After our arrival at Vancouver Island there was still one ultimate bucketlist.-experience at the top of our wish list: spotting orcas in the wild. Not just any whale watching tour, but specifically searching for Canada's iconic black-and-white species: the orca. And that's what Telegraph Cove the perfect place – both in terms of season and location.
Several pods of orcas live around Vancouver Island, including the so-called resident pods that spend the year in the waters around Telegraph Cove. This location on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island is known as one of the best locations in the world for orca watching. wild to spot – especially in the summer months. We decided to embark on an adventure in a fast zodiac boat, searching for orcas and other sea giants.
In this article we share:
- all about the types of whales you can see here (orcas, humpbacks, gray whales and even dolphins),
- practical tips on the best tours, providers, seasons and costs,
- and of course our personal experience — including unexpected mist, impressive encounters and videos of orcas just meters away.
Our journey through the United States and Canada
This article is part of a large one-year tour the United States en Canada, with a Dutch 4×4 camper that we shipped ourselves… It is a bucket list worthy expats must register with the local municipality and obtain a once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten.
We wrote almost 100 articles about this ultimate tour. Visit our North America page for more information.
Whale watching at Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is one of the best places in the world to see whales in the wild. The rich waters off the coast attract thousands of whales each year, and there is a chance to see several impressive species. The northeast coast near Telegraph Cove is particularly well-known as a hotspot for spotting orcas, but other species such as humpbacks, gray whales, dolphins and sea lions are also regularly seen.
Humpback Whales
Humpback whales are among the largest species you can encounter around Vancouver Island. At 12 to 16 feet long and weighing in at around 40.000 pounds, they are an impressive sight to behold—especially when they leap out of the water with a graceful leap or lift their tails above the surface.
Where do you spot them?
Most humpbacks are seen on the west coast near Tofino, Ucluelet and Bamfield. However, we also saw them off the northeast coast near Telegraph Cove. They migrate between Alaska and Mexico and are often found in this region from May to October.
Orcas (killer whales)
The reason why many people (including us!) travel to Telegraph Cove. Orcas, actually members of the dolphin family, are black and white powerhouses with impressive dorsal fins that can reach up to two meters in height. An adult male can grow to be about 6 to 8 meters long.
There are two main groups of killer whales living around Vancouver Island: resident killer whales, which stay in the same region year-round (such as Johnstone Strait near Telegraph Cove), and migrating killer whales, also called transients, which temporarily move along the coast in search of food.
Where do you spot them?
For the best chance of seeing orcas, head to northeast Vancouver Island, specifically Telegraph Cove to Campbell RiverHere live the rare resident pods that stay in these waters all year round. We saw them from very close, even in thick fog.
Gray Whales
Gray Whales are gray or black in color and can grow to 13-15 meters in length. The females are slightly larger than the males. Adult gray whales have a mottled appearance caused by scratches and barnacles on the skin. Gray whales don't have dorsal fins, so watch their vertebrae or "knuckles" along their lower backs instead.
Where to find them: Gray whales are mainly found along the west coast of Vancouver Island spotted as this is their annual migration area. They can also be found around the southern tip of the island (Victoria en Sidney). Gray whales are not usually spotted on the east coast of Vancouver Island as this is not their migratory route.
Practical information
When is the best time for whale watching?
For Vancouver and Vancouver Island, mid-July to mid-September the best time for orcas. Humpback whales are usually from this mid-May to mid-October. Both orcas and humpback whales migrate from Alaska to Mexico and back again.
But there are exceptions. What makes Vancouver Island so unique, especially the northeastern part of the island, is that there is a unique group of orcas that live in the area all year round. They 'live' here and therefore do not migrate to other areas or countries. These killer whales are also called the 'resident orcas' mentioned.
The ultimate time to gray whale can be spotted off Vancouver Island between March and April. During this time, approximately 20.000 Gray whales migrate from Mexico (where they have babies) to Alaska (where they feed).
What's the best place to go whale watching?
It depends on which whales you want to see the most. Humpback whales en Gray Whales can be seen from Vancouver as Vancouver Island. It makes little difference to these whales whether you book your tour from, for example, Vancouver or Victoria (Vancouver Island). However, you have a better chance of seeing gray whales on the west coast of Vancouver Island, for example with a tour from Victoria of Tofino.
Who specifically is looking for orcas, however, it is best to go to the north-east of Vancouver Island travel. More specifically: go to Telegraph Cove. This is the area where the group of 'residential' orcas lives, which can be found all year round.
Some Whale Watching tour providers in Telegraph Cove even offer a guarantee to see the orcas. For example, if you are unable to find them on your specific tour, you can join the next one for free!
Which tour agencies are there on Vancouver Island?
There are about 10 different tour agencies for Whale Watching tours on Vancouver Island and in and around the city of Vancouver. Many providers are located in several places, such as 'The Prince Of Whales' that you can find in Vancouver City, Victoria City and Telegraph Cove can find. The easiest way to find and compare the different providers is via the links below:
- From Vancouver city: click Here.
- From Victoria city: click Here.
- From Vancouver island: click Here.
- From Telegraph Cove: click Here.
What is the difference in price/quality of the providers?
In terms of range, price and quality, the various companies are very evenly matched. The biggest difference in price is usually in the type of tour (with a zodiac / dinghy or a larger ship). The length of the tour also plays a major role in determining the price.
Expect for a regular tour of about three hours on a somewhat larger boat, about 100 Canadian dollars to pay per person. For tours of approximately three hours on a Zodiac, you usually pay between the 120 and 140 Canadian dollars per person. You can also do a private tour like the gentleman below, who stayed close to our boat the whole time. Private tours can be booked from roughly 1000 Canadian dollars.
All providers that we have looked up and compared online usually have good to very good reviews (4,5 out of 5 stars or even more). All providers of Whale Watching tours in Canada, including Vancouver Island, must also comply with certain guidelines. They must be certified before they are allowed to offer these tours.
For example, there must be a biologist on board the ship and sufficient distance must be kept from the animals. The tour companies are regularly checked for this. You can therefore confidently book a whale tour on Vancouver island or elsewhere in Canada.
Our experience
Finally we came in via another whale watching tour operator Campbell River contact an operator in Telegraph Cove. I had clearly indicated that we mainly were looking for orcas. So they referred me (very cool!) to a competitor / colleague tour operator in Telegraph Cove because that's where the resident orcas live. Here our chance was much greater to see them.
We soon saw that everything was fully booked for the next few days. They're hugely popular tours right there in Telegraph Cove. Of course because this is where the orcas are. We were therefore not able to go straight away and had to plan a few days in advance. There was simply no other option.
We booked our tour Here online and I recommend everyone to do this as far ahead as possibleAt the time of writing this article, the zodiac tours in Telegraph Cove are already 100% booked for the next two months (!) and you can only go on the larger ships at short notice…
Anyone who knows us knows that we prefer to record as little as possible while travelling. But for bucket list experiences like this, you sometimes have to plan a little further ahead. Therefore, book this tour as far in advance as possible via one of the links below.
- From Vancouver city: click Here.
- From Victoria city: click Here.
- From Vancouver island: click Here.
- From Telegraph Cove: click Here.
Telegraph Cove
Telegraph Cove itself, by the way, is not much. It is a small bay with about 20 buildings such as restaurants, hotels, motels and tour operators. Plus some sizable houses overlooking the water, as seen below in the mist.
Yet, as you have already read at the top of the blog, this is the place to spot Orcas. It really pays to make a detour for this. We therefore drove two hours north from Campbell River, purely for this whale watching tour in Telegraph Cove.
Before we knew it, we donned extra warm, waterproof safety suits and hit the water. Good thing we put these on over our clothes by the way, because it was quite cold on that fast Zodiac boat, in the fog!
Mist
We sailed out of the bay and saw thick fog banks all around us. These fog banks made it extra difficult to spot whales, but it also had something to it… Nevertheless, the first Orcas soon showed themselves in the fog. No sooner had we entered the boat than we already saw one. Wow!
One minute on the zodiac we had some sun and the next we didn't see a hand in front of our eyes! A bizarre, but cool experience. The fast zodiac sometimes went through the fog banks at high speed. Each time, after such a fog bank, a whole new world opened up to us.
Watch the short video below to get a better idea!
A few minutes later we saw another orca in the distance, with the fog still hanging over it, close to the shore. For a moment the captain hesitated to sail there, but in the meantime a few orcas came very close from the other side! The captain turned off the engine and just let us float on the water. The orcas came right at us!
Orcas (killer whales) spotting
The bizarre thing is that sometimes we couldn't see the orcas right through the fog, no matter how close they were at times. Still, it was obvious that they were there. The huge blowing sound when they come up to breathe is easy to recognize. PSSHHH!!!!
We were still lying on the water when a medium-sized Orca passed us. I made a video of it, where you can also hear the sound clearly. The Orca passed us and it was really close! Only about 15 meters.
Tip:: turn on the sound in the video! The captain also briefly put his microphone in the water, so that you can hear the orcas communicating with each other.
After the orca passed us quietly, we went to get a closer look at some other orcas on the other side of the bay. The fog gave way to thick clouds, while we enjoyed a mother orca and her young.
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Spotting sea lions
After admiring about 10 orcas up close, it was time to look for Humpback whales. This turned out to be more difficult than expected, because we again ended up in a big fog bank. In the meantime we passed a group of sea lions. By the way, they were very busy falling over each other and knocking each other off the rocks. They make a lot of noise too!
Humpback whale watching
We quickly moved on again, looking for the Humpback whales. It took us a while to find them. The captain had to visit multiple hotspots to find one. The fog was so thick by now that we really couldn't see a hand in front of our eyes. At the third hotspot, the captain turned the engine off again. Everyone had to be dead silent. We had almost given up hope when we suddenly heard something again… PSSSSSHHH!!!!!
And there they were. Several humpback whales passed us. One even harder to see than the other because of the thick fog, but that didn't spoil the fun. We were already in the middle of it again, a whole group passed us. We simply didn't know where to look. PSSSHH We heard on the left, PSHHHH we heard on the right. Our heads and cameras went in all directions.
Fortunately, some humpback whales came so close that we could see them for a while. I took some pictures and luckily was able to capture a beautiful tail, before they all dived into the deep again.
I also made a short video of 2 playing humpback whales, who regularly surfaced with their fins and made roll movements in the water. The video can be seen below.
Bonus: playful dolphins
As if that wasn't enough pampering for the day, we were also treated to a playful show by a group of dolphins! The zodiac went over the water at a decent speed as the group of dolphins jumped past us on all sides. The captain immediately slowed down, but the dolphins stayed close. They apparently really liked our boat!
We didn't know where to look again. They jumped in front of us on all sides, beside us and under the boat. We heard the recognizable dolphin sound again. They were clearly playful and talking to each other underwater. Awesome! Malou made another short video of it with her phone, the video can be seen below.
Closing note
We have been traveling for half a year now and have already seen many great places and beautiful animals. black bears in Campbell River en Jasper National Park, brown bears and moose in Grand Teton National Park, Elk and Bison in Yellowstone National Park And so on.
But we missed one more important animal; the killer whale. Seeing orcas up close (in the wild!) has been on our minds for years bucketlist.. That's why we really couldn't ignore it in Canada. They are here and we had to see them.
If you are in Canada and especially on Vancouver Island, you really can't ignore Whalewatching. This is the place to spot Orcas. These are opportunities that you don't get often in your life. Grab it with both hands!
In any case, it turned out to be a fantastic experience for us. An experience that no one can take away from us. An experience worth more than money and possessions. If you ask us whether Whale Watching and Orcas Spotting has been worth the $120 Canadian dollar per person, we'll say YES!
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