Whale Watching Near Steveston Village, BC
October 4th, 2011 by Michael Kwan
Whale watching wasn’t really on my Vancouver area bucket list, but it is something that I’ve been wanting to do for some time. I thought I was going to do it near Victoria instead, but this turned out to be a lot of fun too. Seeing these majestic animals in the wild is quite different than seeing them at an aquarium or a zoo.
We set out into the open water in two vessels, each of which held about 75 people or so. The front half is open, while the back half is enclosed with an observation deck on top. The ride is dry and reasonably stable.
It took about 45 minutes before we actually saw any whales at all, but there were several pods of orcas (“killer whales”) when we did arrive. A lot of it was just seeing a dorsal fin or two, but there were instances of other behaviors too.
It’s a little difficult to see from the photos, since taking pictures was quite the challenge, but there were several very young orcas among the pods too. It’s pretty cute how they mimic the behaviors of the older members of the pod.
The scenery was breathtaking and the whales were lively. I’m not sure it’s really whale watching season around here anymore, but if you do have the chance, I do recommend the trip. All in all, you’re out on the water for about three or four hours at a time, making for a nice afternoon trip.
Pricing is about $120 per person with discounts for students, seniors, and children. They include granola bars and bottles of water too.
Tags: nature, richmond, tourism
Filed under Travel.
I looked at the pictures last night when you posted them via FB. It’s interesting to know that it took 45 minutes before you got anything though. It’s kinda like fishing, sometimes they bite, sometimes they don’t.
Here in Florida I can take you to the beach and show you the Sharks. I won’t even charge you to take you out and show you.
I think the whale watching tour people knew where to go, because several pods congregated on that area and we weren’t the only whale watching vessel there. We get the odd whale from time to time closer to the city, but it’s not exactly common.
The scenery was indeed breathtaking! The price $120 per person is rather steep, but I’m sure it’s worth every cent.
$120 buys me groceries for my family for a week. $240 gets me a lot of buy 1 get 1 free at Publix which would be a good 3 weeks of food.
Only a special occasion would get me to spend that much. I spend at Disney only for food these days because we have yearly passes. I am also starting a small fund to pay for our trip to Savanah Ga. for my brother in laws wedding next May.
It was for a friend’s birthday.
That is a special occasion that I would spend the money on. I’m gonna be placing $20 a week away for the wedding gift, so I should have around $500 just before the wedding.
This is real moment to be called, “once in a blue whale” I mean Moon.