Covered Boat Whale Watching 4-Hour Tour from Campbell River

Everything about this trip was 5 star. The boat captain and the two naturalists on board - warm, kind, friendly, enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable - all of the wildlife (humpback, eagles, seals, sea lions, porpoises, so many birds), the spectacular scenery, the comfortable boat and the weather. Truly stellar experience. Everyone on board came away very happy. I had lots of relaxed opportunity to take many great photos with my long lens, so much so I forgot to take out my phone - but I did get this one photo of our naturalist re-visiting the route we travelled at our debriefing afterward. Can’t say enough about how great she and the captain both were. Highly recommend.

Great tour, boat was very comfortable, guides were friendly and knowledgeable.

The trip was a fantastic experience! It started with a brief introduction covering basic information about the route, destinations and animals, as well as a safety briefing. Then we set off, and just a few minutes later, a radio call reported a humpback whale sighting! In fact, our guide Zoe — truly a “marine-o-pedia” with incredible knowledge about the region and its wildlife — was the one who spotted the whale. It was feeding right off the coast, surfacing and diving repeatedly, allowing us to observe it calmly and at length. We then continued on to a small island that was completely “taken over” by seals and sea lions. There, we were even lucky enough to spot three bald eagles—two adults and a younger one (still without the white head)—as well as oystercatchers and a whistling swan. And as if that weren’t enough, on the way back we encountered another 10–15 dolphins. We didn’t see any orcas or bears — but that just leaves something to look forward to next time… A short debriefing rounded off the trip, and we are very grateful to have had this experience. N.B.: The boat itself was also modern and in excellent condition. The seats on the roof were a real highlight, offering great views even at full speed.

This was booked as part of our Trailfinders package, and was the best tour by far. Not only did we get to see four humpbacks and a pod of orcas, as well as dolphins, sealions and a bald eagle, we felt like we learnt a lot from Marty. As a teacher, I really appreciated the fact that he pointed out where he thought we might have sightings before the trip, but also did a plenary at the end, showing us exactly where we had been and what we had seen where. The communication with the office was also brilliant. Every time I contacted them, they replied quickly and provided all the information I needed.

What a fantastic trip. The covered boat was perfect, seating only 12 people so it never felt crowded and there was plenty of room to move around on deck when safe to do so. The captain was knowledgeable and interesting. We saw a pod of 5 Orca, a couple of Humpbacks, harbour seals, bald eagles and in a quiet cove saw star fish and sea urchins. Totally recommend this trip.

It was an excellent and safe and comfortable experience on the water and we saw whales- at least 12 of them. George was the experienced with 30 years of experience and Janet was our Indigenous Guide with 4 years of experience. The narrative was informative and the food was good.

Loved this trip! Highlight of our trip. Our captain Beck's was amazing! Provided lots of information. We saw orcas, humpback whales, porpoises, seals, and eagles. We found that the covered boat was great for us. Kept us out of the sun/wind if we needed and allowed us to move around during our 4 hour trip. It also allowed us to get the best view of whatever we were looking at.

Fabulous tour, Captain Geoff was very knowledgeable about the area and whales' habits, plus Lexi shared so much technical and informative info of the whales, seabirds and other wildlife PLUS we saw lots of humpbacks (lots!) and a family of orcas (killer whales); crazy fun outing!

Jack was a friendly and prudent guide - the 4h passed like in flight. We saw orcas, humpback whales, sea lions - great!!

We had a wonderful time on the discovery island historical tour. Marty was a great skipper and Allison, the historian, was very knowledgeable about the area and its history of First Nations and early settlers. The history of the clam gardens, early whaling, and history of the First Nations was fascinating! Seeing the orcas was a nice extra bonus 😄 Thank you so much for a great experience!