Vancouver Island Whale Watch

Vancouver Island Whale Watch runs boat tours out of downtown Nanaimo, taking guests into the Salish Sea in search of orcas, humpbacks, and other marine life. Trips typically run three to five hours aboard either open zodiac-style boats or a semi-covered vessel with an enclosed cabin, and the company operates year-round with public tours and private charters.

Conservation shapes how the business works. Crews include professional researchers who record field data on every outing, and the company focuses exclusively on healthy, growing whale populations, deliberately steering clear of the endangered Southern Resident orcas. A portion of every seat sold goes to local marine conservation initiatives.

Beyond whales, tours regularly encounter sea lions, harbour seals, porpoises, bald eagles, and seabirds. The company acknowledges the Snuneymuxw Nation, on whose territory it operates, and publishes detailed sightings reports from its trips along with a free field guide to Salish Sea wildlife.