Kayak with Orcas in British Columbia's Johnstone Straight with Orca Kayak Trips

British Columbia Whale Watching

BC whale watching is world class!

British Columbia's magnificent coast is home for several species of whales: Orcas, Humpbacks, Minke and Gray whales as the main species. British Columbia whale watching tours are conducted by powered vessels including Zodiacs, but whale watching tours are much more exciting and unforgettable by Sea kayak.

Kayaking with Orcas:

Coastal Spirits British Columbia whale watching tours start with high speed catamaran transport from Quadra Island and Campbell River to the Orca base camp located beside Robson Bight, the killer whale reserve and rubbing beaches. Our sea kayak whale watching tours take advantage of the regular orca playing grounds and migration locations and for this reason we can guarantee whale sighting while on one of our tours.

Orcas:

The killer whale population is divided into 3 groups: Resident, Transient and off-shore.

Resident Orcas travel in large pods in the waters of Johnstone Strait and Victoria and feed primarily on fish, following salmon to new feeding grounds along British Columbia's West Coast. BC whale watching is best and less busy in North Vancouver Island and very exciting by sea kayak. These friendly and smart animals are curious and quite often approach our kayaks.

Transients travel in smaller groups over large areas of the coast, feeding on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and other whales. The resident orca population is divided into 2 communities, each with its own geographical range. The ocean around Victoria is home to the southern resident community of 3 pods totalling 100 magnificent animals. The northern residents approximately 217 whales in 16 pods which patrol the Johnstone Strait, the waters of northern Vancouver Island and the mainland coast. The transient killer whales comprise 30 small pods of about 160 whales and travel much further than the resident pods. Best viewing from May to October.

Gray whales migrate north along the west coast of the island during March and April on their journey from Baja California to Alaska. They can be viewed in the Long Beach area. Over 20,000 Gray whales participate in the longest migration of any animal, some stop to feed and rest in our protected bays, while 40 to 50 grays will spend their summers feeding off Vancouver Island.

Humpback whales can be viewed socializing and feeding during the Canadian summers off the coast of North Vancouver Island. Humpbacks start leaving British Columbia waters in late summer and travel to Hawaii.

Signing Up for a Kayaking Whale Watching Tour

To learn more about our Coastal Spirits whale watching tours and itineraries, click on the link.