Victoria Whale watching

[stevenikkij]

My family wanted to see orcas and saw there was a tour when we dock in Victoria. We are going on the Norwegian Pearl and we will be in Victoria the last night from 6pm-12. Has anyone done this- is it still light out to see the whales? Thanks for any help!!:)

[Budget Queen]

In my opinion, this is a poor choice, IF orcas are the priority for you going?? IF you are open to no sightings, then consider it. The problem with these tours is they are an hour shorter than regular tours, due to the late arrival. The three southern resident orca pods have a WIDE range over many miles. The sucess of the sightings is dependent on the pods being within the range of the tour, with it being significantly tighter with a shorter tour.

 

As an example, out of Auke Bay, it is 100% chance of sightings of humpbacks. When I'm orca touring in Victoria, I am, always, available for MULTIPLE trips to hedge my bets. Two years ago, I was parked there for 4 days, and they never did get within range.

 

As for being "light" when are you going?

[stevenikkij]

In my opinion, this is a poor choice, IF orcas are the priority for you going?? IF you are open to no sightings, then consider it. The problem with these tours is they are an hour shorter than regular tours, due to the late arrival. The three southern resident orca pods have a WIDE range over many miles. The sucess of the sightings is dependent on the pods being within the range of the tour, with it being significantly tighter with a shorter tour.

 

As an example, out of Auke Bay, it is 100% chance of sightings of humpbacks. When I'm orca touring in Victoria, I am, always, available for MULTIPLE trips to hedge my bets. Two years ago, I was parked there for 4 days, and they never did get within range.

 

As for being "light" when are you going?

It would be from 6pm to 12 at night. I thought we would definitely be able to see orcas, we'll have to rethink our plans. Thanks so much for your feedback. :)

[Yukon]

It would be from 6pm to 12 at night.

 

But what date? On the 21st of June the sun goes down at 8:10, while on the 21st of September it goes down at 6:10.

[Yukon]

But what date? On the 21st of June the sun goes down at 8:10, while on the 21st of September it goes down at 6:10.

 

Sorry, those times weren't Daylight Savings - should be ca. 9:10 and 7:10 respectively.

[stevenikkij]

It would be July 29 or 30th.

[mapleleaves]

Are you flying home via Vancouver or Seattle? If your schedule allows, there is orca viewing out of Anacortes, WA about a 90 minute drive north of Seattle. The trip is 11am - 5pm. The boats travel west past the San Juan Islands; looking for the same pods that you would see out of Victoria. I took the trip last Sept and saw several orcas, a minke whale, seals, sea lions, bald eagles.

And at the end of July it isn't dark until 9:30pm.

[stevenikkij]

We will actually be flying home from Seattle and will be spending a few days in Seattle before we go home. So we could do that- DH definitely wants to see orcas. I want to see humpbacks- that is partly why we are doing the cruise to Alaska. We love animals.

[mapleleaves]

I went with Island Adventures in Anacortes. There's another company as well. I'm sure they're similar. In addition to the sealife sightings, the scenery is gorgeous; sail boats, fishing boats, the ferry, a lighthouse, lovely homes on the islands. We also spotted a new baby orca ! I thought the crew would fall out of the boat in excitement ! They figured it was only 2 weeks old. It was in the newspaper a few days later.

At least you have another option. On the other hand maybe you'll get your fill of whales in Alaska ! Getting into Victoria so late is awkward. It's a lovely harbor to walk around though and luckily it will be light until at least 9:30.

[stevenikkij]

I went with Island Adventures in Anacortes. There's another company as well. I'm sure they're similar. In addition to the sealife sightings, the scenery is gorgeous; sail boats, fishing boats, the ferry, a lighthouse, lovely homes on the islands. We also spotted a new baby orca ! I thought the crew would fall out of the boat in excitement ! They figured it was only 2 weeks old. It was in the newspaper a few days later.

At least you have another option. On the other hand maybe you'll get your fill of whales in Alaska ! Getting into Victoria so late is awkward. It's a lovely harbor to walk around though and luckily it will be light until at least 9:30.

I will definitely be looking into that tour group. Thanks alot!!!

[oldmama]

Last May, my husband and I were scheduled to take the Whale Watching from Victoria while on the Sapphire. The ship had to wait for an hour for a Celebrity ship to leave the dock before we could tie up, so we did not arrive until after 7. The tour was cancelled due to the weather, but I saw several tour boats leave while we sat outside the harbor. It was just an excuse Princess gave since we were late docking. We were fortunate to see both orcas & humpbacks on both the Tracy Arm excursion & with Harv & Marv in Juneau.

[stevenikkij]

Last May, my husband and I were scheduled to take the Whale Watching from Victoria while on the Sapphire. The ship had to wait for an hour for a Celebrity ship to leave the dock before we could tie up, so we did not arrive until after 7. The tour was cancelled due to the weather, but I saw several tour boats leave while we sat outside the harbor. It was just an excuse Princess gave since we were late docking. We were fortunate to see both orcas & humpbacks on both the Tracy Arm excursion & with Harv & Marv in Juneau.

That would be great as we will definitely be doing a whale watching excursion on the ship, killing two birds with 1 stone- and less expensive.

[Budget Queen]

. We were fortunate to see both orcas & humpbacks on both the Tracy Arm excursion & with Harv & Marv in Juneau.

 

Orcas are only seen in this area every 1 out of 5-10 days on average. So never count on any sightings. In my case, having gone out on about 25 Auke bay whale watches, I have seen orcas 4 trips. With 3 of those, being in a single day this last season, since I just stayed on the boat all day for 3 runs.

[Budget Queen]

Are you flying home via Vancouver or Seattle? If your schedule allows, there is orca viewing out of Anacortes, WA about a 90 minute drive north of Seattle. The trip is 11am - 5pm. The boats travel west past the San Juan Islands; looking for the same pods that you would see out of Victoria. I took the trip last Sept and saw several orcas, a minke whale, seals, sea lions, bald eagles.

And at the end of July it isn't dark until 9:30pm.

 

Anacortes doesn't have the sighting stats that Victoria does. If you look at the range of the southern pod, Victoria is the half way section. Anacortes is the eastern end, which has the range to about Campbell River rarely. Victoria has far more opportunity, since it's the midpoint. What also is probably not known, is the network of spotters reporting in all day long. They KNOW where these pods are, but will run "tours" anyway, since there is a variety of wildlife to be seen.

 

 

Have you also been out for the northern pods?? Another great opportunity to get over to Robson Bight, and listening to the "rubbing rocks". But, it also requires you park yourself, and schedule several tours to go out on.

[Budget Queen]

We will actually be flying home from Seattle and will be spending a few days in Seattle before we go home. So we could do that- DH definitely wants to see orcas. I want to see humpbacks- that is partly why we are doing the cruise to Alaska. We love animals.

 

Frankly, Anacortes, "may" be an option, but read my above post. IF orcas are the priority, then do your homework, and plan your "Seattle" time on Vancouver Island. You would hedge your bets by going out of Victoria. As I mentioned, these tours are no where near the 100% sightings of humpbacks in Auke Bay.