Victoria Whale Watch Tour: Majestic Salish Sea Wildlife
4.7
306 Ratings
Victoria
Embark on a thrilling 3-4 hour Victoria Whale Watch Tour and encounter majestic wildlife of the Salish Sea. Join expert naturalists for an educational experience and spot whales, seals, sea lions, and more!
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Juan de Fuca Marine Trail - Head to the Victoria wharf to board your 61-foot (19-meter) motor yacht, the Marauder IV, which holds up to 84 passengers and features comfortable seating and a smooth, quiet ride. Meet your naturalist guide and head out from the harbor, cruising into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the body of water separating Canada’s Vancouver Island from the United States.
  • SpringTide Whale Watching & Charters - As you cruise, your guide will help you spot the variety of whales that live in these Pacific waters, including orcas, gray whales, humpback whales and minke whales. Keep your eyes open for other marine life, too, like sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals and sea birds. You may even catch sight of a bald eagle.

During your journey, listen to your guide’s informative, expert commentary about the biological and ecological features of the whales and their ocean environment. If you have any questions, ask away! And if the conditions are right, the boat’s hydrophones can pick up and amplify the beautiful sounds of the orcas as they communicate with each other, giving you the amazing opportunity to hear the song of the whales.

If you get chilly, head inside the spacious heated cabin and warm up with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. You can keep watching for whales through the windows.

Your tour ends with return to the wharf.

What's Included
  • Washroom
  • Professional naturalists and biologists on board each trip
Additional Information

Experience the grandeur of the Salish Sea’s wildlife with a 3-4 hour journey aboard our Ocean Cruiser, departing from downtown Victoria. Whether you choose a morning or afternoon trip, get ready for an unforgettable escapade!

The 61-foot Ocean Cruiser Marauder IV provides a speedy, serene, stable, and comfortable ride. It features a large bathroom, making the vessel apt for passengers of all age groups and abilities. Enjoy multiple vantage points for viewing – inside, outside, or from the top deck with the Captain. Extraordinary are the side decks stretching throughout the boat, providing ample space to wander, spot wildlife and capture the perfect shot.

Our knowledgeable naturalists will be present on the journey to ensure a memorable and educational experience. Sit back and listen to our engaging commentary on the wildlife and the natural history of the Vancouver Island Coast. Be alert for a sighting of whales and other marine life including porpoises, elephant seals, harbour seals, sea lions and various marine birds!

  • For any additional information regarding accessibility, please contact SpringTide Whale Watching at (250) 384-4444
  • Must meet minimum passenger requirements to confirm.
Location
1119 Wharf St
Wharf Street
Check-in 30-45 minutes prior to your tour departure time. The check in office is located at 1119 Wharf St (at street level & not at dock).
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(306 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
J5482jgjonathank
Jun 2, 2024
First Time Whale Watchers. Would recommend everyone goes at least once! - Katie and Captain Ian were amazing hosts! My wife and I were with our 2 friends. All first times seeing this for us. We were lucky enough to see orcas, humpback whales, and seals! The boat ride was very comfortable, and they even offerred us additional jackets, pants, hats and gloves for if anyone was cold. Since the trip was about 4 hours, it was definitely convienent having a bathroom available to us. Katie also took pictures on her camera, so we could focus on seeing the experience with our own eyes! Overall, I would definitely recommend this trip to others!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sillie74
May 29, 2024
Recommended! Both the location and the staff. Awesome.. - Fantastic experience! What a nice and friendly crew. I was deeply impressed by all the information we received and that the crew was able to tell us. We had a lot of rain, so we were very happy to be able to stay dry in between. And it was worth every cent. We have seen so much!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scottkjs
May 28, 2024
A great experience - We had a great trip out on the covered boat to search for whales. The staff were friendly and well organised. And we managed to see a humped back whale. A wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_h
May 25, 2024
Great trip. The... - Great trip. The naturalist I believe her name was Katy was super friendly knowledgeable and fun. Captain was also very helpful. Willing to answer questions. 7 different pods of Orcas -17 whales in total. Great success 🐳 l
Review provided by Viator
Andybs1585cp
May 23, 2024
What an amazing experience - What a superb trip! Blessed with calm seas and little wind the conditions were perfect. The boat (Marauder) was spacious and comfortable with covered and open seating areas to cater for everyone. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate was available throughout. Sightings ... we fairly quickly found a mother orca and her three calves, spent some time with them before moving on to spit a mother (hump back) and her calf. Courtney was our naturalist on board; she was very informative and ensured we got the best from the adventure. Waterproof trousers and jackets were available for those that required them. From beginning to end the communication with Springtide has been excellent; we would highly recommend them to anyone looking to take a tour from Victoria.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David
May 21, 2024
A really great experience - Can’t rate this too highly. The crew and naturalists were so knowledgeable and friendly. The boat is really comfortable and fast when it needs to be.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mountaingirl1961
May 20, 2024
Wow. Go with these guys! - Can’t say enough about our experience with Springtide. The entire crew were young, enthusiastic, and exceptionally respectful of the environment and the wildlife. The naturalists were extremely knowledgeable, and very willing to share the professional photos they took during the trip. The boat itself was far more comfortable than I expected, and even had a clean head. Best of all, the orcas seemed to know who their good friends are, because of all the ships out there they swam up and said HI to ours! Couldn’t have had a better experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donna
May 16, 2024
Marauder II Whale watching with Spring Tide - The staff members were very helpful. They were informative and put us right where the family of orcas was swimming. They identified family whale members too. We also saw many seals on the shoreline. Couldn’t have been better.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shauna_b
May 28, 2024
Got to see a pod of orcas... - Got to see a pod of orcas which was a bucket list thing. Crew was friendly seemed to have family on the boat so was more focused on talking to them than talking to guests. Felt like things could have been pointed out on the long ride to where the pod was.
Review provided by Viator
Cmheunis
Jun 1, 2024
Not worth the price - My wife and I were optimistic after reading the great reviews. Unfortunately, we did not see any Orcas. It turns out the crew relies on multiple sightings from surrounding boats to determine if there will be whales, which makes the probability of seeing them quite low. While it's understandable that sightings can't be guaranteed, we were informed onboard that the boat is not allowed near local Orcas, and the transient ones weren't around. This was our main reason for coming, and we would have canceled if we had known this beforehand. We did end up seeing the back of a humpback whale for about 10 minutes, but the boat didn’t get closer than 50-100 meters, making the experience a big letdown. On a positive note, the service and speed of operation were excellent. The crew members were very knowledgeable and friendly, but we left feeling a bit disappointed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today