total time on the water: upwards of 6 hours. Our guide was reasonable enough to count our trip as one without a whale siting entitling all customers to a second trip, free but non-transferable, at any time in the future. I like a good deal but I'd honestly have to think long and hard about signing up for a second 6+ hour trip with the possibility of seeing no whales (or harbor seals or porpoises). * Don't forget to take your Dramamine. The only thing worse than no whales is 6+ hours of puking, as one person on my boat experienced. * Wild Whales promises snacks which weren't offered until past 4:30 p.m. Dear staff: They'd have been welcome far earlier. * About that staff: the driver and guide were friendly and knowledgeable but even the nicest, smartest people couldn't make up for an entire day seeing essentially nothing. Sorry. * Approximately $128 (Canadian) per person buys you a whole lot of time on the water but maybe no whales. Oh well. read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - You may see whales OR you may not... It happens. - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

They are a dedicated group. I would say the best in BC. Professional, experienced Staff. I would highly recommend them. read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - My recent trip. - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Our captain and naturalist were professional and informative every step of the way. We knew that we might not see any whales at all and might just have a beautiful day at sea, but we were lucky and saw a grey whale close to shore and about 45 mins out, we saw some humpbacks spouting and diving far off. Another boat communicated that they were seeing a pod of 4 humpbacks and we were able to approach and see them diving about 10-20 feet from their boat, and they did get extremely close to ours as well. They dove and surfaced every 5-6 mins for about an hour and travelled off on their way. We smelled their terrible breath! Completely stunning, but also just a lucky day. We also saw the sea lions hanging out and barking like crazy dogs at each other. I was worried about being seasick and chose the Eagle Eyes boat, which was very smooth and absorbed waves and wakes with ease. Many people do well on the zodiacs with all the fresh air, but they do tend to be a rougher ride, so I was grateful I chose the larger open vessel for great views but also fresh air and smooth ride. I did take some Dramamine, too and did just fine. No now was ill on our boat that we were aware of. A spectacular day, well worth the money. read more

We did a big group tour during the summer, and unfortunately it was not only a day where no whales were found by any of the boats, but it was also during the fires so the natural beauty was obscured by thick clouds of smoke. We got our vouchers, and my fiancee and I went back in October. Holy cow was it an amazing day! We saw a bunch of humpbacks and a pair of orcas on the way back into the harbor. The guides were informative, explaining how they identify them, it was great. They lose a star for their voucher policy unfortunately. It worked great when we used it, but the four vouchers we have for our family members are basically trash. They 100% won't be back up here to use them (especially since we used ours), and being nontransferrable means that when my other family members came to visit we couldn't orchestrate a nice day for everyone. I totally understand why they have a strict policy, they are a business and voucher swapping would be a problem, but still, we have several hundred dollars in whale watching tours just sitting on our table now. read more

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We paid about $280CAD for our ride on the Quick Change II. I recommend this boat as it was covered, but with a great view and a deck in the back if/when you see whales. Keep in mind that there is a 93-95% chance of seeing a whale. Those are good odds, but endeavor to imagine how frustrating it is to be in the 5-7% who does not see them and paying as much as you did to sit on a boat for 5 hours. Seriously, consider this before you book. I wish I would have because we saw 0 whales, and to make up for it they allowed us to stop and look at the seals for about 15 minutes, which they initially said we wouldn't stop for at all. Contrariwise, I'm so glad we were on this boat and not on the open air boat. It would have sucked being in a suit out in the sun the entire time. Perhaps I'm a bit more frustrated than I should be, but it was my husband's 30th birthday and I wish we would have had the foresight to spend 5 hours during our last day of vacation doing something else. Really though, go to Grouse Mountain or the Capilano suspension bridge. At this point I would have preferred to shell out for a helicopter tour. We did however get lifetime vouchers to come back again, but this redemption strategy only works if 1) you keep up with those vouchers for a lifetime, and 2) you'd be able to amass enough funds to pay for another Vancouver vacation. My husband and I don't go on many vacations, so I don't foresee coming to Vancouver anytime within the next decade. Can they guarantee they'll be in business that far in the future? Would we again land in the 5-7% that doesn't see whales? I wish they would reconsider or reconfigure their voucher policy, perhaps by having different options? I can't even gift the vouchers to friends who may come to Vancouver. I know the above may make me seem like an uppity jerk, but seriously, look at the other few yelp reviews I've written. I'm pretty easy to please. This really was a bad experience with a poor redemption plan in place. (I believe our naturalist and captain were great, and I knew they wanted to find the whales as well. The boat we were on would have been perfect for a whale sighting as well. The reason this place has any stars is strictly because of the boat and the people who took care of us on the boat. My qualms lie entirely with the company's redemption plan in place in the event you see nothing.) read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - The seals we saw.... - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We did the open air tour with Pascal and Aaron yesterday and all I can say is, Wow!! They did an amazing job educating us and finding every opportunity to let us see the whales and other wildlife in action. A truly unforgettable experience!! And cherry on top, a portion of your ticket goes to ocean conservation research. If you are visiting Vancouver or a local, this is a must do!! read more

We were so excited to see the Orcas! We scheduled the open vessel trip at 3 PM on Saturday; the space is full. Our naturalist was Katherine. She sounds so excited which makes the trip even better. When we did the briefing, she mentioned that we were lucky other boats have spotted the orcas earlier of the day. We went about 30-40 mins to the place and saw a few different pods of Orcas. This was so exciting as it was my first time seeing them in the wild. She didn't disappoint also as she is very knowledgeable about the whole thing. When she doesn't know, she didn't hesitate to tell people she had to look it up. I'm glad I got to see them... it's been awhile since I decided to stop going to support captivity and the wait is worthwhile. read more

This naturalist led tour of Georgia sound & the surroundings islands is excellent for sporting native cetaceans - Dan the naturalist spends summers in Vancouver & winters in Antarctica penguin tours and is a font of knowledge on the area as well as the wildlife. We spotted 3 humpbacks, bald eagles & stellar sea lions read more

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This was the BEST whale watching I've ever experienced. We saw both humpback and orca whales, and the orcas came so close to the boat! Felicity was amazing and taught us so much about the wildlife. The ride out and back in was smooth and so peaceful. Came back relaxed and invigorated :) I live in Vancouver and I would definitely go again. read more

I loved it! We saw two different pods of Orcas and got to see them successfully hunting. It was AMAZING!

First, some advice: 1/ Never sit in the back of the boat! The smell of diesel is nauseating and noxious. 2/ Wear sunscreen and wear sunglasses. Without the sunscreen, you will end up looking like a raccoon with just the sunglasses! 3/ Bring a video camera... or bring a very long camera lens. The video camera would have been a good idea to bring. Alas, an afterthought! Second, some criticism: 1/ We could not hear, nor make out everything our "naturalist" was saying when she used the microphone. The boat motor was too loud and the speakers were either not wired properly... or more likely they are just crappy speakers. 2/ Be consistent! We were told several times by our "naturalist" that we were not permitted to stand in a certain area. Typically, if you are not permitted to occupy a certain area of a boat, there is a sign indicating such. We were not the first - nor the last - to occupy this area of the boat... but we were the only ones she kept telling to move!!! My beef? Where's the sign indicating such? And why let 3 other people stand where we were standing - and were told to move - for 20 minutes or more!!!!! Needless to say, I was quite miffed over this!!! Otherwise... It was A-OK... we saw sea lions, seals, orca, herons, eagles, deer, ram, etc.! :) $140 per person for 6+ hours out on a 40ft boat is not a bad deal! A once in a lifetime deal for some... we had a moment when a group of seven orca swam about 2ft from the boat on both sides! I think the next time - if there is a next time - we will try the Prince of Whales out of Victoria, BC. They have a smaller boat and seem to be able to get a little closer to the action! read more

Wild Whales Vancouver - somecanuckchick spots an orca! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Spent an exhilarating 48 hours in Vancouver in June (GORGEOUS), and this was the absolute highlight. I love whales and was looking forward to this experience for weeks, and it did not disappoint. We hung out closely with a couple pods of orcas for a few hours, and went to check on some curious seals. The staff were all kind, knowledgeable, and extremely caring of the marine life they study. The boat was great, the sightings amazing, the weather was perfect - one couldn't ask for a better day with WWV. I've already recommended WWV to a friend traveling there this summer who just booked, and I would go back in a heartbeat. I think about this trip every day and it's helped impact how I want to conserve and continue to be a supporter of environmental conservation. You should absolutely do it! read more

checked out a few other places and we are so glad we chose this one. Ollie, our guide,was phenomenal. answered all our questions. was kind and patient. there is so much he knows about marine biology. no regrets. all praises. read more

Had a great time and saw several humpback whales and seals. The tour is a great value for the price. Even if you don't see a whale that day you'll get to see beautiful views of Vancouver and the surrounding islands. (Although the chances of seeing one s pretty high so I wouldn't worry about it.) A must do activity visiting Vancouver read more

Rename your "Whales watching tour" simply by "Boat Tour". Such a disappointment! Spending nearly 200 CAD on a zodiac tour for watching A whale TAIL definitely doesn't worth it. After 2 hours on the sea we finally found a spot with a whale: we stay around for 1 hour just observing briefly a dorsal fin and a tail (maybe 3 times) and came back to Granville Island. It is supposed to be a 3-6 hours trip but they don't even try to find another spot to see more whales. They say working collaboratively with the other companies to get the right places, so after my "complain" they told me that there was nothing else surrounding our current area. My question is: nowhere to go even with a zodiac? Or maybe it was just to preserve the fuel... It was not AMAZING at all - just a tail and a dorsal fin of one whale. Apparently, they are supposed to refund or give you a free ticket back in this situation. I tried and they didn't propose anything, not even a commercial gesture. If you're lucky they will find quickly a bunch of killer whales. In the other way, it is just too much money for a zodiac ride. +++ Their brand new zodiacs are really comfortable and guides are welcomed +++ read more

Tried and true company. Whale watching guarantees, friendly and highly knowledgeable staff. We chose open air boat with a 0900 departure. Beautiful sunny weather was on our side and great views. Arrive 45mins early. Bring a snack and sunscreen. The company provides water bottle, granola bar, sun screen and plastics bags/ziplocks to keep personal items dry. Not to mention trendy orange/red coveralls for your trip! (See photos) read more

We had so much fun on the open boat tour! This truly was one of my favorite whale watching tours ever! The whole staff was friendly and helpful. I really appreciated our marine biologist naturalist, Gemma. She was not only friendly and delightful but also very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Our captain, who I believe was named Richard, did a wonderful job as well and brilliantly navigated where the orcas were. It has always been a dream of mine to see orcas in the wild and seeing them in their natural habitat was absolutely magical. I also very much enjoyed the seeing the bald eagle, the harbor seals, a blue heron (which I didn't catch a picture of because my camera died, but it was beautiful) and all the nature which surrounded us. I highly recommend giving this whale watching company a try! read more

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The one thing my mom wanted to do was whale watching. We picked this location because of the reviews. The day was cloudy, cold and the water a bit rough but the day was great. We were on the water for over an hour before we saw some humpbacks. A mother and her baby! We followed them for a while and got was good pictures and videos. My mom loved it and so did my 3 year old niece. We also saw seals and some bald eagles. Our guide Pascale provided a lot of info and was excellent! read more