Salish Sea Wildlife Tour: Explore Marine Biodiversity

Discover marine wildlife on a 3-hour Salish Sea tour. Enjoy heated cabins, outdoor views, and expert commentary on an Expedition Catamaran or Cruiser.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Five Star Whale Watching - Enjoy a 3-hour Marine Wildlife Tour with (an) expert guide(s). Travel on an exciting Expedition Catamaran or a 12-Passenger Cruiser. Both vessels are equipped with a heated cabin area, washroom and outdoor deck- with excellent viewing areas for everyone. You’ll search for wildlife such as harbour seals, harbour porpoise,…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • The listed price does not include a parking fee, payable at the time of tour check-in.
Additional Information

The Salish Sea is famous for its abundance of marine wildlife, and on this 3-hour educational tour, you have the chance to witness the beauty of the area and some of its various marine species!
While cruising on an Expedition Catamaran or a 12-passenger Cruiser, enjoy a heated cabin and outdoor viewing space while you experience this amazing…

Location
Five Star Whale Watching
Humboldt Street
Check in: We ask all passengers to meet 30 minutes prior to their scheduled tour time. Meet us at 645 Humboldt Street on the North side of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, next to Willow Stream Spa
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(18 Ratings)
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Ace
Oct 11, 2022
Excellent Company, Amazingly Knowledgeable - The company was top notch from the get go. They were very professional, kind, safe, and welcoming. The one guide (Jim?) was excellent and incredibly knowledgeable. I was a bit blown away by the amount of information he was able to give us. The captain (Jo?) was also wonderful. They had heard about another sighting near the end of our planned trip and went around the whole boat to ask if anyone had any appointments and to see if it would be ok to take a bit of extra time so we could all check out a new animal sighting. Obviously, that's a big yes from most unless you've got a plane to catch! While I know we can't predict nature, we DID get several really cool whale sightings, we got to see some lunge feeding of a humpback and some neat behaviour from a family of transient orca. Obviously, Race Rocks meant an excellent view of the sea lions (and a nose full too, blech!). All in all, an incredible trip with a great company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Palees2014
Oct 9, 2022
Whale watching trip - It was an excellent trip . The staff are very friendly and professional.The office staff ,Alexa and Sam greeted us enthusiastically and were very helpful. The naturalist are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, it was unbelievable the information Jim provided, thank you. JoAnne was also very knowledgeable and helpful. Excellent crew…they anticipated the whale feeding on a bait ball, it was such a thrill to watch..well worth going with this company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leanne_m
Aug 31, 2022
Well worth it 👌 - All of it. Enjoyed the views the smells the sounds the knowledge and friendliness of staff. Highly recommend 👌
Review provided by Viator
Karlabx1016im
Jul 21, 2022
Informative and fun! - We saw many whales, several sea lions and even a puffin. It was a bit cool and rainy so it was nice to have a heated cabin. Guides were super friendly and knowledgeable. Well worth the money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peppercoats
Jun 16, 2022
Comfortable trip with very helpful company. - Our trip was in the smaller boat with total of 8 passengers, though I think it can take 12. It’s similar in size to the Zodiacs run by other companies but has the advantage of a small cabin that could take about 6. This makes the journey really comfortable. It was also very fast, so the boat can probable travel almost as far as the Zodiacs (open craft) in the available time. Andrew and his team were really accommodating in finding us an alternative trip after our evening trip was cancelled due to bad weather. We sighted one humpback whale at some distance (industry guidance means they don’t go closer than 300metres) and saw a variety of other wildlife on the way back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnrx8296kg
Jun 2, 2022
Excellent Marine Adventure! - Safe & amazing crew. - My friend and I recently (Easter Sunday) took part in one of Five Star's tours and it was an Excellent adventure. The check-in process was smooth and easy, their staff are top notch. They ask you to sign a waiver that asks for some COVID information and if you have any existing medical issues, the waiver is there to protect you and the business and its employees. A very impressive part of their extensive safety protocols! Once onboard the vessel, we were given a thorough safety briefing before we left the harbour. Safety is obviously a top priority for this company. The crew, Captain Bill, & Naturalists Emma & Andrew (both of which are also experienced Captains) were excellent! Captain Bill had to deal with some tricky conditions when we first arrived on scene (mostly tidal slop) but expertly maneuvered the vessel. Emma & Andrew kept an eye on everyone and checking on them throughout the tour whilst providing top class narration. We were fortunate to see a large group, about a dozen, of Transient Orcas, who were being very playful and doing a lot of socializing according to the crew. It certainly looked like they were having a wonderful time. It was a memorable tour! I have been out with Five Star Whale Watching on several tours and they are always 1st class! If you are coming to Victoria Whale Watching is a must do activity and I highly recommend going out with Five Star.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K1316phandreah
May 2, 2022
Great marine life trip. - Great time whale watching. Also saw sea lions and birds. It was nice to be on a smaller boat with only 8 other people. This allowed everyone a chance to see the whales and to ask any questions that we wanted. The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable about the area. Also very respectful of the wild life and not disturbing them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bob
Feb 8, 2022
Best experience out there!! - We had a great experience on the boat, experiencing wildlife. Their professional guides told all about nature & the marine flora & fauna. We saw sea lions, otters, eagles, and even whales from a distance. I would recommend Five Star Whale Watching without any doubt to anyone!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris
Oct 9, 2022
Wonderful Experience - Dave is very knowledgeable and gave us a great commentary. We saw humpbacks and loads of sea lions etc. While we didn't see Orcas we enjoyed the experience and recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maperth21
Sep 22, 2024
Go with another boat company - The booking process was great. Genevieve was just lovely. The boat trip itself was disappointing. The crew including the captain, were more interested in taking their own photos, often in front of paying clients. There was a yellow line next to the captain's area which so happened to be the best photographers area.. if you crossed it, you were told off like a child. I am a qualified skipper and have been recently on a number of other whale watching trips. This captain wanted the space to take his own photos. It wasbt a safety issue as the boat was not moving. The priority of the crew was disappointing. Also other boats didn't hang around were we were and they all saw orcas. .. they didn't even try. So don't believe the photos. We hung around most of the time by dormant humpbacks who weren't doing anything. The other boats moved on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $105
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).