Understanding Responsible Whale Watching - A Brief History
Shrouded in mystery for millennia, the creatures of the deep have both mystified and captivated the imagination of humankind. Up until the late 1960's and the early 1970's, viewing of marine mammals was restricted to ferry travelers, private boat owners, public Aquaria, or zoos. The capturing of whales in BC waters during the 1970's was a common practice and the demand for captured mammals (whales, otters, seals, etc.) was a prosperous business on the West Coast. Being the most naturally playful and intelligent whale, the orca (or killer whale) was the most desired mammal for large public aquatic venues.
In the mid-1980's, pressure from scientists, animal rights activists, and the general public (partially a direct result of Hollywood-style depictions of whales in captivity) turned what was widely perceived as acceptable 'training' of these highly intelligent creatures, at times under questionable circumstances, into strong apathy for them. Aquaria closed, or at least limited their orca exhibits, and a successful awareness and re-education program based on the natural wonder of these whales took on a dramatic new focus.
The local whale watching industry grew out of mutual desire, both by the scientific community and the public, to study and observe sea life as they truly exist; at peace and in their natural environment. Such demand has resulted in one of the most comprehensive, co-operative studies of whale movements and behaviours to date in southern BC and northwestern Washington State.
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- Whale Watching
- Whale Watching Vancouver
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Recent Sightings
December 21. 2011: Big news! It's been kept quiet to make sure all parties confirmed, but NOAA's NW Fisheries Science Center and the Center for Whale Research have confirmed that on December 17, 39-year old J16 (Slick) gave birth to a new baby calf in Puget Sound, probably only a few hours judging from the fresh fetal folds, before being seen and photographed. This makes J16's fifth calf since her first, J26, was born in 1991. She was the sixteenth J pod orca photographed and identified by Mike Bigg in 1972, and is among the oldest whose age is known exactly. Her matriline is known as the J7's after J16's late mother. Ths is great news for the holiday season!
December 5. 2011: The Christmas Season is here and so are the whales! There have been recent reports of orca whales (transient and resident) near Victoria!
It is not as busy this time of year, so we haven't had a trip out for a few weeks but we are here and ready to go when you are!
We have 1:00pm departures scheduled each day that are subject to weather and enough passengers interested in going out. Reservations are required. Call today for more information.
October 15. 2011: Incredible to think that it's already October... Saturday was sunny and calm. The morning boat came across Transient killer whales just South of Race Rocks and followed them West. Our afternoon encounter was quite lucky as we came across the T18s only minutes after leaving the harbour at Trial Island. We followed them to Discovery Island and then went to spend some time with Split fin, aka Bart, by Beaumont Shoal. This particular humpback seems to enjoy tail lobbing!!
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