Ocean Outfitters Tofino Adventures
368 Main Street V0R 2Z0 Tofino, BC, Canada

We continue to see transient orcas over the fall and winter months, even as migratory whales (like greys and humpbacks) begin to make their way down south for the winter. Our whale tours continue until the end of November this year. Join us on your next visit to Tofino and keep your eyes peeled for orcas! Photo by Rachel Brock, taken with a telephoto lens from an ethical viewing distance. Learn more about our whale watching and nature tours: http://bit.ly/2I99isa

A magical misty moment near Tofino in Clayoquot Sound . We love this place with its never-ending natural beauty - especially in fall! Photo by Lonny Barr via @TourismTofino

Have you been to Meares Island yet? It's home to some of the remaining biggest , oldest Red Cedar trees in the world! They've seen more than a few pandemics in their lifetime... Big Tree Trail (self-guided) is an affordable ($30/adult) adventure for you to experience as part of your Tofino trip. Take our 10 minute boat cruise to the Big Tree trail head. The Big Tree trail has two parts. The trail begins as a boardwalk leading you past many features of special interest to the ...Hanging Garden Tree which has a circumference of 18.3 meters and a height of 42.7 meters! The board walk is 620 meters in length and takes approximately 1.5 hours return to enjoy. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2Ia5Jlc Photo by Jordan Dyck

Are you an aspiring biology researcher? Here’s an example of creative scientific investigation in action... In a new study published this past June, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (California) examined a collection of dried, pressed seaweedsdating back over 140 yearsto learn what ocean conditions in Monterey bay were like in the early 19th century. Working with colleagues from Stanford University, and the University of Hawai‘i, aquarium researchers gathered pres...sings of seaweeds acquired from collectors/enthusiasts from Monterey Bay between 1878-2018. By analyzing their tissues and comparing it with historical data they had about ocean currents, the researchers uncovered new information about the sardine fishery collapse in the 1950s... Find out more at: https://www.hakaimagazine.com//scientists-use-seaweeds-to/ By Hakai Magazine

Roxanne of the travelling duo, The Coastal Campaign, holding a fern frond Did you know ferns are among the oldest types of plants still surviving on the planet? Some species are virtually the same as they were tens of millions of years ago! In the dinosaur age (a casual 66-245 million years ago ), ferns were the main source of food for the herbivorous sauropods (picture a giraffe body, but as a dinosaur, with no spots or fur...)... Ferns are most commonly found in shaded damp forests of both temperate and tropical zones. Some fern species grow equally well on soil and upon rocks though. Around Tofino, you'll find many in the forest and on rocks! Some ferns play a role in "ecological succession," meaning they grow in the crevices of bare rock exposures or in open bogs and marshes before an area has what it needs to become hospitable for more trees. Photo: Roxanne Savage thecoastalcampaign

A stunning harbour seal locking eyes with our tour guest and adventure photographer StuartCostello/ stuminous last month. If you spend enough time on the water, you can see a seal (or several) year-round in the Tofino area. If you plan to visit this fall or winter, you're likely to experience a moment just like this on anyone of our tours. Interesting seal facts!... Have you ever thought dogs and seals share a resemblance? You’re right! Seals share a common ancestor with dogs and bears. Harbour seals spend half their time on land resting, breeding and raising their young on both rocky and sandy beaches. They do not migrate and will remain in the same general area unless the search for food requires that they move. Seals usually dive under water for 3 mins at a time, but they can stay under water as long as 30 minutes. When they dive, their heartbeat slows from about 100 beats per minute to 10, sometimes less! It sounds kind of relaxing until you’re spotted by an orca, that is. Check out our 2.5 hr Clayoquot Nature Cruise, perfect for your fall/winter adventure http://bit.ly/2HIyt4n Photo by Stuart Costello @stuminous using a telephoto lens from an ethical viewing distance. #tofinoWild