FieldyVancouver Island
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Nature and outdoors

Whale watching boat tour

The Whale Centre13 hr 40 min by bus · 202.6 km
! $139 a child is over your $10 budget
Tofino Whale Watching Tour
Cost
$139 a child
$2224 for 16 children
Prices displayed do not include taxes, fees or gratuities for the guides. The booking policy lists 5% GST, a $3.00 Clayoquot Sound Access Fee per person, a $10.00 fuel surcharge per person, and 6% FareHarbor website fees.
Ages & size
Ages not published
Capacity not published
Duration
2.5 hours
March to November
Days not published
Book by
Not published
Fieldy handles all communication and booking for you.

What it actually looks like

Photos from The Whale Centre's website
Our note
It is two and a half hours on a boat with no way off, and check in is half an hour before that, so it takes most of a morning. The open boat is not an option for infants and small children, so a young group needs the heated cabin cruiser. Ask about the youngest age they will take before you plan anything, because the site only says age and size restrictions may apply.

What the children do

A two and a half hour guided boat tour in Clayoquot Sound looking for grey whales, humpback whales, killer whales, sea otters, seals and bald eagles, with a full narrative from the guide. It runs March to November, with multiple departures a day shown on the booking calendar. You choose between the heated cabin cruiser, which has an indoor cabin and seating, and the open Boston Whaler, which supplies full Mustang floater suits. Prices are per person and do not include taxes, fees or gratuities.

Check in at the Campbell Street office, sign waivers and get fitted, then either sit in the heated cabin or stand in a floater suit on the open boat. They stay on the boat for two and a half hours while a guide talks about the whales, the wildlife and the history, watching for grey whales, humpbacks, killer whales, sea otters, seals and bald eagles.

Good to know

Washrooms are at the dock and the cabin cruiser is heated and enclosed, and the per person prices are published with the extra fees spelled out. Nothing about a minimum age, a group or school rate, lunch space or wheelchair access is stated anywhere, so a call is worth it.

Sources disagree. Their pages split children's ages two different ways. The tour pages price children as ages 1 to 12, while the booking policy lists infants under 2 as their own group. Everyone needs a ticket either way, so ask what your youngest will actually be charged.
Sources disagree. Their contact page writes the postal code as V0R 2Z0, but the map link sitting beside it shows V0R 3A0. The street address, 411 Campbell Street, is the same either way. Give the driver the street address rather than the postal code.
Washrooms
Yes, restroom facilities are available at the dock and at the hot springs pools, as well as change rooms.
Lunch space
Needs confirmation
Rain backup
Tours run in the rain and are only cancelled in extreme or unsafe conditions. The cabin cruiser has a heated indoor cabin and seating, with protection from wind and rain.
Strollers
Needs confirmation
Wheelchair access
Needs confirmation
Bus parking
Needs confirmation
Nearby park
Needs confirmation
Restrictions
Infants and small children are not able to go out on the open boat.. All passengers, including infants, require a ticket. Age and size restrictions may apply for safety reasons.. Participants must be 19 years of age or require a parent or guardian to sign on their behalf.. Tours require a minimum number of guests to operate.. No meals or food onboard.

Getting there

411 Campbell Street, Tofino, British Columbia V0R 2Z0

On foot
44 hr 3 min
too far with this group
By bus
13 hr 40 min
includes a 9 min wait
Driving
6 hr 24 min

The dark pin is Victoria.

Details checked on 2026-09-20 against the venue’s own pages. Something wrong? , it takes one tap. · Venue page · 1-888-474-2288