Gray Whale Watching on Vancouver Island

Here we are discussing the migrating subspecies of Vancouver Island whales. The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding areas every year. It is also known as the grey whale, grey back whale, Pacific grey whale, Korean grey whale, or California grey whale. They are the bottom feeders of Vancouver Island's waters, and their food becomes scarce in warm waters. Therefore, they have to migrate to follow up the best location for their food, and in their way, they spend some time around the Vancouver Island West Coast. The best place for gray whales to feed around the Island is the sheltered bays; thus, they often can be spotted from the shore while they're around. Gray whales were extinct in the early 1900s due to overhunting. However, since 1974, right after the time whale hunting was prohibited, their population began to grow back again, and now based on estimations, their population is over 20,000, of which 200 of them decided to become residents during their migration. One question is raised, and that is why we call them "gray whales"? Well, it is evident that the reason is due to their dark gray color.  The task of mama whales is even greater! They have to milk their offspring about 50 gallons each, so by simple math, you would understand how much food they should consume to be able to milk their babies adequately. Gray whales generally feed on plankton, amphipods, tube worms, and crabs. In the following, we will discuss what you'd better know about the whale watching adventure you have ahead of you and when or where is the best to spot one of these migrating mammals of Vancouver Island. Stay with us!

Without a single doubt, The West Coast! But where on the West Coast? Definitely The coastal parts of the Pacific Rim. In other words, Tofino and Ucluelet. Gray whales have their Vancouver Island stop on the west coast. But don’t worry, you would have the chance to spot one of these dark gray migrating giants in the waters of Sooke. Waters of Clayoquot Sound are the hotspot to go whale watching, including gray whale watching. Bear in mind that there’s no whale watching tour specifically designated to spotting gray whales. Based on the time and the location, you decide to go on a tour, and of course, considering the expertise of your tour guide, you may have the opportunity to enjoy these gray ocean beasts breaching and splashing.

Okay, I would have to say once more that there isn’t some tour specifically called grey whale watching. However, you may set the time according to the period that grey whales will be feed in the bottom of the waters of the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The best time to go whale watching with a high chance of spotting gray whales starts from late February and lasts till April. Right when these migrating mammals decide to make a stop, rest for a few months, and feed in the sheltered bays of Clayoquot Sound. If you ask me, I would say the best time to come to Vancouver Island for its unique endless whale watching opportunities is during March, when the Gray Whale Arrival is held. This festival allows you to float in between the gray whales while there is also a chance to spot other whale counterparts such as Orcas (killer whales), Humpback, Minke, and if you’re in luck, maybe the biggest mammal, the blue whales. To put it in a nutshell, although whale watching is a year-round activity on Vancouver Island, if you’re looking for an ideal opportunity to spot every whale subspecies, it is highly dependent on the time you choose to go on a whale watching tour.

You can customize your whale watching trip and ask us to include gray whale watching included. Then accordingly, we will tell you when is the ideal time to be floated!

Whale watching on Vancouver Island is one of the must-to-do things when you come here. Whales are known as the island’s guards since they live in the waters of each coordination of the island. If no particular subspecies is intended, whale watching is a year-round activity on Vancouver Island. Regardless the type of the whales, our prices for whale watching tours here on the pristine Vancouver Island for adults start from $145 and $85 for children. The good news is that we have an offer for students with valid IDs. They can have a blast watching whales for only $125.

We'll be sitting here all day if we start talking about the advantages of hiring a tour guide for your whale-watching excursion. To begin with, whale watching trips are nearly always conducted from the deck of a boat, around 90% of the time. As a result, you'd need someone with a boat to carry you to the middle of the ocean to view the sea giants. Provided that you have a boat, you still need an experienced person to lead your boat and tell you when is the best time for whale watching. It is worthy of telling you that if you are a boat owner, you may not know how far can you advance, and you may disturb the whales.