Vancouver Whale Watch
12240 Second Avenue, Suite 210 V7E 3L8 Richmond, BC, Canada

That’s a wrap on our 2020 season! Thank you to all who joined us. Although the COVID-19 pandemic had use see a huge decrease in passengers we still had a fantastic year out on the water. Throughout the entire 2020 season we had 100% success in whale sightings! In the past 4 years we have seen an increase in whale sightings each season in 2016 it was 92%, 2017 was 93%, 2018 was 96% and in 2019 it was 98%. Thank you from all of us at Vancouver Whale Watch for making this yea...r amazing. We would also like to extend a thank you to all the local support we received throughout this season. We can’t wait to be back on the water in 2021! Please note, we will still be in the office with limited hours all throughout the off season. If you are looking to support us throughout the winter we sell gift certificates for our tours year round. This photo was taken by Joan Lopez and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Vancouver Whale Watch was happy to participate in the #WeAreTourism campaign created by the Metro Vancouver Tourism Hospitality Taskforce. Check out the article below, where we got the chance to tell our story! https://www.metrovancouvertourismtaskforce.com/vancouver-w/

The term spyhop is usually associated with whales, however, these curious Steller's sea lions are doing a great job of taking a look. This photo was taken by Joan Lopez and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

T60C, a 19-year-old male in Active Pass. The nick on the fin can be used to assist in identifying him, but also resembles another individual, T123A. For a positive identification, examination of scratches on the saddle patch is also necessary. This photo was taken by Joan Lopez and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Killer whales can hear very well underwater. Pretty handy when it comes to hunting. Transient killer whales will follow the coastline, checking each cove for an unsuspecting prey. They use passive listening to locate seals and other cetaceans and well that often doesn’t have a happy ending for the prey. This photo was taken by wildlife guide Sara Jenkins and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Our friends at Pacific Salmon Foundation want you to celebrate with them from the comfort of your own home for their 2020 Virtual Gala on Oct. 22nd. This event will connect the salmon community and raise important funds to support grassroots initiatives as the work for salmon carries on. Salmon needs our help, and by registering today, you can support over 300 community-driven organizations, many focused on helping salmon survive new pressures such as climate change. Click the link below to support PSF and register today: www.psfvirtualgala.com

Transient killer whales are normally silent and don’t vocalize very often, but our marine naturalist Susanne captured some amazing vocals from the T37A pod a few weeks ago. Susanne: ‘After years of being on the water and hoping one day I’d hear them, it finally happened. Hearing their beautiful vocalizations echo from the hydrophone brought tears to my eyes.’ Here’s a short snippet of their long vocal session. Make sure your sound is on! To listen to more wild killer whales, ...visit www.orcasound.net and www.orca-live.net Credits video: Susanne Davies

We still have spots left for our 12pm departure this Saturday and Sunday. Book through our website (www.vancouverwhalewatch.com) or give our office a call (604-274-9565).

A lovely family portrait of the second generation (T100C, T100E and T100F) of the T100 matriline. This photo was taken by wildlife guide April Houweling and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail. We still have spots left for this weekend. Call our office or book your spots online!

California sea lions are back on the Steveston Jetty. This particular individual is highly recognizable. He was disentangled from a packing strap or twine, which had been around his neck. He is also blind in one eye. Despite his challenges, this guy keeps returning every year. All the California sea lions in our area are males. This photo was taken by Joan Lopez and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail. The smokey air was due to wildfires in the US (September 2020).

Did you know that killer whales are extremely intelligent, social, and family-orientated animals? Wildlife guide Susanne explains: ‘Sons stay with their mothers their entire lives and help take care of younger siblings by ‘babysitting’ them, which they seem to enjoy as they regularly play and roll around with each other.’ In the first picture, you see T100C, the oldest son of T100 and T100F, the youngest sibling. Susanne: ‘T100F spent most of the encounter next to its big brother, swimming contently by his side.’ These photos were taken by wildlife guide Susanne Davies on August 31 and were taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Humpback whales are named after their distinctive hump under the dorsal fin. The hump is noticeable when the whale arches its back to dive, as you can see in this photo. This photo was taken by wildlife guide Sara Jenkins and is taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Humpback whale Heather/Killer (BCY0160) and her calf have been spotted numerous times in the Strait of Georgia this season. There are a hidden H and a killer whale dorsal fin on the left side of Heather/Killer’s fluke, shedding light on her names. See if you can find them! These photos were taken by wildlife guide April Houweling on July 30 and were taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Happy Labour Day!

New departure time! This September we will do things a little bit differently. We will run whale watching trips on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Labour Day (Monday, September 7th) at noon. Grab your agenda, choose a date and reserve a spot!

Our wildlife guide April captured Orion (BCX1251) providing a beautiful fluke shot. Orion has a distinct scratch on the under the left side of his fluke. Did you know it was only 40 years ago that the first humpback whale returned to British Columbia’s waters after the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1966. These photos were taken by wildlife guide April Houweling on July 30 and were taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Glaucous-winged Gull with a purple sea star in its mouth. During low tides, sea stars may be exposed where they are attached to rocky reefs, allowing gulls to pluck them off the rocks. Gulls suck on the sea stars until they are limp enough to be swallowed. This photo was taken by wildlife guide Joan Lopez on the AM trip of August 3rd and was taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

T37A surfacing with one of her 4 offspring in Saanich Inlet. Backlit blows provide a mystical quality to photographs. Saanich Inlet is the most southerly fjord in western North America. This photo was taken by wildlife guide Joan Lopez on July 25th and was taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

Surprise! August 19th: Wildlife guide Ellen and her passengers were on their way back to Steveston after spending some time with killer whales when this humpback whale suddenly decided to get some airtime. Playful humpbacks are always a treat to watch. These gentle giants definitely have the wow factor! Credits: Ellen Kim

Juvenile osprey in a fir tree in Active Pass. Unexpected wildlife sightings are often a bonus of the trip. This photo was taken by wildlife guide Joan Lopez on July 28th and was taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.

As a Whale Watch Company, we do more than just watch the whales. Besides showing our passengers the marine wildlife we also report our sightings to the British Columbia Cetacean Sightings Network (BCCSN). We are proud to inform you that Vancouver Whale Watch is one of the Top Reporters of 2019! Our marine naturalist Joan Lopez tells you everything about it in our new video. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/SRsOMMj8xAk Destination British Columbia Inside Vancouver Richmond, BC

Orca meeting! On August 13 we spent some time looking at 11 transient killer whales from different families. While the passengers were enjoying their social behaviour, our wildlife guides had a challenging job to identify them. By their knowledge and the help of a special killer whale catalogue, our guides were able to identify the T36, T36B’s, T36A’s, T137A’s and T137B’s! These photos were taken by wildlife guide Sara Jenkins on August 13 and were taken with a zoom lens and cropped to show detail.