7 Hour Big Animal Encounter Guaranteed Whale Sightings!

Embark on a 7-hour wildlife cruise in Discovery Islands. Guaranteed whale sightings, delicious lunch, and more. Book your adventure now!

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park - Breathtaking landscapes and numerous wildlife sightings, often featuring:

Killer Whales,

Humpbacks,

Dolphins,

Sealions,

Harbour Seals,

Bald Eagles,

Vibrant Seabirds

You’ll have ample chances to pause for breaks at fascinating and historical locations.

What's Included
  • Survival suits provided for tours on our high speed zodiacs
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Lunch
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST)
  • Surcharges on fuel
  • Tea and coffee
  • All safety equipment as per Transport Canada requirements
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Guaranteed Whale Sightings! Cruise deep into the current-swept channels and inlets of the Discovery Islands Archipelago. This tour takes place aboard our covered vessels which have a comfortable indoor seating area and spacious outdoor viewing deck. We include a delicious lunch and refreshments. This tour covers a vast area where we often encounter…

Location
Big Animal Encounters
Island Highway
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(62 Ratings)
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1 star
Voyager47054702173
Sep 6, 2025
Exceptional tours and worth every cent - Absolutely excellent choice to with Big Animal Encounters and we did 2 tours 1) the Grizzly 7 hour tour up the Bute inlet with Jason and the guys from First Nation Homolco People and 2) 4 hour Whale Watching Tour with Stu. Both tours were exceptional and impeccably run by both Boat Captains/and the Homolco guides who were incredible knowledgeable and helped us to get the absolute maximum out of the whole experience. Really recommend both as we saw loads of grizzlies, orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, seals, eagles and much more. Thank you for 2 days of fun and exceptional memories.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul_s
Aug 31, 2025
Great Sea life Venture - What a fantastic 7 hour boat trip we had. From the moment we stepped through the door the staff were amazing, very friendly and attentive. The actual boat trip takes a bit of time to get to the areas where most wildlife can be found but when you get there, orcas, dalls porpoise, white sided dolphins, stellar seals, bald eagles, hump backed whales, Wow. Unfortunately no bears on this occasion but hey, you can't get it all. Captain Jason kept us all up to date and amused us throughout so special thanks to him. 7 hours might seem a long time out but it goes in a flash. Thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone interested in the wildlife
Review provided by Viator
Wanderer16132172704
Aug 19, 2025
Super whale tour from Campbell river - Fantastic experience. A good and competent captain. Then more whales, eagles, sea lions and a 50+ flock of dolphins. One of the best experiences on our trip to Canada.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maureenba7596jl
Aug 14, 2025
Great trip! - We did the 7 hour whale watching trip from Campbell River with guaranteed sightings & it did not disappoint - we saw orca & dozens of humpbacks as well as bald eagles, seals & sealions. An added bonus was shooting the rapids & whirlpools at Ripple Rock in a comfortable powerful boat. The packed lunch provided was excellent as was Capt Paul’s commentary!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ciskav2025
Aug 12, 2025
Once in a lifetime - A great day, Captain Paul made a real effort to look for whales and was just as excited as we were. There was a chance of a bear at the description, this chance is very small it really is about the whales. And they were beautiful!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q948blfranks
Aug 3, 2025
So many whales - We saw so many whales!!! 🥰🐳🐋🫶🏻 When we decided to explore western Canada, I had this dream of whales… yesterday we did the first attempt and the universe was on our side! We drove up to Campbell River and hopped on the Pacific Seeker. 9:30 am 10 whale watchers and Captain „Barnical Bill“ set out to find humpbacks, orcas, seals, eagles and whatnot ☺️ Already after a few minutes we saw several bald eagles and harbour seals at Quadra Island and shortly afterwards our first humpback. From afar we could see it breaching and jumping. That was amazing!!! 30 tons splashes 😅 We passed some lazy sea lions on a buoy argue ing about a spot in the sun 😂 Bill who was on the radio for more sightings then moved on around Mitlenatch Island, also known as snake island (the driest place in B.C.) where we saw 2 humpbacks playing on the water flapping their massive fins lying on their backs. Impressive! By 1pm we arrived at Cortes Island and had a lunch break on land. By 2pm we were near Cortes looking at Baby seagulls learning to fly off a rock and then I saw another humpback spray, so we went there. It was a mum and her tiny calf 😍 We surrounded Cortes hoping for 101 from the radio- the orca code 🤣 The sea was getting rough and we were looking for fins. Then the 101 came on! Back to snake island top speed! Look for whale watching vessels, Bill said. We found them. And then we saw the 2m fins of several transient orcas slicing through the waves looking for food. I know now, why they are called killer whales! They were all about business… We were so lucky! I am so happy to finally have seen these huge animals in their natural habitat! I didn’t take too many photos but I have the impressions forever in my mind. 🥰 Thanx a million for that unforgettable and very educational day on sea to the fantastic crew!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharontrev
Aug 1, 2025
Incredible day and adventure. Highly recommended. - This was an incredible adventure (as advertised). The guide was terrific and was very knowledgeable. The hospitality on board was excellent. We saw so many different animals and watching the porpoises riding the wake behind the boat was a real treat. Having the whole day outined on a map with the different animals noted so we could get a picture and document it was a great soveiner. I highly recommend the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Loobie06
Jul 15, 2025
Fabulous time on the waves - We had the best time with Jason, our guide and captain on our 7 hour adventure, seeking out whales and other wildlife. It was a challenging day, weather wise, even though the sun was shining, a north westerly wind and an ebbing tide made for an exciting ride, but made it difficult to spot the whales. Jason did his best, talking to other boats all trying hard to find the elusive mammals. A Humpback spotted just out of the Marina, but disapperared quickly . Some Orcas had been spotted to the South but the waves were 6ft and too choppy. Instead we had the most beautiful ride north, through the passages and were treated to Stellar Sealions, Seals, Bald Eagles, Oyster catchers and lots of other seabirds. Then the call came, another Humpback spotted bubble feeding near the shoreline, Jason got us there quickly and although we didn't get a breach we were able to see some good tail action!!. Thank you Jason, the 7 hours went so quickly, we enjoyed seeing the stunning Island from the boat. We will definitely return here and hopefully this tour again. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B3913bgbrendal
Jun 26, 2025
Spectacular Adventure! - Such a wonderful adventure!! We saw 2 humpback whales, a large pod of dolphins, and the most amazing bald Eagle island with 100 plus eagles flying overhead! So spectacular! Thank you Paul for guiding this special tour!
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Passport31150787281
Sep 9, 2024
Fantastic wildlife sightings - Got to see humpback whales, sea lions and lots of birds on the way to Bute Inlet. Once there we were driven around to various viewing platforms by Calvin and Buck. They did a great job , sharing their indigenous history with us and we’re got to see seven grizzlies . Absolutely amazing to witness these animals. Many thanks
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