British Columbia’s Vancouver isn’t just about stunning cityscapes; it’s a dream destination for whale-watching tours with a high sighting success rate. In this article, Mark and Sharon Stevens recount a trip with Prince of Whales that featured exploring the Salish Sea to spot orcas, humpbacks, and more.
Because it’s a perfect Saturday October afternoon, crowds are flooding the seaside byways of Vancouver’s Granville Island.
This British Columbia tourism hot spot looks impossibly inviting – some people browse one of the onsite galleries snugged down in the shadow of the Granville Street Bridge, and others sip cocktails al fresco or make a late lunch at establishments like Dockside Restaurant. But we are on a quest. Granville’s allures will have to wait.
Along with my wife, Sharon, my son Adam and his partner Cat, I’ve booked a half-day whale-watching tour with a Vancouver company called Prince of Whales.
We board the yellow-and-royal-blue-painted vessel, and it casts off, negotiating a fleet of pleasure craft, kayaks, and canoes. We pass beneath the bridge, and the waters open up, the geometric shapes of Vancouver’s skyscrapers falling away off our port stern.
Now we notice the mountains—Cypress and Grouse. As we head west, we pass Howe Sound to starboard. My happiness-metre is off the charts. I’m in that fraternity of boaters for whom the expression – “a bad day on the water is better than a good day anywhere else” – is an all-consuming mantra. And we are on the water – savouring some of British Columbia’s most dramatic and beautiful scenery. What’s not to like?
Thar She Blows – Our Pacific Whale Watch
Now we head west, making twenty knots. The waters of the Salish Sea are as mirrored glass but for gentle wavelets reflecting the sun’s rays in a glittering display, contrast to the expanse of royal blue and cobalt hues. The Gulf Islands, dead ahead, are swathed in a gentle mist.
This view is so beautiful, so overwhelming, that I feel it like a tightness in my chest. And we haven’t even seen a whale.
Staff interpreter Stephen Feng holds up a laminated poster showing pictures of the marine wildlife we hope to encounter: Orcas, hump-backed whales, and sea lions. He shares our chance of sighting success today – “perfect day for viewing” – and offers a guide to spotting the Orcas, “Look for the dorsal fins…” he says, pausing mid-sentence. He gazes out over the water and points.
And now, accompanied by a sudden gasp of awe from other passengers, I see my first ever Orca. Three, actually. I wait in vain for the clarion call. Seeking to channel my own inner Captain Ahab, I’m momentarily disappointed by the absence of that anticipated outcry, so I whisper to myself, “Thar she blows.”
A Majestic Procession of Vancouver Whales
The emotional impact of that first sighting, a pod of three gliding through the water in a majestic procession, is almost physically overwhelming. These animals weigh roughly seven thousand kilograms and have lengths better than seven metres, but they are as graceful as ballerinas. Their fins are clearly visible, and every once in a while, one clears the surface sufficiently to show its white underside. Their pelts show like black velvet. An occasional wispy white column rises up from one of the animals.
I feel like I am watching meditation in action. Everyone else on the boat seems similarly affected. More than forty guests aboard and no one makes a sound. We watch their passage for ten or fifteen minutes before the boat shifts into gear, and we turn south, slowing again as someone spots another pod of wild whales – a family of six.
“See a blow,” says Feng, “go slow.”
I look over at my son and Cat. They are absolutely still, their eyes wide.
Now Feng offers background. Three kinds of Orca populate these waters: southern and northern “residents” and transient or “Bigg’s Killer Whales,” named for a Canadian biologist. “These whales are transients,” says Feng.
As the pod passes, he identifies each animal by name. That’s how well he knows them. “This area is actually the Orca research capital of the world,” he continues. He briefs us on their social structure and how far they can travel in a day.
But right now, these facts, instructive though they may be, seem a mere distraction.
A Vancouver Whale Watching Company with a Reputation
Even so, I’m impressed with Feng’s wealth of knowledge, though that’s hardly surprising. Onboard interpreters are actual biologists.
That’s partly why I’ve chosen to book our tour with Prince of Whales, a company with a great reputation when it comes to eco-friendly whale-watching.
They partner with the University of Queensland to conduct research in whale-watching. In cooperation with SeaSmart, they offer a curriculum based on Orcas in the Salish Sea. Committed to ethical whale-watching procedures, they’re also a climate-positive designated company and are Biosphere certified. Furthermore, they contribute 1% of annual revenue to environmental initiatives.
Even the vessels themselves prioritize sustainability and ecological stewardship. They are specially designed to minimize their impact, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce noise.
Our Journey to the Far Islands
Though it seems like we’ve been watching the Orcas for mere minutes, when I check the time it’s been an hour. The next waypoint on our journey is the far islands (AKA the Gulf Islands).
Just off Valdez Island, we drift once more, getting a close-up view of harbour seals and sea lions. These playful mammals cavort in the water, shouldering each other, pushing and shoving. The massive bodies of the sea lions gleam in the afternoon sun. One partially exits the water and falls back down, creating a huge splash while its companions bark in dismay. It reminds me of a big kid doing cannonballs in a backyard pool.
California sea lions are impressively rotund. These beasts – Stellar Sea Lions – are even bigger. Male Stellars (that’s the breed we’re watching here) can weigh over a thousand kilograms. The splashes should hardly be surprising.
The Song of the Humpbacked Whale
Impressive though these beasts might be, I am struck by the sheer bulk of the animals we encounter at our next stop just off Bowen Island and by their grace. The average humpbacked whale can eat a million calories a day. We learn that a male humpback can weigh twenty-five-thousand kilograms.
The first thing we notice are the spouts of water from the blowhole. Now I remember Feng’s suggestion to sight the humpbacks: “Watch for the spout.”
The best thing about our encounter with the humpbacks is how close we can get to them. You can’t go within two hundred metres of the Orcas. Here, we get twice as close.
And these beasts are more cooperative. Three or four surfaces quite close to the boat, and the captain shuts the engine right down. We can actually hear them breathing – the sound reminiscent of the snoring of a bunch of old men.
Years ago, at university, I was involved in a unique field of study combining nature and art, a discipline called “Biomusicology.” That was when I discovered the song of the humpbacked whale, one of the most haunting “melodies” you’ve ever heard. To my disappointment, the only sounds they make today consist of that constant snoring. But their proximity to the boat makes up for that.
One breaks the surface, and now I know why they call them humpbacks. One dives, tail fluke slapping the water. As we pull away from these beasts, that earlier thought returns.
Our Whale Watching Tour Ends
As we make for home, I stand at the bow rail with my son and Cat. We are silent. We are introspective. Adam occasionally shakes his head as if overwhelmed. “Wow,” says Cat once. “Just wow.” I feel the same way.
Now we see, dead ahead, the sun-burnished facades of downtown Vancouver’s skyscrapers and rugged mountains whose snow-capped heights glow incandescent red in the setting sun.
My vision of that scenery beckoning in every direction, the special moments dominating the last few hours, fill me with an emotion that is strangely spiritual, for I have been granted a ringside seat to Creation.
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Though best known for their Caribbean content, photographer Sharon Matthews-Stevens and writer Mark Stevens love Canada with a passion and have covered our country for publications ranging from Toronto Star to Explore magazine. Recognition for this multiple-award-winning team’s Canadian stories and photography include Travel Media Association of Canada, Destination Canada, and Ottawa Tourism Awards. Most recently, they were both selected as finalists in the 2024 Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence, and Sharon was the winner in the photography category.