Whale Watching Nanaimo Open Boat Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Vancouver Island, Canada
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The waters around Vancouver Island teem with marine life—and on this small-group whale-watching tour, you'll have the best chance of discovering these giants of the deep. Head out into the Salish Sea with your guide, an experienced naturalist who will take the time to help you learn about the region's wildlife. On this tour, you can look out for orcas, humpback whales, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and more.
- Head straight to the areas where you're most likely to view whales
- This small-group tour is capped at 12 to keep things personal
- Stay dry and warm in the provided anti-exposure suits
- Learn more about the area and its wildlife from your naturalist guide
What's Included
- Professional guide with academic background in marine biology
- Captain is certified by Transport Canada
- Toilets onboard
- Anti-exposure suit provided
- Parking not Included
- Lunch is not included.
- Gratuities
- Transportation to/from office
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 90 Front St #5, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H7, Canada
Our office is located on Front Street, the seawall along downtown Nanaimo's waterfront.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
- Not suitable for pregnant women.
- Minimum numbers apply. If there are not enough passengers to meet requirements, there is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation, in which case an alternative date or full refund will be offered.
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Marva_M
The crew (Rob & Vanessa) were ao friendly and knowledgeable. We saw orcas on our trip and they were amazing. Indy was the best - breached about 6 times. Riding in the open boat was great. I was quite nervous but it was not very bumpy. I felt secure.
Reviews
4.9
based on 194 reviews
Marva_M, Sep 2025
The crew (Rob & Vanessa) were ao friendly and knowledgeable. We saw orcas on our trip and they were amazing. Indy was the best - breached about 6 times. Riding in the open boat was great. I was quite nervous but it was not very bumpy. I felt secure.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! Sounds like it was quite the memorable trip. It's always a pleasure to see Indy! We will be sure to pass along your kind words to Vanessa and Rob. Thanks again for joining us!
Brent_E, Aug 2025
Wow was this incredible! An in-depth experience, right on the water, seeing the majestic creatures: the whale. Cannot recommend enough, a truly unforgettable experience I still remember fondly.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Brent, thank you for your review! We’re thrilled to hear the experience left such a lasting impression. It’s always incredible to see whales in their natural habitat. We will be sure to pass along your kind words to your crew
Marieanne_p, Aug 2025
Ali and the driver were amazing so skilled and they gave us a great adventure on the water. The suits were toasty warm and dry for me I’m xxxl thank you for having a suit to fit me and my daughter who is xxl .
Of course the wild life were the total stars of the day we saw 5 whales a pod family of orcas a d sea lions. A day I will remember for ever
Thank you
The pollocks
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We’re delighted to hear that Aly and your captain made the adventure such a memorable one, and that you and your daughter felt comfortable and warm in the gear. It’s important to us that everyone can enjoy the experience. Seeing five humpbacks, a pod of orcas, and sea lions all in one trip is truly special. We’re so glad it was a day to remember for your family!
Tom_W, Aug 2025
Jordan and Rob were absolutely awesome! Brilliant experience - we saw 7 humpback whales and Jordan’s explanation of everything was superb!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Tom, thanks so much for leaving us a review! It's great to hear that you enjoyed your time on the water and that you enjoyed Jordan's commentary about the wildlife. We will be sure to pass along your kind words!
Kathryn_B, Aug 2025
It was a remarkable experience with close up views of humpback whales, sea lions and harbour seals, as well as being privileged to watch an orca family hunt for prey. Our guide Aly and captain Dave were professional in every way and ensured everyone on board was comfortable. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather with calm water and we were able to spend almost an hour with the humpbacks and then nearly another hour with the orcas.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like a great day on the water. We’re so glad Aly and Dave helped make the trip both comfortable and memorable, and that the calm weather gave you plenty of time to enjoy both the humpbacks and orcas. Thanks again for taking the time to leave us a review, and we will be sure to pass along your kind words.
Stephanie_S, Aug 2025
It was an absolutely beautiful day to go whale watching in Nanaimo! Our guide Cheyanne was very informative and answered all of the questions asked by my three daughters. We learned so much and were able to see 6 different humpback whales! Our captain took great care of us (and the whales) as we maneuvered around the various islands. We truly had a fabulous experience. Pro tip: when they say where sunscreen, they mean it!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! It's great to hear that you enjoyed your time on the water and found Cheyenne to be so helpful in answering all your daughters' questions! She's very passionate about wildlife, so I'm sure she was thrilled to have such engaged guests. Thanks again for joining us and for sharing your experience!
norman_b, Jul 2025
Organize, timely, efficient, love the zodiac boat, and our captain and second mate were fantastic! Check-in was easy, waterproof suits were so great, zodiac boat was amazing, and we saw humpback whales, and orcas!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the zodiac adventure and found the check-in and gear helpful for a smooth trip. It sounds like a great day for wildlife as well, both humpbacks and orcas in one day is pretty special! We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to your crew.
Meredith_S, Jun 2025
We loved the open boat! We saw humpbacks, orcas and sea lions as well as bald eagles. Smooth ride on a bumpy ocean and so fast! Naturalist on board was so knowledgeable. Great trip!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Meredith, thank you so much for leaving us a review! Sounds like it was a great adventure packed with a ton of wildlife. Thanks again for joining us!
Joanne_D, Sep 2024
Incredible afternoon on the water. Spent 4 hours with an excellent captain/naturalist and saw 5 or 6 whales. We lucked out when two of the whales swam right up to our boat—their choice—our engine was off! Terrifying and thrilling all at once! Beautiful creatures that delighted us with their antics.
It was a windy wavy day and I was glad for my scopolamine patch but the other 9 people in our open zodiac boat seemed to have no issues. If you’re prone to motion sickness I’d recommend something just in case.
The views in the “islands” were breathtaking. The whales were amazing. It was a spectacular day!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Joanne, thanks for leaving a review! Sounds like it was an exhilarating time, getting a personal encounter with the humpback whale. We are lucky to work in a place so full of life and beautiful to travel through! I'm glad you enjoyed experiencing it with us!
john_h, Sep 2024
Scenery, whales and wonderful guide and captain. Made the trip up from Victoria totally worth it. Highly recommended this company
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi John, Thanks for joining us for your whale-watching adventure and for taking the time to leave a review! Sounds like a great trip!
Jennifer_B, Sep 2024
We had a great time! We saw Humpback and Orca, seals and sea lions. We wasn’t warned that I would get drenched. The front of the boat takes on waves. I was completely soaked. I would have dressed differently had I known this. But we got to see lots of marine wildlife and our guide was knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing her knowledge and love of animals.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review! Sounds like a wildlife-packed trip, although we are sorry to hear you got more wet than expected. The open boat can have huge fluctuations in the amount of waves that the guests are faced with, so we will work on better-preparing people for the worst-case scenario in regard to the moisture levels! Thanks again for joining us and for the review!
laura_g, Sep 2024
5 humpback whales! Slapping the pectoral fin on the water. Absolutely the most wonderful thing i have seen in my life!! Highly recommend this. Tons of fun!!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Laura, Sounds like you had a great time on the water with us and an active humpback whale! Thanks for joining us and taking the time to leave a review.
Louise_M, Aug 2024
Exhilarating! So lucky to see 4 humpbacks in 2 different locations as well as seals, bald eagle, nesting birds. The ride was awesome (bumpy and fast but not scary) Brilliant skipper and very knowledgeable fun guide. A real highlight of our trip to Vancouver Island.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Louise, Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review! It's great to hear that you enjoyed the ride, the wildlife, and all the information provided by your Naturalist onboard!
Brenda_P, Aug 2024
Loved the knowledge of the crew…fun ride and saw 5 Humpback whales. It was amazing, thank you all for a great adventure.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Brenda, Thanks for the review! Sounds like a great day! All our staff are very passionate about the local wildlife so I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed them sharing that information with you!
AneKristin_R, Aug 2024
Great experience. saw a lot of animals (humpback whales, sea lions, eagles); enjoyed it very much. Where about 3,5 to 4 hours out. Guide was able to answer all out Questions.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you for the review! We are happy to hear that you had a good time with all the wildlife and found the Naturalist informative during the tour!
Anne_v, Jul 2024
We saw two wales and two orka's. The crew is very friendly and they can tell you a lot about the behavior of the animals.
Great tour and cheaper than the rest
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hi Anne, Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review! It's great that you were lucky enough to see both species of whale during your tour with us!
Jonathon_D, Jun 2024
I went out whale watching as a date with this company and it was perfect. The guide and boat operator were friendly, knowledgable and professional and we got plenty of time to see two pods orcas and a humpback!
Victor_A, May 2024
Beautiful humpback whales, host was knowledgeable and seemed to care about wildlife preservation , gave good advice on staying warm
Debbie_V, May 2024
We had an awesome day on the water. The weather was perfect. cloudy, no winds, water was like glass. The sun came out later in the afternoon as we headed back. We encountered 4/5 transient orcas and they were hunting. Wonderful to see them and to hear them blowing. Our crew was great and Vanessa kept us engaged with all her knowledge of the whales and other animals that we encountered. We saw stellar sea lions. California Ssa Lions, Seals, eagles nesting pair. Cormorans, river otters and babies at that start.
qtychmfz6h, Apr 2024
This trip far exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend booking an experience with this team. We saw so many different species on our excursion, from river otters to seals and sea lions, to bald eagles and of course orcas! I had never seen orcas in the wild so imagine my delight when we not only spotted them, but were able to witness a successful hunt! The whole time we had an excellent crew and Val, our naturalist, was extremely knowledgeable and took great pictures that were shared with us. I have done excursions with some of the bigger boats out of Victoria, but I would say this experience was much better. If you’re looking for a small excursion where you can get close to the water in a zodiac this is for you. You’ll put on a fashionable jumpsuit before departing and then take off to see some amazing views.
Aleksandra_R, Sep 2023
One of the most incredible experiences of my life. The crew was super friendly and knowledgeable. The boat was small but super fast! I was really happy with it and I would encourage anyone to book with them!
Gordon_F, Sep 2023
We saw so many Humpback Whales and Orcas! Guide was very informative. Trip was great! Would highly recommend this your company.
Stephanie_H, Aug 2023
It took a while to find the orcas but the whole experience of boating around the islands, seeing the seals, bouncing around in the waves… was worth it.
Line_K, Aug 2023
Meeting the orcas was amazing - and the whole area is really beautiful. Would do it again in a heartbeat.😊
Samantha_S, Aug 2023
Absolutely superb experience from start to finish. The staff were extremely friendly and enthusiastic about their work. The organisation of getting everyone onto the boats was very well executed and obviously been preplanned. The guide was informative, approachable and knowledgeable and constantly kept us updated on what was happening throughout the excursion. We were extremely lucky in that we saw both orcas and humpbacks. Highly recommend!
Brandon_S, Jul 2023
The marine biology educated guide was wonderful and enthusiastically knowledgeable on the wildlife seen. The captain secured my confidence in our safety and the wildlife’s. We saw humpback whales, seals, bald eagles, and other animals I can not recall.
Yury_P, Jul 2023
Great overall experience! Captain and the tour guide did a great job. The ride can be a bit bumpy at times, but it is to be expected given the weather conditions and the boat type. We had great views, and fully enjoyed our excursion.
Gerald_V, Jun 2023
Dez is a great guild and very knowledgeable and enthusiastic during our tour. 5 stars! The captain did a great job navigating and providing a fun ride.
Overall had an awesome time.
Nicole_C, May 2023
This was a perfect day. Not only did we get SUPER lucky with the whales, the captain and the tour leader were both excellent. They answered every question we had, and always had the whales' best interests in mind while making sure we got to see them. Probably the best day of my life so far.
Ashlea_M, Oct 2022
WOW ! We saw orcas and humpbacks - but you can do that at any whale your, what made this one so fun was our instructor ! She was very helpful and kind, also VERY versed in whale and sea life and answered so many questions and added lots of fun facts. I got a little seasick and she offered ginger chews- the captain was also very competent !
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Thank you for your review, Ashlea! We are glad you enjoyed your tour - even with a bit of seasickness!
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