Short answer: not really. Vancouver Island has no established grizzly bear population. The island is black bear country, with an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 of them. Grizzlies live on the BC mainland, and the best places to see them are the remote inlets a boat ride north of Campbell River. That’s exactly where our grizzly bear tours go. Campbell River sits on Vancouver Island’s east… Read more »
For Ocean Week, we partnered with the Discovery Passage Aquarium and the Wei Wai Kum Guardians to host a remote beach cleanup on Marina Island, off of Vancouver Island. On June 7, departing from our Campbell River location, we transported 12 guests to the island, along with our team of staff and the Wei Wai Kum Guardians. As a company proudly owned by the Wei… Read more »
Every photograph of a whale is an opportunity to discover who they are. Through photo-identification, we can recognize individual humpback whales by the unique patterns on the underside of their flukes and the shape of their dorsal fins. Orcas can be identified by their dorsal fins, saddle patches, scars, and eye markings. Being able to identify individual animals is a powerful tool for both science… Read more »
While many visitors to Campbell River and the surrounding coast come hoping to spot giant whales and fuzzy bears, spring is also an exceptional season for birds. Some of the species we encounter live along our coast year-round, while others become more active and visible as the season changes. Although birds are often overlooked in favour of larger wildlife, they are an equally fascinating part… Read more »
In the eco-tourism industry, the prefix ‘eco’ is often used as a shield against scrutiny. We pair it with sustainability and goodness, conveniently ignoring the impact we leave behind. But observing nature is rarely without impact. As a naturalist, I work in the tension between that realization and the preservation of the species I love. If I can turn a spectator into a steward, the… Read more »
The Question Everyone Asks When planning a trip to British Columbia, the excitement of seeing the wild Pacific Northwest is high. We inhabit one of the richest marine environments on the planet right here on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Naturally, when guests look into booking whale watching trips, the most common question we get asked is: “Do you guarantee we will see whales?”… Read more »
Since 2018, Campbell River Whale Watching (CRWW) has partnered with Wilderness International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the legal protection of endangered wilderness. With their help we’ve been able to fully offset our carbon footprint, making us a carbon neutral company. Wilderness International is dedicated to the long-term protection of temperate rainforests, focusing its efforts on two of the most ecologically vital and threatened regions… Read more »
For centuries, whales have captured human imagination – once feared as monstrous sea beasts to be hunted, later confined behind concrete tanks as curiosities. Thankfully, many countries have now ended whale hunts and captivity, recognizing that cetaceans deserve freedom and a natural life. While this progress is important, the journey toward truly ethical wildlife tourism is ongoing. The next challenge is changing how we think… Read more »
The coastal ecosystem of British Columbia (B.C.) is a complex web of ecological dependencies between grizzly bears, Pacific salmon, and a multitude of other species. At the heart of this complex web lies the Pacific salmon, often referred to as a keystone species due to their influence on both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Pacific Salmon: Transferring Nutrients between Sea to the Rain Forests Pacific salmon,… Read more »
The ocean—a vast, ever-changing expanse that holds countless mysteries, stories, and supports all life on this planet. From the tiniest plankton to the largest mammals on earth, the ocean is home to endless wonders, many of which remain undiscovered. I was lucky enough to be born on a small island off the southern coast of British Columbia, and some of my earliest memories revolve around… Read more »
