Experience the wild
On an exhilarating Whale & Wildlife Watching Tour with Victoria’s leading Eco-Tourism Company
Whale & Wildlife Watching Adventures
Nothing quite compares to watching a thirty-foot killer whale launch its ten thousand pound body into the air before sliding gracefully back to the ocean depths with a slap of its tail. Our whale and wildlife watching tours let you experience BC’s enchanting marine wildlife – orcas, dolphins, sea lions, bald eagles and more, while respecting the natural environment along the spectacular coastline of Vancouver Island.
Top Rated by Guests on Tripadvisor
Brilliant! Amazing! A Dream Come True! It’s easy to see why guests give Orca Spirit whale watching tours a big thumbs up.
Whale Sighting Guarantee
We don’t stop at a 98% success rate. If your tour doesn’t experience a sighting, we’ll invite you to join us again.
Best Selection of Open & Covered Boats
From luxury yachts to wind-in-your-hair zodiacs, we operate Victoria’s biggest fleet of fully equipped and certified vessels.
Free Downtown Hotel Shuttle Service
Hop on our courtesy shuttle for a short trip from your downtown Victoria hotel to our dock and back, or elsewhere in the city core.
Thrilling Tours
Orca Spirit’s three hour whale watching tours run daily from April through October. Every trip is led by a certified marine naturalist whose knowledge and passion for Vancouver Island’s marine wildlife is unequaled in the industry, and every vessel in our fleet is equipped with hydrophones to bring the underwater experience to light.
Tours from
Victoria
TOURS FROM VICTORIA
Two docks, multiple departure times, and a variety of vessels make Victoria the ideal launching pad for viewing whales in the wild.
TOUR INFOTours from
Port Renfrew
TOURS FROM PORT RENFREW
The quaint village of Port Renfrew is perfectly place to go off grid on a truly west coast whale watching adventure.
TOUR INFOTours from
Vancouver
TOURS FROM VANCOUVER
Enjoy a scenic float plane ride from Vancouver to Victoria, then come tour the killer whales’ ocean playground with us.
TOUR INFOWinter
Wildlife Tours
WINTER WILDLIFE TOURS
Experience the calm of a winter cruise through Juan de Fuca Strait, home to sea lions, humpback whales and other marine life.
View TourCharters &
Private Tours
CHARTERS & PRIVATE TOURS
We host memorable wedding receptions, family reunions, corporate celebrations and other special events for 12 to 200 guests.
View Tour“WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!”
“The trip lasts about 3 hrs – and it is awesome!! The staff is extremely knowledgeable and attentive. We saw orca and humpback whales – an amazing experience. This is an extremely professional organization with a group of very professional staff. Having sponsored a whale for many many years it was, for me, a dream come true – an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life – thank you Orca Spirit Adventures.”
15naples, UK
“BEST EVER WHALE WATCHING TOUR!”
“Superlatives galore! No doubt aided by the most fabulous weather and a calm sea, today my family and I had an unforgettable day out sighting Orca, Seal, Sealion and Humpback with Greg and his crew. Beautiful scenery and the crew’s humour and local natural history knowledge really enhanced our experience.”
AgooHostelAccra, Ghana
“FANTASTIC TRIP, GREAT WILDLIFE!
“Fantastic trip – wasn’t just about the Orcas (although they were brilliant!), we saw humpback whale, sea otter, bald eagle, sea lions, harbour and elephant seals too. Staff onboard were really knowledgeable and the backdrop of the mountains in Washington State was just spectacular. All in all, a great trip and sensitively done.”
Stephen I, UK
WHY ORCA SPIRIT
We’ve been creating extraordinary whale watching and marine wildlife experiences for guests from around the world for over 20 years.
Most Experienced & Knowledgeable Team
Your tour is led by a certified Marine Naturalist. Not only are they experts in ecology and wildlife, they’re also trained in emergency duties.
Victoria’s Largest & Best Selection of Boats
From yachts to zodiacs, we operate Victoria’s finest fleet of Transport Canada-certified whale watching and private charter vessels.
Multiple Award Winning Company
From climate action and sustainability awards to Business of the Year, we’re proud to show off our gold star standings.
Leaders in Responsible Eco-Tourism
We’ve been protecting our natural surroundings and improving the social and economic well being of local communities for over 20 years.
SERIOUS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
We believe that our presence shouldn’t have a negative impact on the environment, so we’re doing everything we can to preserve the spectacular natural surroundings we do business in. From carbon neutral tours and local sourcing, to extensive recycling and energy and water efficiency initiatives, our many sustainable business practices are helping protect the planet for future generations.
LEARN MORETop Rated Packages
Whale Watching, Butchart Gardens and Butterfly Gardens
After a morning on the water, we shuttle over to the tropical Butterfly Gardens, and beautifully manicured grounds at Butchart Gardens.
Whale Watching & Harbour Air Adventure
Cruise over snow-capped mountains in a seaplane from Vancouver, then join a 3 hour tour on one of our luxurious covered vessels or open air zodiacs.
Whale Watching & Coast Victoria Hotel & Marina by APA
After a hearty breakfast at the oceanfront Coast Victoria Hotel, we hit the seas for an action-packed 3 hour whale watching tour.
The Captain’s Blog
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Mother & Calf Humpbacks
May 12, 2019
Morning Tours Happy Mothers Day! It was another lovely morning in Victoria with slightly cooler temperatures than we have recently experienced, but fortunately, the air temperature does not affect the wildlife in our area- they live in 12 degree Celsius water year round! We decided to start our search by heading west of Victoria. Other […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Humpback Whales, Seals & More
May 11, 2019
Morning Tour Today on the Orca Spirit, we started to head East through the Strait of Juan de Fuca with beautiful views of Mount Baker. We geared Northbound along Haro Strait in search of wildlife. We soon started spotting eagles and other marine birds such as cormorants. The highlight of the tour was shutting off […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Bald Eagles, Seals & More
May 10, 2019
Morning Tour It was another gorgeous day on the water as we set our sights east of Victoria, heading into Haro Strait before turning North into the San Juan Islands. There was a report of a humpback spotted near Henry Island at 9 am this morning, but we could not see any blows in the […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Grey Whales & More
May 9, 2019
Morning Tour This beautiful sunny morning we made our way out of the inner harbour into the Juan De Fuca Strait with the goal of finding some whales. The guests had all been briefed on how to help us find what we all wanted to see; they were to look for fire hydrant like spouts […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Grey Whale, Seals & More
May 8, 2019
The weather continues to be beautiful and sunny in Victoria, and we have had very flat calm conditions on the water making for awesome searching conditions. The whale watching vessels from all different companies fanned out in different directions to search for whales, seals, sea lions and marine birds. One of our zodiacs decided to […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Grey Whale & Race Rocks Ecological Reserve
May 7, 2019
Morning Tour It was a far ride this morning over to Crescent Bay along the Washington Peninsula. We thought we would look for the Grey Whale that was foraging in the shallow bay yesterday. We kept our eyes peeled for other wildlife on the way and were able to spot Harbour Porpoises surfacing along the […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Rare Grey Whale Sighting
May 6, 2019
Morning Tour Today we set our course west of Victoria in search of whales and other wildlife. We cruised on calm waters and looked out onto the beautiful scenery of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. After an extensive search of both offshore and nearshore waters, we headed into picturesque Becher Bay where we enjoyed […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Sea Otter, Seals & Sea Lions
May 5, 2019
On this morning’s whale watching excursion, we left the docks on flat calm waters, we started scanning for Cetaceans (whales, porpoises and dolphins) as we entered the Juan de Fuca Strait. The fleet fanned out in search of marine life in our biodiverse waters. We searched to the south and west, landing us right in […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Marine Birds, Seals & Sea Lions
May 4, 2019
Morning Tour This sunny morning our small but mighty group boarded the Orca Spirit and headed out of the inner harbour into the Strait of Juan de Fuca! Our trip east, past Oak Bay golf course, and Oak Bay hotel into the Chain islands was shaping up to be great, with near perfect conditions. Once […]
Victoria Whale Watching Report: Seals, Sea Lions & Transient Orcas
May 3, 2019
Morning Tour It was a perfect day on the Salish Sea to set out and look for marine life. Since the Juan de Fuca Strait is the gateway to the inland waters, we decided to scan southwest of the Victoria. We were keeping our eyes out for splashes, fins and exhales on the horizon. We […]
Leaders in responsible Eco-Tourism
