Victoria Whale Watching Tour by Zodiac
Description
Explore the beauty of the Salish Sea and Vancouver Island's rugged coastline onboard a Zodiac! This 3-hour whale watching tour is perfect for people who want to experience an exhilarating ride in the open air! Keep your eyes open for orcas, humpback whales, gray whales and other marine wildlife like seals and sea lions! Enjoy views of the Salish Sea with your expert guide who will make sure you enjoy a safe, fun and informative experience!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Check in 30 minutes before departure at our street-level office at 1119 Wharf Street. Once you're checked in, your Zodiac skipper will escort you down to the dock, where you'll gear up in a full-body flotation suit worn over your clothes. These cruiser suits help keep you warm, but we still recommend dressing in warm layers, it’s always cooler out on the water, especially at speed! Get ready for an exciting and immersive ride close to the ocean’s surface. Once on the water, your adventure truly begins. With the wind in your face and the ocean spray at your side, your skipper will navigate the Salish Sea in search of whales and other marine life. You might encounter orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises, and a variety of seabirds. Your skipper will provide expert commentary throughout the journey, sharing insights about the animals, their behaviors, and the ecosystem they call home.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Tours are subject to weather conditions and passenger demand
- Zodiac boats are not for expectant mothers
- Zodiac boats are not recommended for those with health concerns - neck, back, hip or knee injuries or recent surgeries
- All guests must be over the age of 7 and/or over 4.5' or 130 cm in height
- We recommend dressing in warm layers with closed-toe shoes to ensure a comfortable experience.
- Zodiac passenger under age 19 must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian who will sign a Waiver on their behalf
Reviews(220)
Cam was amazing - saw so many mammals. Best instructor ever!!!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re glad to hear Cam made your experience so memorable and that you got to see so many amazing mammals. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words, Cam will love hearing them!
Whale Watching Tour – August 16 We had an absolutely fantastic whale-watching tour with Captain Cam on August 16! From the very beginning, we received such a warm and friendly welcome. The boat and equipment were excellent, and we felt comfortable and well taken care of throughout the entire trip. The tour itself was amazing. We were lucky enough to have many incredible wildlife sightings, and Captain Cam shared lots of interesting information along the way. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience even more special. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Canada. We would recommend this tour to absolutely everyone! Thank you, Captain Cam, for this unforgettable adventure. We’re already looking forward to seeing all the great photos you took during our tour!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re happy to hear you had such a fantastic experience with Captain Cam and enjoyed all the incredible wildlife sightings. We would love to welcome you back on the water again someday!
Three hours spent out in the Juan de Fuca Strait searching for whales. The zodiac boat, skippered by Cam quickly took us out to sea. It was quite fast but felt very safe at all times. Our first spot was a bald eagle, our second a sea otter and then came the big guys - orcas (killer whales - a family pod of four) and humpbacks (which showed his tail fluke and slapped his fin out of the water! We also saw sea lions! Being so close to the action on the rib boat meant we all had an excellent view and jostling for photos! It was exhilarating! It’s so hard to capture these magnificent mammals and photos / videos don’t really do it justice. Our tour guide Cam was EXCELLENT, he was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and spotted the whales well before we all did! I don’t think we could have had a better experience! 10am 16.08.2026
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re happy you had such an exhilarating experience and got to see orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, a sea otter, and a bald eagle! A huge thank you for the kind words about Cam, we’ll be sure to pass them along. We hope to see you aboard SpringTide again!
Great whale watching trip, Cam showed us 2 pods of orcas, a hump back whale, seals and other marine life. Very informative guide.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you had such a great trip with skipper Cam and got to see two pods of orcas, a humpback whale, seals, and more. What an incredible day on the water! We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. Thanks again for joining us!
This was a fabulous experience. Cam who drove the Zodiac was great. 4 family members. 68-80 years old. Dressed in orange safety suits we got into the Zodiac with little trouble. Saw 2 Killer whale pods, a humpback whale, seals and sea lions and a river otter. Also a bald headed eagle. Cam knew exactly where to go to get the best sightings .Very impressive knowledge of animal behaviour and helpful, interesting commentary when he could. Just over 3 hours long the trip was great. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience! We’re happy to hear that you and your family had such a fantastic Zodiac adventure with skipper Cam. What an incredible day of wildlife sightings, from two orca pods and a humpback to seals, sea lions, a river otter, and even a bald eagle! We’re so glad you enjoyed every moment and truly appreciate the recommendation!
Thank you Capitano CAM for today's tour (August 13th at 10 a.m.)...the whale that passed under the Zodiac was an exciting moment. Thanks again, very good job with the whole organization. Max&Ale from Italy.
Thank you so much, Max & Ale, for your wonderful review! It was a pleasure having you aboard. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with skipper Cam and the rest of the team. Thank you for choosing SpringTide, and we hope to welcome you back to Victoria someday!
What an amazing experience. Saw so many killer whales, that stayed around for a long time, and the colony of seals were beautiful. Cam, our tour guide was so knowledgeable and entertaining. Would recommend it to anyone wanting a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It sounds like you had an incredible day on the water with orcas. We’re glad to hear that skipper Cam made the experience even more memorable with his knowledge and entertaining stories. A day like that truly is something special! Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to see you back on the water for another unforgettable adventure.
It was a great tour! Great experience!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re happy to hear that you had such a great experience with us. It was a pleasure having you on board, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future!
You know it’s an amazing tour when you get sprayed by a humpback! Merlin the whale went right up to the zodiac and was so close to us. He even breached for us, but I wasn’t fast enough to capture it on camera. The guide, Cam, said this was rare, but what a treat. We also saw another whale, sea lions, harbor seals and eagles. My kids loved how fast the boat went and the big waves.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It sounds like you had an incredible day on the water with skipper Cam and we’re happy to hear the kids loved the speed and big waves of the Zodiac! We hope to welcome your family back for another adventure soon!
We had an absolutely amazing experience! Our guide and captain, Cam, was fantastic — friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole trip even more enjoyable. We were lucky enough to see sea lions, a bald eagle, and several humpback whales. But the absolute highlight was when one of the whales came right underneath our boat and actually sprayed us! Cam told us that this is a very rare experience, which made the moment even more special. The whole tour was already beautiful and unforgettable, but this incredible encounter was truly the cherry on top. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip or a better captain. Thank you, Cam, for an amazing experience — we would absolutely recommend this tour!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear that you had such an amazing experience with skipper Cam. It sounds like you had an incredible day on the water, from the sea lions and bald eagle to the mighty humpback whales! We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Cam. Thank you for choosing Springtide and for recommending us. We hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure soon!
