Responsible Whale Watching is our Number One Priority
We love to see whales as much as our guests do! However, viewing these animals in a respectful manner, and maintaining a safe distance that causes as little disturbance to their environmental as possible is our number one priority.
We follow a set of whale watching guidelines that has been adapted to go above and beyond Canada’s Marine Mammal Regulations.
Our Captains are trained to operate vessels with extreme caution whenever they are in the vicinity of whales. The following are guidelines we follow:
- Reduce speed to 7 knots when a whale is within 1 km
- Maintain a distance of 200 m from killer whales, or any whale with a calf
- Maintain a distance of 100 m from all other whales
- If a Killer Whale is identified as a Southern Resident leave the area entirely
- Maintain a parallel viewing sequence
- Limit time with one group of whales 30 - 45 minutes
- Fly the Whale flag to inform other vessels passing by there are whales in the area
For a comprehensive list of our guidelines please check out our Code of Conduct.
Authorized Vessel Flag
As an authorized vessel, we are permitted to approach non-Southern Resident Killer Whales between 200m to 400m. This authorization is based on the fact that our captains are certified and trained naturalists who can reliably identify and differentiate Southern Resident's from Northern Resident or Transient Killer Whales. Part of this program is also our additional conversation practices.
