The 15 Best Whale Watching Tours in Vancouver

1.Vancouver Half-Day Whale Watching Adventure with Free Photos

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,000 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $193Our pick

Cruise from Granville Island aboard a 95-passenger catamaran with heated cabins, open decks, hot drinks, and wildlife photographers. Guides such as Petra, Ashley, Wilma, and Megan may share local ecology and help identify orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and eagles. Free photos arrive by email.

“This was the family's favorite of all Vancouver activities. Staff was so nice and informative and pictures provided were amazing. Worth the trip!”

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2.Covered Whale Watching Adventure with Free Photos

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,260 reviews · 5 hours · from $188

Leave Granville Island aboard a fast, covered catamaran for guided whale watching in the Strait of Georgia. Look for orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and seabirds while guides such as Ashley and Victor explain the wildlife. Choose a half-day or sunset departure, with hot drinks and free wildlife photos included.

“Everything was wonderful. A fantastic team. A comfortable vessel. Thank you to everyone involved for the amazing emotions. The organization was top-notch! We’ll definitely come again during orca season.”

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3.Whale-Watching Tour from Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,572 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $157

Cruise from Steveston into coastal British Columbia waters with a captain and naturalist guide such as James D. or Rhiannon. Look for orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, eagles, and porpoises while enjoying Gulf and San Juan Islands scenery. Choose the shuttle from downtown Vancouver or drive and park free.

“The crew was great, particularly the Naturalist James D. Besides communicating to the group as a whole, he went around to each individual guest to answer any questions and pass on additional information. Ride was comfortable, weather was perfect. We saw two pods of orcas, and a pair of humpback. Amazing how he and the photographer Rhiannon were able to identify individual whales by their markings!”

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4.Vancouver’s Intimate West Coast Whale Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 698 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $177

From Granville Island, you’ll spend about 3 to 5 hours searching the Salish Sea and Strait of Georgia for orcas, humpback whales, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and seabirds. A marine biologist leads the small group, while the captain follows wildlife respectfully. Guides may include Julia, Yaz, or Honour.

“It was 100% worth it! I live in Vancouver and never really thought about doing this until my mom came for visit and I had to do all the tourist things, but this one… I LOVED IT!”

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5.Vancouver Sunset Whale Watching Adventure with Free Photos

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 454 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $193

Board a 95-passenger Salish Sea Catamaran at Granville Island for a three-to-five-hour whale watch with naturalists such as Jill, Ashley, and Sebastian. Look for orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and eagles, then receive complimentary wildlife photos by email.

“Incredible experience! Seeing orcas outside captivity is a bucket list item for me, and very healing!! It took a bit for them to come out, and we only got to see one humpback for a second but I'll take it and support these excursions that aren't forcing the animals to do anything and are informing us about them. It was also great getting photos - so feel free to tuck your phone away and be present in the moment!! Pro tip for my motion sickness friends: I took a Gravol (Canadian Dramamine, if you're from the States) an hour beforehand. While it does make me very drowsy, I had some…”

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6.Vancouver, BC: Whale Watching Tour with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 270 reviews · 5 hours · from $152Best value

Cruise from Steveston through the Gulf Islands and Strait of Georgia with a naturalist guide such as James or Kai. Watch for orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, seals, and bald eagles aboard a fast viewing vessel, with warm jackets, water, a snack, and a whale sighting guarantee.

“This whale watching was incredible and memorable. For the price it was perfect.”

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7.Wild Whale Watching Experience – Open Air Vessel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 158 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $169

Set out from Granville Island aboard Eagle Eyes, an open-air vessel with 360-degree views. A marine naturalist searches for orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and seabirds while explaining local ecology and conservation. The ride lasts about five hours and includes a full-length flotation suit.

“Great experience! Before leaving there was a problem with the booking and I was offered a free upgrade to the zodiac ride. The guide is the captain were incredibly professional and engaging. We saw killer whales, seals, sea lions and humpback whales. Tour absolutely recommended!Auto-translated”

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8.Victoria Day Trip by Seaplane + Whale Watching by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 142 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $546

Fly Harbour Air from downtown Vancouver to Victoria in 35 minutes, then join Orca Spirit for a three-hour whale-watching trip. Guides such as Shannon, Josh, and Luke share local wildlife knowledge while you search for orcas and humpbacks by zodiac or covered boat.

“Bring sunscreen. The sea plane trip out and back was exciting. The inflatable zodiac boat trip was enjoyable and our skipper knowledgeable. We saw a number of orcas with calves close by, and a couple of humpback whales a fair distance away.”

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9.Day Trip to Victoria Seaplane with Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 109 reviews · from $520

Fly 35 minutes from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria with Harbour Air, then join Orca Spirit Adventures for a three-hour whale-watching trip. You may see orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and seabirds. Guides such as Jeff and Shannon add sharp local insight, with free time in Victoria before your return flight.

“The seaplane flights gave us an incredible view of Vancouver and Vancouver island. We had time to walk around Victoria before the whale watching trip. The whale watching was great fun and we managed so see an array of wildlife including seals, eagles, humpback whales and orca whales! The guides were very knowledgeable and fun. It was a wonderful trip!”

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10.Vancouver, BC: Whale Watching Tour Small Zodiac with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 65 reviews · 5 hours · from $160

Set out from Richmond with a small group, professional guide, and full-body mustang suit. Cruise the Strait of Georgia and Gulf Islands for 3 to 5 hours, watching for orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals, and bald eagles. Guide Kai has earned praise for his clear local wildlife talks.

“They promised whales watching. And of course you will have! Even saw orcas! Good guide!”

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11.Whale Watching Adventure from Vancouver BC

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $184

Set out from Steveston Village with a captain and naturalist for a 3 to 5-hour search through the Strait of Georgia and Gulf Islands. You may see orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and seabirds. Grace has led informative trips, and the partially enclosed boat helps in wet weather.

“Wow 🤩 we got to see whales 🐳 3 in total the team were amazing friendly helpful this was a dream come true for mum who has wanted to do whale watching for awhile and to think we actually got to see them was perfect highly recommend”

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12.Open-air Whale Watching Tour, Granville Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 51 reviews · 5 hours · from $165

Join Wild Whales Vancouver aboard Eagle Eyes, a stable open-air catamaran from Granville Island. Over 3 to 5 hours, an English-speaking captain and marine naturalist search the Salish Sea for orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and seabirds.

“Our naturalist Julia was excellent and super knowledgeable. I loved learning about humpback whale behaviours and how to identify them as we tracked the 3 we found during the excursion. I also loved seeing the harbour seals and learning about other marine wildlife like sea otters even though we didn't see them on our trip. I wish we could have stayed out in the northern sound longer to track them but acknowledge that our naturalist and captain tried their best. Overall an excellent experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat and will be recommending Wild Whales to all my friends, family and colleagues.”

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13.Catamaran Whale Watching Tour, Granville Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 5 hours · from $165

From Granville Island, board the semi-covered Jing Yu for a 3 to 5 hour search for orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, and seals. A marine naturalist such as Julia or Marcos explains animal behavior, while the covered cabin and open decks let you choose comfort or fresh sea air.

“Avevamo paura che 3-5 ore di tour sarebbero state troppo lunghe e noiose. Nonostante si tratti sicuramente di un’attività dove è necessaria un po di pazienza, non essendo in uno zoo, ci siamo ricreduti! Il tour è stato molto divertente e interessante, anche grazie alla simpatica e disponibile naturalista Julia che ci ha raccontato aneddoti riguardanti tutti gli animali marini che abbiamo visto. La sua passione era palpabile e ci ha entusiasmati. Siamo riusciti a vedere una megattera anche se per poco tempo, molte orche (a caccia e con tanto di preda in bocca!) e moltissime foche. Il prezzo non è basso ma per chi non lo ha mai fatto…”

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14.Intimate West Coast Whale Watching – Partly-Sheltered

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $169

Set out from Vancouver’s Granville Island area with Wild Whales Vancouver on a 3 to 5 hour cruise for humpbacks, orcas, sea lions, and seabirds. Your captain shares sightings with nearby boats, while guides such as Julia, Britt, or Nicole explain whale behavior. The boat carries up to 32 people and has a restroom.

“This was truly one of the most exhilarating adventures I’ve ever experienced! We not only saw humpback whales, but thanks to the captain’s communication with other local whale-watching boats, he took us quite a distance so we could also see a pod of orcas. It was absolutely magical—a once-in-a-lifetime memory for sure. Julia, our wildlife expert, was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful throughout the journey, making the experience even more special. I HIGHLY recommend this company if you want to see whales!”

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15.Zodiac Whale Watching Tour from Granville Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6 reviews · 5 hours · from $179

From Granville Island, you’ll ride a shock-absorbing Zodiac into the Salish Sea with a certified captain and marine naturalist. Expect wind, spray, and 360-degree views, plus possible orca, humpback, dolphin, seal, and sea-lion sightings. Guides Honour and Rodrigo have led especially memorable outings.

“J’aurais bien aimé y participer mais j’ai été malade et le suis encore et je n’ai pas pu y aller. J’aurais aimé un remboursement mais on ne me l’a pas accordé.”

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