September 05, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Whale Watching
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Whale watching tours offer the promise of sightings, but what usually grabs our attention are the tour brochure photos. It's easy to poke fun at the images showing a whale popping out of the ocean within feet of your boat. For our recent wedding anniversary, my husband and I treated ourselves to a four hour Islands, Whales and Bears tour with Ucluelet's Subtidal Adventures. And out in the middle of the Barkley Sound on a sunny weekend afternoon, we struck gold. Here we were, slowly cruising along the water, when a friendly Humpback whale decided to surprise the seven of us. Captain Brian turned off the boat's motor, allowing the whale to pay us repeat visits, within a few feet from the Dixie IV, a charming 1950 former Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue boat. There were no words to describe the reaction that each one of us felt inside upon encountering this curious Humpback. Outside, it was obvious gasps of joy combined with jockeying to get the best angle for photos. After several more moments, the beautiful immense creature finally bid us farewell with an elegant tail dive back into the deep blue sea. This was undoubtedly a rare gift! We did spot more gray and humpback whales during the tour, but none came as close to us as this one had. Our small group also had the chance to view a black bear, sea lions, seals and bald eagles around the Broken Group Islands, a destination for nature lovers on the west coast of Vancouver Island. While Subtidal Adventures offers both the 36 foot Dixie IV cruiser and The Discovery (a 27 foot Zodiac), we opted for the quieter, more relaxing wooden boat while enjoying the beautiful day and nature's bounty. Our four hour tour costs $89 per person plus tax (children 6-12, $69; under 6, $49). Visit the website for more information and schedules. Various ecotours are available year-round.
June 19, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Whale Watching
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His dorsal fin broke through the water into the open air; standing as high as a grown man. It looked sharp, like a jet black dagger against the grey sky behind it. I heard the air spitting out his blow-hole, his exhale and then his inhale. These are sounds I’ve heard before... on Discovery Channel and at the Free Willy themed slumber party I went to in the seventh grade. This was my first encounter with Orca whales in the wild.
I was thrilled to go on this boat tour before I even knew the pod of Orcas had made their way outside the Ucluelet Harbour on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. We were aboard the Fancy Free, a 38 foot Bayliner operated by Aquamarine Adventures, a local sport fishing charter and whale watching guide in Ucluelet, BC.
I anticipated a tour harbour and the chance to set crab traps. Born and raised in the Alberta prairies, a boat ride in the ocean was more than enough excitement for a Thursday evening. Our guide baited a few crab traps with fish heads and threw them over board. We would be collecting them again at the end of the tour.
Then the whale watching zodiac, also ran by Aquamarine Adventures, zipped past our yacht with their passengers waving and pointing ahead. The radio cracked, “There’s a pod of orcas straight ahead.”
Orca whales don’t visit these waters as often as the Gray or Humpback whales do. Seeing Orcas, or Killer Whales, is a rare and special event in Ucluelet.
The Fancy Free followed the zodiac and further ahead we cut the engines. Then we waited. I leaned over the edge of the boat with the other eight guests and scanned the horizon. The water was cold grey, drawing a wavy line between itself and the wet and rugged rocks that make the Broken Group Islands, a section of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in Barkley Sound.
Then the sound. The spray on the water. The 6 foot dorsal fin. Then a smaller dorsal fin behind it, and an even smaller one behind that! “There’s a calf!” explained our guide. The whales swam along the island, taking turns coming out of the water, teasing us with their majesty. I could hear cameras going off all around me, but my eyes were glued to the sea not wanting to miss a second of these whales and their live performance.
A few minutes went by without seeing the Orcas, and then a few more. I heard engines start up and the zodiac went waving by us again. It was over.
I stood on the deck of the yacht with my hands buried in my pockets. The splotchy cloudy sky darkened and the damp air had driven everyone else inside the cabin. I was thinking about my whale friends. It was like I was sitting in the movie theatre long after the other patrons had filed out, watching the credits roll; brain still reeling from what I had just seen.
The boat slowed and the guide handed me a rope. “Pull.” He smiled. I pulled the slimy wet rope until I could feel and hear something run against the side of the boat. Our guide lifted the crab trap on to the deck and everyone gathered to watch at least a dozen crabs scurry and pinch their way around the cage.
I walked up the dock with a bag of crab and headed home. Crab for dinner, memories for dessert.
April 12, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Whale Watching
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Thinking of going gray whale watching in Tofino? Head to Ucluelet instead.
There the whales feed in nearby sheltered bays, while in Tofino they
merely pass by. Moreover, in Tofino you have to go out into the open
sea, which can be very rough during the spring migration (March). In Ucluelet, you
stay in calmer waters. Besides, Ucluelet is smaller and more authentic.