Whale Watching in Steveston (4 of 9)

I’ve been meaning to get around to this blog post for a little while now, but the last month has been understandably quite busy. In any case, we ventured out to Steveston Village in Richmond, BC in early September to embark on a whale watching tour.

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.

Whale Watching in Steveston (1 of 9)

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.

Whale Watching in Steveston (5 of 9)

Whale Watching in Steveston (6 of 9)   Whale Watching in Steveston (8 of 9)

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.

Whale Watching in Steveston (9 of 9)

Whale Watching in Steveston (3 of 9)   Whale Watching in Steveston (2 of 9)

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.

Whale Watching in Steveston (7 of 9)