Victoria Zodiac Whale Watching: Majestic Pacific Wildlife

Experience the majestic beauty of the Pacific Ocean on a Zodiac vessel tour in Victoria, BC. See killer whales, humpback whales, seals, and more wildlife up close!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Three hours in length, April through October are the ideal whale watching months. In this peak season, we boast a greater than 95% success rate of spotting whales, including both transient & resident orcas, humpback, minke, & gray whales! Other wildlife you may encounter include Stellar and California seal lions, harbour and elephant seals, otters & marine birds such as cormorants and bald eagles.

Unlucky tour? Join us again using our WHALE GUARANTEE for a complimentary whale watching tour to bring your dreams of seeing these magnificent animals to life.

For all guests we offer complimentary shuttle pick up from all hotels in downtown Victoria.

Points of Interest

  • Orca Spirit Adventures
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Survival Suit
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a captivating journey through the vast splendor of the Pacific Ocean and witness the planet’s premier spot for whale watching in the open sea on a three-hour excursion originating from Victoria, British Columbia. The areas of Juan de Fuca and Haro Strait are famous for their abundant wildlife, hosting creatures like resident and migratory Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, Minke Whales, seals, sea lions, and a multitude of marine birds!

For the bold and adventurous, Zodiac vessel tours deliver a satisfying dose of wilderness, allowing you to feel the wind in your hair and witness the genuine west coast elements on an unconstrained format, 12 passenger vessel.

We offer all our visitors a complimentary shuttle pick-up service from all the hotels located in downtown Victoria.

  • Operates rain or shine, please dress appropriately
  • Not suitable for pregnant women
  • Not suitable for participants with pre-existing injuries and/or health conditions
  • Minimum age of 6 years old
  • This experience requires good ocean conditions. If it is cancelled due to poor conditions, you will be offered a different date or a full refund.
Location
950 Wharf St
Wharf Street
Located at same dock as Harbour Air seaplane terminal.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(244 Ratings)
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Ian
Aug 19, 2024
Fun Orca excursion - Great tour with friendly knowledgeable staff. Jordan our boat captain took time to share interesting information about the area and the Orcas that we saw. We weren’t able to get super close but one of the other boats did. I think that just boils down to luck. Still though we were able to see two brother Orcas and then a second pod of five orcas that were a bit further off in the distance. If you are choosing the Zodiac tour, be warned that it is a very choppy ride of about half the three hour excursion. But that could be less, just depends on where the whales are on any given day. My family really enjoyed the whole experience. But I could see some people not liking the zodiac boat ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ted_b
Aug 18, 2024
Worth it! - Found a pod of Orcas some breaching nice photos . Calif. Sea Lions and another species of seals , a Bald Eagle perched on a rock by the lighthouse. If you want to bounce around on a Zodiac raft this will be perfect
Review provided by Viator
Emmien99
Aug 13, 2024
Such a great time!! - What an amazing experience! We had Mick as our guide and his passion for his job really showed and added so much to the trip. We were lucky enough to see two humpbacks, two orcas, sea lions and eagles! But even without seeing everything, it still would have been an incredible time on the water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomasbf5756ka
Aug 4, 2024
Great whale watching - great whale watching tour with the zodiac. Our captain Mick explained everything very well and we had a great afternoon with seals, orcas and bale eagles
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahsi349gf
Jul 30, 2024
Brilliant! - We would highly recommend this tour. Despite the foggy conditions, Liam our guide, managed to find a pod of killer whales. We also saw some seals. Liam was great and really knowledgeable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Boudewijn_o
Jul 26, 2024
Humpbacks and beautiful nature. - Speedy and bumby zodiac ride. Saw sea otter, seals and lots of humpback whales. Our guide Mick was experienced and friendly. I don’t recommend it when you have back problems but when you’re in for a beautiful rollercoaster ride this is the tour to book!
Review provided by Viator
Goplaces172126
Jul 23, 2024
A Ride of a Lifetime - This excursion did not disappoint. We were able to follow a pod of about eight Whales for over an hour. We did get wet and it was very bumpy on the ride home. You may want to bring a change of clothes because the survival suits provided are not waterproof. There is also a place to keep your belongings safe and dry on shore for when you get back. The staff was very, very knowledgeable and also very helpful. This was a wonderful experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephanie_c
Aug 5, 2024
Foggy chilly and bumpy morning boat ride! - We enjoyed the boat ride. Our captain Shane, was great!! Sadly, we saw no whales, but we did see some seals and bald eagles. it is definitely a very bouncy boat ride, but made it a fun adventure. Shame that we saw no whale activity at all, but it was not from lack of trying on our captains part.
Review provided by Viator
Navigator35628013484
Jul 28, 2024
No whales to be seen - It was great fun riding in the zodiac, unfortunately we didn’t see any whales. As we are from Europe we will not be able to come back for another visit. We do acknowledge of course that we cannot magically conjure whales, but I was still somewhat disappointed and I had to looked forward to seeing whales for the first time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kris_k
Jul 25, 2024
Not a good experience - This is not an rating for the company or the staff, but of the experience. We opted for the zodiac trip because we wanted to feel closer to the whales. The captain decided to take us south, all the way into US waters because whales were spotted by a ferry earlier that morning. The waters were choppy and the zodiac ride was jarring. After bouncing up and down for over an hour, working our way down, we didn’t spot any wildlife, except a few birds bobbing up and down on the chop. When we finally made it back, disappointed and shaken about, we found out the suits they loaned us are not water proof. My wife was sitting in water that had splashed into the seat and she was wet and chilled to the bone. Luckily, our Airbnb was a short walk and I got her into a warm bath to heat her up. I would not recommend this tour because it seems hit or miss. I imagine the high point anifhtings are amazing because the craft is so low to the water it gives a different perspective if you do encounter whales. And the miss was disappointing and really hard on the body. Also their policy of going on a second trip is suspect because they told us we needed to call an hour before departure to see if there was space and if there was a whale sighting. Not sure how to plan a holiday where I don’t know when I am going to go whale watching and calling multiple times a day to schedule a repeat trip.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 12 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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