Nanaimo Whale Watching: Immersive BC Coastal Wildlife

Experience the wonders of BC’s coastal wildlife on a Nanaimo whale watching tour. Guaranteed whale sightings, expert guides, and comfortable seating on our 12-passenger vessel.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 90 Front St #5 - Your day begins by checking in at our office 45 minutes before your departure time and then you’ll head down to the boat as a group.
    You’ll then be introduced to the Salish Sea ecosystem and wildlife as you cruise through the Gulf Islands archipelago in search of whales and other marine life. You’ll learn about the different types…
What's Included
  • Toilets onboard
  • Binoculars onboard (shared between guests)
  • Sunscreen available
  • Captain certified by Transport Canada
  • Professional guide with marine biology expertise
What's Not Included
  • The listed price does not include parking, which costs around 5-7 dollars CAD for the day.
  • Lunch is not included.
  • Gratuities
  • Transportation to/from office
Additional Information

Take a dive into the abundant coastal wildlife of BC as you navigate through the islets of the Gulf Islands in quest of killer whales (orcas), humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, eagles, and much more. Led by a guide who boasts an educational background in biology and a fervor for marine life, your spotting of whales is assured, or your following…

Location
90 Front St #5
Front Street
Our office is located on Front Street on downtown Nanaimo's seawall.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(57 Ratings)
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Moyasooty
Oct 12, 2024
Wonderful day out with mischief! - Rodrigo guided us safely and Desiree gave great commentary! Even though the weather was bleak the whales did not care and we were in for quite the treat! My favourite was counting 22 tail slaps and then seeing a whale fluke loom large beside one of the open boats! The company seems to have a good philosophy around avoiding more endangered species and encouraging less noise - very hard in such a busy shipping area! A wonderful tour that I would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
220annei
Sep 25, 2024
Not to be missed! - This was an absolutely brilliant experience! Val, the marine naturalist, was very knowledgeable and experienced and able to share her enthusiasm with our group. We were very lucky in getting good sightings of about 9 separate humpbacks, plus harbour seals, sea lions and other marine life. Full marks to Joseph, the captain of the RIB too. Cannot recommend highly enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer15472943184
Sep 21, 2024
Fun and enthusiastic guided tour - Great enthusiastic guides! Awesome stuff. Saw all the humpback behaviours which felt really rare and exciting. Thank you Aly and Rodrigo 🙂
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rand_w
Sep 20, 2024
Spectacular watching - Many encounters with humpback whales who exhibited all behaviors we wanted to see. This experience exceeded all our expectations. Ally and Rodrigo were spectacular hosts.
Review provided by Viator
Chriszv3470pr
Aug 29, 2024
Made our vacation even more amazing!! - We enjoyed the semi-covered vessel for this August 21st tour. While the waves were quite choppy, our guides were amazing in locating multiple humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, and harbour seals. They were also very knowledgeable from start to finish and would hands down recommend Des and Vanessa for anyone wanting to go on this adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I2519pqcarola
Aug 28, 2024
A once in a lifetime experience. - This eas a peak experience. We were lucky to see some whales breaching and an on board photographer captured great shots. I did get a little seasick though and wished I'd prepared better for that although it didn't ruin the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bhwerdal
Aug 27, 2024
A fantastic trip we will never forget! - It has been my daughter's dream most of her life to go whale watching. After looking at many reviews & different options, we chose Vancouver Island Whale Watch & we are so thankful we did! We did the 3:30 sailing on the covered boat. We went back & forth many times about which boat to go on, as my daughter has a tendancy to get motion sick & we weren't sure if it would make a difference (see below for details if you're trying to figure this out too!). Val & Rodrigo found a group of 3 humpbacks very quickly & we spent an hour watching them. We then found a mom & calf...and then a lone whale on the way back (as well as seals, sea lions, & birds!). Val & Rodrigo were absolutely wonderful guides....obviously caring about us as their guests & about the whales! We were excited to purchase stickers for 2 of the whales we saw that day! Our only disappointment was to not see Orcas, but we know that is never a guarantee! Thank you so much Val & Rodrigo, your joy & passion for what you do is contagious & we so enjoyed our trip! Regarding sea sickness for those who are looking for that info like we were.... To start, all the windows were closed on the boat which made it quite warm inside, which tends to make the movement worse. Once we picked up speed it quickly cooled off & was quite comfortable. I wouldn't say my daughter didn't get at all sick, but it was very manageable & she was enjoying the trip. When we found the first group of whales, she went to the back to take pictures & was just fine. When she had to come back in for us to go fast again, it was the same problem...windows closed, no airflow, feels sick. At this point it had compounded a bit so it was worse. In hindsight, I would have had her stay outside until we got going (2 people were allowed to stay out). When we found the mom & calf, Rodrigo positioned the boat for us to best be able to see which is wonderful. Unfortunately, that time it was parallel to the waves & the constant rolling was making it really bad for my daughter. When I mentioned this to Val, she immediately got us a few ginger candies (we had already been using our own as well) & talked to Rodrigo. He repositioned the boat to be facing the waves (in a way that we could still see the whales!) & it was immediately much better. After that, my daughter stayed in the back while we were moving & she was totally fine.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Russ272
Aug 13, 2024
Wonderful experience with humpback whales and more - Went on the 10:30 am semi-covered whale watch with captain Tino and naturalist Aly, with my 4-year old daughter. The weather was perfect and we had a spectacular day, particularly interacting with humpback whales Kelpie and then Grizzly. Grizzly was particularly performative and did a lot of jumping and fin flapping. We also saw sea lions, seals, vultures and a bald eagle. We also learned a lot about the ocean life in the Salish Sea.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michalstryk
Aug 6, 2024
Whale watching experience🐳🐋👍 - Amazing experience, enthusiastic and very friendly crew loaded with knowledge. Highly recommend, cause that is exactly what we were looking for
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marcboneuk
Aug 3, 2024
Highly recommended - Amazing, fun & knowledgeable crew; loads of whales sighted (including one that emerged right beside the boat!). The boat itself was really comfortable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $169
up to 10 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).