Whale watching · Vancouver
Sail from Granville Island on a covered catamaran with a heated cabin, outdoor viewing decks and a whale sightings guarantee.
Likely to sell out, and every trip carries a whale-sightings guarantee: no whales, and you go again.
The tour in four facts
The water
The Salish Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific shared by British Columbia and Washington state. It takes in the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and the channels between them, and Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula partly shut it off from the open Pacific. Vancouver anchors its northern end, which is why a whale trip can start from a harbour beside downtown.
The tour works through the Strait of Georgia, an arm of the Salish Sea roughly 240 kilometres long that lies between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast. Its southern end is a scatter of islands, the Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands, and the trip's highlights name both of them, along with Howe Sound, among the views you get while you look for whales.
The orca is the largest member of the dolphin family, and the most studied orca populations live off the west coast of North America. The humpback is a baleen whale of 14 to 17 metres that is known for breaching. Guests of the covered catamaran describe both on the same trip, but a species is never guaranteed on a given day. The guarantee is for whales.
A tour like this is half sighting and half explanation. The crew gives live commentary on the history of the area, the local geology and the marine life, so a fin or a blow becomes something you can read. Younger passengers get a Jr. Naturalist guide with a colouring book, and downloadable guides come in English, Spanish, French, German and Dutch.
Out on the strait
How a whale-watching trip from Granville Island tends to unfold, from the harbour to the way home.
Routes, timings and sightings change with the weather and with the whales, so treat the order as a guide and not a timetable. The sunset sailing is the one that ends in the last light.
The covered catamaran pulls away from Granville Island and the downtown skyline starts to shrink behind the wake. Stay in the heated cabin or head out to the viewing decks, which are laid out for photography.
Out in the Strait of Georgia the crew takes the microphone. The history of the area, the local geology and the marine life come as you go, so the stretch between sightings is not dead time.
When someone spots a blow or a fin, the commentary follows the animal. Guests describe humpbacks surfacing beside the boat and orcas on the same trip. See no whales at all and the guarantee lets you join another tour.
Between sightings the view takes in the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands and Howe Sound. Seabirds, porpoises and seals share the same water, and the crew points them out.
A photo package is included, with pictures of the wildlife and of you and your group. Hot coffee, tea or cocoa is part of the ticket too, and snacks are on sale on board.
The tour runs three to five hours depending on weather and whales. The half-day cruise is the daytime choice, and the sunset option lets you watch the sun go down over the water.
Aboard the boat
The pieces of the trip, and what is for sale rather than included.
A custom-built, covered catamaran with a heated cabin and outdoor viewing areas set up for photographs, so you can swap shelter for the rail whenever a sighting is called.
Included in the ticket: free photos of the wildlife and of you and your group, taken during the trip.
A live guide in English, plus downloadable guides in Spanish, French, German and Dutch for the people in your party who prefer another language.
Coffee, tea and hot cocoa are included. Snacks are available for purchase on board.
A Jr. Naturalist kids' guide with an educational colouring book, so younger passengers have something to look for.
If you see no whales on the first trip, you can join another tour. The guarantee covers whales, not a named species such as orcas or humpbacks.
The coast in pictures
Photographs by other people, to show the animals and the coastline you will be looking at rather than the boat you will sail on.
Which boat
| Option | What it covers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Covered catamaran from Granville Island | A 3 to 5 hour trip on a covered, custom-built catamaran with a heated cabin and outdoor viewing areas, live commentary, a photo package, hot drinks and a whale sightings guarantee. Half-day and sunset sailings are on offer. | Anyone who wants shelter on the way out and a photo package at the end. |
| Large zodiac from Richmond | A 3 to 5 hour trip with a naturalist guide on a large zodiac from Richmond, with bottled water, a granola bar, windbreaker jackets, an Orca Ranger activity book and a come-back-for-free guarantee. Check-in is an hour before departure. | Travellers who want a naturalist at the microphone and a flexible booking, and are happy to start in Richmond. |
| Open-air catamaran from Granville Island | A 3 to 5 hour trip on Eagle Eyes, an open-air twin-hull catamaran with a 360-degree view and free movement around the deck, a captain and a marine naturalist, washrooms and a whale sightings guarantee. Not for under-3s, pregnant women or wheelchair users. | Photographers and anyone who wants to stand at the rail with nothing overhead. |
Check dates and sailing times, half-day or sunset, on the same GetYourGuide listing ↗
Three ways to look for whales
A covered catamaran and an open-air catamaran, both leaving from Granville Island, and a large-zodiac tour that starts in Richmond. Each has its own operator, its own boat and its own sightings guarantee.
A 3 to 5 hour trip on a covered, custom-built catamaran with a heated cabin and outdoor viewing areas, live commentary, a photo package, hot drinks and a whale sightings guarantee. Half-day and sunset sailings are on offer.
Check open dates ↗A 3 to 5 hour trip with a naturalist guide on a large zodiac from Richmond, with bottled water, a granola bar, windbreaker jackets, an Orca Ranger activity book and a come-back-for-free guarantee. Check-in is an hour before departure.
Check open dates ↗A 3 to 5 hour trip on Eagle Eyes, an open-air twin-hull catamaran with a 360-degree view and free movement around the deck, a captain and a marine naturalist, washrooms and a whale sightings guarantee. Not for under-3s, pregnant women or wheelchair users.
Check open dates ↗Other things to do in Vancouver
What to settle first
Plan for 3 to 5 hours, depending on weather and on where the whales are. Starting times show once you check availability, and the covered catamaran offers both a half-day cruise and a sunset option.
The covered catamaran checks in at the Prince of Whales Adventure Centre on Granville Island, next to the Kasandy "Locally Global" store and opposite the yellow building of Bridges Restaurant.
Warm clothing and closed-toe shoes. The heated cabin gives you somewhere to warm up, and the decks are where the photographs are.
Baby strollers, smoking, vaping, drones, alcohol and drugs, fireworks and touching the animals are all not allowed on the covered catamaran tour.
Coffee, tea and hot cocoa are included. Snacks are for sale on board, and tips for the guide and the tour host are optional.
The live guide speaks English and downloadable guides come in Spanish, French, German and Dutch. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Field notes from a Vancouver marine-biology graduate
What happens between the Granville Island check-in desk and the end of the cruise, stage by stage.
Read the field note → the waterWhere the tour sails, how big the strait is and what shapes the coast around you.
Read the field note → the animalsThe two whales most travellers hope for, what makes each one recognisable and why no tour can promise either.
Read the field note → the kitA short packing list for three hours or more on the water, with what each of the three tours adds.
Read the field note → the boatWhat separates the three tours on this page, from the start point to the guarantee.
Read the field note → the partyHow the photo package works, who the boats suit and what to ask before you book for a party.
Read the field note →FAQ
The covered catamaran tour has a whale sightings guarantee: if you see no whales on the first trip, you can join another tour. The other two tours on this page carry their own guarantees, so read the wording on the one you choose. None of them can promise a particular species.
Guests of the covered catamaran describe humpbacks, orcas, sea lions, seals and porpoises on different days, and sometimes several on one trip. Whales roam, so no tour can name the species in advance. The guarantee is for whales, and the crew will tell you what you are looking at.
Three to five hours, depending on the weather and on where the whales are. The covered catamaran offers a half-day cruise and a sunset option. Starting times show when you check availability for your date.
The covered catamaran checks in at the Prince of Whales Adventure Centre on Granville Island, next to the Kasandy "Locally Global" store and opposite the yellow Bridges Restaurant building. The large-zodiac tour starts in Richmond and the open-air catamaran leaves from Granville Island, each with its own check-in time.
Warm clothing and closed-toe shoes. The covered catamaran has a heated cabin, so you can step inside to warm up and go back out to the viewing areas when a sighting is called.
It depends on the tour. The tour in the hero is a covered catamaran with a heated cabin and outdoor viewing areas. The Granville Island tour on Eagle Eyes is open-air with no enclosed cabin, and the Richmond tour runs on a large zodiac.
The covered catamaran gives younger passengers a Jr. Naturalist guide and colouring book, but baby strollers are not allowed on board. The open-air Eagle Eyes tour is not recommended for children under 3 and not suitable for pregnant women or wheelchair users.
All three tours show free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The Richmond and open-air tours also let you reserve now and pay later; the covered catamaran tour does not.
Prices vary with the date, the sailing and your party size, and GetYourGuide shows them in your own currency before you pay.