A Day with Us
Your day begins by checking in at our office 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Our office is located at the harbourfront walkway in downtown Nanaimo, and paid parking is available nearby. If you need a last-minute snack or coffee, there are a number of vendors along the harbour. At the office, we'll check you in before you head to the dock for your adventure!
Once underway, your captain and marine naturalist will give a safety briefing as required by Transport Canada. You'll then be introduced to the Salish Sea ecosystem as you cruise through the Gulf Islands archipelago in search of marine life. If you’re on a Signature Whale Watching Tour or Ultimate Freedom Tour you'll learn about the different types of whales that are found in the Salish Sea ecosystem and search for them as you travel through our waters. Your captain will be in touch with local whale-watching companies over VHF radio and plan your route to maximize the area covered between vessels. If you’re on the Sea Lion Experience we will head right to our local sea lion haul-out and get to watch all the exciting interactions! Both tours will be looking for other wildlife along the way and learning the roles these animals play in our local ecosystem.
Signature Whale Watching Tour and Ultimate Freedom Tour guests will spend a full hour viewing whales, and your marine naturalist will provide real-time insights into their behaviour. Onboard catalogues are used to identify individual whales, and this data is collected throughout the season and sent to the Centre for Whale Research, Keta Coastal Conservation, and the BC Cetacean Sightings Network at the end of the year.
Your tour will wrap up with an educational lecture on marine conservation relevant to our local ecosystem and conservation initiatives will be discussed.
Once you are back in the harbour, your naturalist will show you the tour’s route on a chart. You will then have the opportunity to ask any final questions before we bid you farewell for the day.
A few days after your adventure with us you will receive an email linking you to our Recent Sightings blog and your tour’s Online Print Store. The blog will provide photos and information about your tour while the print shop offers the chance to purchase a photo from your trip as a personal keepsake!
We can’t wait to have you onboard!
