The research station is very important to clayoquot sound. Oct 26, 2015 whalewatching tragedy in tofino, british columbia ari sarsalari reports on the tragedy that happened while whalewatching tofino, british columbia. Launching from tofino takes you into clayoquot sound. Get out on our open vessels to view grey whales, killer whales and humpback whales. Tofino whale watching is an amazing up close and personal view of whales. Tours from tofino go into the open ocean where large humpback whales can also be found. Over the winter they breed and calve in warm mexican waters then, midfebruary to april moms and calves till june, migrate close by our shore on the way to cold alaskan waters, where the food is. Remote passages whale watching tours from tofino, bc, vancouver island, canada. We are proud leaders in responsible whale watching, bear watching and wildlife viewing and have a strong passion for educating guests about the wonders and the fragility of clayoquot sound and tofino.
With a significant focus on marine ecosystems and coastal life education, the pacific rim whale festival celebrates the continued protection and annual return of migrating pacific grey whales to the coastal waters of the communities of tofino, ucluelet and pacific rim national park reserve. With 600700 hp powering our vessels, bc whale tours offers guests one of the longest ranges for whale watching tours in all of the victoria whale watching industry. Apr 14, 2017 whale watching in tofino, british columbia, canada. Whalewatching tour company calls fatal capsizing in. Our season starts with the longest migration of any mammal, the gray whale. The whale centre tour guide tofino, british columbia. From pacific rim national park to cox bay, experience some of canadas most beautiful beaches and wild, rugged coastlines. Guided whale watching in tofino is possible from february to november. Tsimka martin speaks about first nations culture of whale hunting on the west coast of vancouver island.
Tofino whale watching inc discover tofino bc canada. The end of august brings the tofino lantern festival voted tofinos most popular. We visited in june and saw both whales and bears, as well as sea otters, seals and eagles. Whale watching early august tofino forum tripadvisor. Whale watching tours in tofino, bc they dive, spout, breach, spyhop and lobtail. Where best to whale watch in august tofino vs victoria. Tofino whale festival pacific rim whale festival calendar. Daily whale watching tours in tofino, british columbia. These two gangs spent the afternoon slowly making their way to lennard light eating many seals along the way.
Whale watching tofino hug from a humpback whale august. Join tofino whale watching inc on a wildlife safari for orca, humpback, and grey whales aboard our spacious, high speed, cabinstyle cruisers. There are several great companies in tofino including ocean outfitters, jamies whaling station, and the whale centre, but also an amazing company in ucluelet called aquamarine adventures local company, with the owner running the boat himself outstanding experience. In our experience, there isnt any better time of day for whale sightings. Uk 0203 424 9795 download brochure send an enquiry request a callback. It starts with a mind boggling 20,000 gray whales swimming past our shores in spring on their annual migration from birthing waters by the baja peninsula north to the bering strait by alaska. Whale watching in tofino pacific gray whales the pacific gray whale eschrichtius robustus gray whale facts. Listings of entertainment and community events in tofino, ucluelet and the pacific rim national park reserve. I think i may be correct in assuming that most of the larger whales will have gone. For bear sightings, we set our departure times according to low tide, as that is when the bears come out down to the shoreline to find crabs and other critters to eat. Black bear guesthouse luxurious self catering suits with stunning views of the tofino inlet and close to the beach.
In the morning howie tom picked up the t109bs and t109cs at cleland island. For the grey whale migration past tofino, youll need to go in march. Experience the west coast on a 3 hour whale watching tour through the islands around the tofino area. As mentioned above, if you are heading to tofino, it is really a different show than victoria and ideally i would do both.
The whaleplanner august a whale watching infographic. Theyre intent on their annual migration from the baja peninsula to alaskas bering strait. In tofino, remote passages and the whale centre are recommended for whale watching. The west coast of vancouver island is another great place for whale watching, most notably out of tofino or ucluelet. Whale watching holidays orca watching canadian affair. Tofino is a village of about 1,650 residents on the west coast of vancouver island, in british columbia, canada, located at the western terminus of highway 4, on the tip of the esowista peninsula, at the southern edge of clayoquot sound. In a couple hours you can see gray and humpback whales in tofino and ucluelet. There are two places to whale watch from the pacific rim. These are all typical whale maneuvers you may expect to see off british columbias west coast. The average sea temperature around tofino in august is 14c. Whalewatching tragedy in tofino, british columbia the. Charting the course for responsible wildlife viewing since 1982.
A whale watching tour in tofino is a fullon seafari. With a significant focus on marine ecosystems and coastal life education, the pacific rim whale festival celebrates the continued protection and annual return of migrating pacific grey whales to the coastal waters of the communities of tofino, ucluelet and pacific rim national park. Fin whales are the second largest animal on earth, only being surpassed by the blue whale. Yesterday was a great day for killer whale sightings for our guides in tofino. Or would we be better taking a tour out of victoria. Tofino, but the crew also went above and beyond to make the experience fun, safe, full of sightings with the utmost respect for all the wildlife along the way and so very informative. Whale watching in tofino, british columbia, canada.
The tofino whale watching season begins in march with the pacific rim whale festival and lasts into autumn with peak sightings in spring during the gray whale northward migration and throughout the summer months culminating in their southbound return in early september. Ucluelet and tofino whale watching tours explore both the sheltered waters. In october 2015, a whale watching vessel capsized off the coast of tofino resulting the. Whale watching tofino and ucluelet bc humpback, grays. Get the monthly weather forecast for tofino, british columbia, canada, including daily highlow, historical averages, to help you plan ahead.
Book a whale watching holiday in canada with canadian affair for the chance to see. Tofino, british columbia, canada monthly weather accuweather. The deadly capsizing of a whalewatching vessel off vancouver island last year was an act of god that could not have been reasonably predicted nor prevented, says the owner of a. We offer competitive rates, experienced guides and are locally owned. February to november the longest wildlife viewing season on b. Whale watching in ucluelet, whale watching at subtidal. Aug 31, 2011 whale watching tofino canada august 2011. We report on weekly sightings of gray whales, killer whales and humpback whales sighted on our whale watching. In both cases if no whales are found then you typically receive a free pass for another try. They conduct research of the marine ecosystems, monitor marine life and promote public awareness of the marine environment in clayoquot sound. Acsla at march 1220 tofino gray whale migration update. Tofino whale festival calendar of events 2016 march 1227, 2016.
The whale centre, tofino, bc tofino whale watching, bear. These are all typical maneuvers you may expect to see while whale watching off the west coast of vancouver island. The whale report remote passages whale watching, tofino, bc. We were so lucky to be able to spend a week on vancouver island and to stay in both tofino and victoria. He made his passion to his career in the year of 2007 when he moved to tofino and started adventure tofino wildlife tours. Whale watching tofino west coast aquatic safaris, tofino. Jamies whaling station and adventure centres tofino.
If seeing orcas is a priority, please keep these dates in mind when you book your tour with us. Whale watching in july and august vancouver island, british. Tofino whale watching tours ocean outfitters, tofino bc. Choose from a range of vessels offered by our member outfitters, from the windinyourhair zodiac boat to a covered vessel. Humpback whales attempt to stop killer whale attack planet earth live bbc one duration. While on scene with them, a rare report of a fin whale came in. Jamies offers tours in tofino and ucluelet on highspeed, zodiacstyle vessels for those craving adventure, or board our large cruiser style whale watching vessels to find comfort and relax.
Tofino whale watching tours the whale centre, tofino, bc. Sightings report bc whale tours victoria whale watching tours. With so many larger tour operators already established in tofino, my goal was to provide a different wildlife experience for my guests, tours in smaller groups and with a more personal touch. Whalewatching tragedy in tofino, british columbia ari sarsalari reports on the tragedy that happened while whalewatching tofino, british columbia. The gray whale is the most common sighting here, most recognizable by its encrusted barnacles. Tofino is a district of approximately 1,932 residents on the west coast of vancouver island in the.
Killer whales are best observed from mid july through the first week of september. Both places can have good whale watching depending on the time of year. Tolles whale watching adventure tofino wildlife tours. Our whale watching season runs from early march until the end of october. The whale centre tour guide tofino, british columbia 51. Whale watching in tofino international education viu. Whales can be viewed yearround, but the strongest season begins in may, when a mindblowing 20,000 grey whales swim past tofino s sandy shores. Tofino has a long whale watching season, running from march sometimes late february through october. We are wanting to go whale watching from tofino in early august. There are normally 7 hours of bright sunshine each day in tofino in august thats 46% of daylight hours. Whale watching in tofino with jamies full time canada. Tofino whale watching companies provide zodiacs and comfy cruises.
Canada, the people of tofino and ucluelet celebrate the arrival of the gray whales. Whale watching in tofino pacific gray whales in tofino, bc. Tlaoquiaht whale hunt tashii paddle school and tofino sup. Go to the tofino events page for current tofino event listings. A popular destination for visitors in the summer, tofino s population swells to many times its winter size. Aug 26, 2017 about whale watching in tofino you cant leave vancouver island without visiting the west coast. Faq whale watching and adventure tours in tofino bc. The whale centre has over thirty years experience in sharing tofino and clayoqout sounds ecosystems with guests from all over the world.