The Whales & Their Environment

Grey Whale The waters and islands of Juan de Fuca Strait, Haro Strait and the Strait of Georgia are a part-time home to three groups of "resident" whales, commonly known as "pods" of orca, or "killer" whales. Pods of whales are groups of families and individual whales that live and thrive mainly on salmon and other species of fish found in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. On occasion, "transient" orca whales are encountered on an individual or group basis, and are mainly dependent on other mammals, such as seals and sea lions as a core food source. Pods can gather together to form "super-pods" and have reached numbers in excess of 80 whales at a time!

Because of our diverse ocean bio-systems, many forms of marine wildlife, birds and fish species are abundant in these waters, making viewing of all creatures an ever-changing daily experience. Grey whales, minke whales, humpback whales, dolphins, porpoise and many other mammals frequently call these waters "home".

Photograph and video opportunities are abundant, as our tour operators will provide you with choice positioning for visual enhancements of your trip. For easy access, water-resistant storage is located directly under your seat for your cameras and bags. You are never far away from your valuables!

Responsible Whale Watching Click Here to learn about Responsible Whale Watching.

Whale Shots by Jo-Anne Lacroix

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The Whale Watch Operators Association logo is your assurance of a responsible company. Make sure you “LOOK Before You Book ! " to ensure you choose a company that abides by the official Whale Watching Guidelines.

Recent Sightings

April 25. 2008: Well when it rains it pours, except its not raining, its actually a beautiful sunny day(for a change). I am reffering to Whale sightings and today they are pouring in. We are currently south of Trial Island with Pender, a frequently sighted transient Orca. We also have reports of another group of whales, possibly transients out near Beechy Head. Jim on Osprey is on his way with a group to check out who it is, I'll let you know.

April 16. 2008: Today it is starting to actually feel like spring. The sun is shining and its kind-of warmish...sort of. Well anyway its a nice day and there are whale sightings so all is good. This morning there are some Transients hanging around Trial Island, looking for seals I'm sure, and last direction was towards Oak Bay and the flats. Its a great day for a boat ride.

April 9. 2008: Today we were out on "Osprey" the Zodiac and spent some quality time with the always entertaining J-pod. It is wonderful to see all of them again and we are looking forward to seeing them on a regular basis. We were down about 8 miles south of Brotchie.

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