Half-Day Whale Watching

Telegraph Cove | May - October | Cruiser

Amazing trip This half a day whale watching trip with Prince of Whales was amazing! The crew were so friendly and helpful and super knowledgable! The crew was

Sandy
Ian
Mar
Hannah
Amy

And the tour I did was on 29th September 2019! We saw humpback whales soon after leaving the harbour from Vancouver which was so amazing and then we took a slight detour as the Captain had reports of Orca sightings and we got to see a mother and baby Orca! Such a dream to see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat and another ticked off the bucket list!

The boat was lovely and unlimited tea was a good touch!
Definitely recommend this trip as a must do when in Vancouver!

Thanks again to a fabulous crew!

Whale Watching in Comfort I chose Prince of Whales simply because their downtown Victoria location in the inner harbour was close to my hotel. It was a lucky choice: the tour was excellent in every way and I’d definitely book with them again.

As I’m 67 years old my days in a zodiac-style open boat are long gone. I signed up for the tour in the covered catamaran vessel and was pleasantly surprised with it. Last year I took a whale watching tour in Tofino and the “covered” boat was a bit of joke, the windows were opened wide and the shelter almost non-existent. Not so on the luxurious Salish Sea Eclipse, the spacious heated interior was truly enclosed and could seat at least 60 people. Views were great out both sides through the large picture windows. If you’re bothered by cold air or high winds, this enclosed vessel is the way to go.

Whenever the vessel slowed down for wildlife viewing, the uncovered fore, aft and upper deck areas offered superior vistas to see the animals up close. There was a total of 3 naturalists on board, so no matter where you went on an outside deck, someone was there to offer expert commentary. Lili, Seanie and Valerie all knew their stuff and offered an entertaining combination of facts and anecdotes to guests.

Those wanting to see wildlife weren’t disappointed. First thing we saw was hundreds of turkey vultures circling in the sky above us. Seen only during periods of migration, these birds were engaged in an activity called “kettling” that is, swirling high in the sky trying to catch a thermal that would carry them out to sea. After that aerial spectacle, we were treated to views of an American bald eagle ranging its territory in search of food. Next we joined another vessel watching a solitary humpback whale diving for food and resurfacing frequently. It was a magnificent creature, probably 20 feet long and several tons in weight. We watched for at least half an hour getting some decent closeup views and admiring the animal’s grace. Finally we swung by some very small islands (including an ecological research station) and saw literally hundreds of sea lions and harbour seals. As these creatures only congregate in such large numbers during periods of migration, I guess my late September timing for the tour was good (or lucky!)

All in all it was a memorable outing and well worth the C$120 or so that I spent on it. The vessel was comfortable, the crew helpful, the naturalists knowledgeable and the wildlife fascinating. I rate this tour at 5 stars out of 5 and would not hesitate to use this company again.

Excellent Family adventure We had a fantastic half-day voyage with Prince of Whales. We were especially fortunate to see several humpbacks and a family of orcas. The naturalists on board were extremely knowledgeable. Dress warmly, even on a warm day.

Great Adventure We had trouble parking. But after that we were met by friendly helpful staff . Erika was are book in agent and was great. She warned it might be a little rough. We have taken this tour before and this was the best one yet. Our skipper took us out to where we saw at least 15 humpback whales . We were so far out that only one other boat was out there with us. There were big waves but we always felt safe. Our Skipper was amazing. Thank you so much Capt. Rush !!!!!

Ultimate Day Tour to Victoria This trip is on the list of the most memorable days of my life - it far exceeded my expectations! I did the trip with my 20 year old daughter who is a foreign student in Vancouver. Firstly, we were not disappointed that it was a cool and cloudy day as this seemed to enhance the beauty of the surroundings. The huge catamaran had various seating options, indoor and out, giving beautiful views of Vancouver as we left from Granville Island.
Our crew was wonderful (Captain-Anthony, 1st mate Sandy, Naturalists James and Amy), they kept up a constant rapport with us, and made sure of our every comfort. We learnt so much from them about the landscape and the bird and marine life.

Before reaching Victoria, our crew located a pod of Transient Orcas, and as we waited and watched from a slight distance, they turned and swam towards our boat and we had the privilege of seeing them right beside us in the water. It was a mother and young, and we learnt she was training them to hunt for themselves - we could see the porpoise that they were tracking through the water.

We enjoyed sightseeing and a delicious lunch in Victoria, then took the shuttle to the Butchart Gardens, which was absolutely beautiful. In the late afternoon we happily boarded the boat once again when it docked at the gardens, and embarked on our return journey to Vancouver. The sky had cleared and we were treated to more spectacular views of our surroundings, and then the unexpected gift of a very close sighting of Humpback Whales.

I cannot rate this experience more highly, and will absolutely do it again on my next trip to Vancouver. My daughter and I both agreed that even if we had not been lucky enough to see the whales, we would not have been in any way disappointed by this trip.

Outstanding Adventure Absolutely wonderful experience with family and two young grandchildren. The youngest was allowed on the bridge to look for whales which made his day. Saw everything you could possibly see including humpback, killer whales and a rare grey whale and a rare white baby orca. Special shout out to Maia who was extremely informative and a pleasure to listen to.

Great Whale Tour The is a great way to go whale watching. We saw Humpbacks, Orcas, Sea Lions, seals and an Otter. All the crew members were amazing. They are very friendly, informed and helpful. The boat was very comfortable and steady. I recommend them.

Excellent, very professional and enthusiastic crew! We saw 3 Humpback whales!!
Amazing. Left from Granville Island so good opportunity to explore this area too.

Exceeded all Expectations This is was the best boat trip I have ever taken.

We were on the very comfy and spacious fast catamaran with tons of room inside and outside, free hot chocolate and most importantly and amazing crew. In addition to the captain and first officer there were two naturalist whale experts who took the time to personally teach each group about the animals that we were going to see.

Four hours on the water, half an hour of which was with a family of Orcas with at least 10 surfacings. We also saw a bald eagle, porpoises and they explained the history of several islands that we passed. Highly recommend.

Humpback whales at starboard Wonderful experience. Crew are incredibly knowledgeable, open to answering questions and know how to deal with large groups.

Tour was well booked regarding group size. There were plenty of clear viewing points on the boat and it never felt rushed.

We saw humpback whales, which was incredible, and then ventured towards the islands on which we picked out a few deer and bald eagles.

Highly recommend this tour. Was the highlight of our stay,