The nutrient-rich and sheltered waters around Vancouver Island abound with marine life, and provide some of the world’s highest density and most accessible whale watching. Both the sheltered east and the open west coast are home to these amazing marine mammals.
The calm, protected waters along Vancouver Island’s northeast coast is the most accessible and predictable areas to see orcas (killer whales) in their natural environment. The northern resident (fish-eating) population of orcas typically return to the Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Archipelago around the middle of June and are known to stay in the area well into the winter months.
Transient (mammal eating) orcas also frequent this area and are most often seen in the spring, fall and winter. The Dr. Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve at Robson Bight was established in 1982 as a sanctuary for whales and to protect important killer whale habitat.
Wildlife and whale watching tours depart from Telegraph Cove, Port McNeill and Alert Bay from May until October. Other marine mammals that visit this area include humpback whales, minke whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall's porpoise, and Steller sea lions.
Campbell River has become a hub for wildlife and whale watching tours, and the ones that leave from here journey through the calm waters of the Discovery Passage, Johnstone Strait and other nearby inlets in pursuit of wildlife and adventure. This dynamic inland coastal environment is home to some of the most spectacular wildlife in the world, in the water and on the land.
Each spring, between 18,000 and 22,000 Pacific Gray whales migrate along the open western shores of the Island as they head north on their annual migration. The whales can be seen from shore in March and April, particularly from vantage points atop rocky headlands along the Pacific Rim.
Whale watching excursions from Ucluelet and Tofino are a terrific way to get even closer to these amazing mammals. Operators respect regulations that restrict how close they can get, and are careful not to disturb the activities of the whales.
