The waters off Vancouver Island are home to 3 distinct types of Orca whales that can be seen at almost any time of year on our Campbell River whale watching tours. Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family and share their unique cone-shaped teeth.
Can you see orcas from Vancouver Island?
What to expect: Located along Vancouver Island’s northeast coast, Telegraph Cove is one of the best places in the world to see orcas. The protected waters of Johnstone Strait and the Broughton Archipelago are home to around 200 whales each summer. Most of these are orcas, but humpback whales can also be seen here.
When can you see orcas in Vancouver Island?
From May to October, it’s prime viewing time to see southern resident orcas feeding on migrating salmon in the Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands. But the late summer months are ideal for spotting northern resident orcas, which feed in the Johnstone Strait.
How many orcas are on Vancouver Island?
There are just over 80 resident Orca whales that frequent the southern Vancouver Island region and Juan De Fuca Strait. These whales are quite used to boats and will often let the whale watching boats come quite close to them.
What kind of whales are off Vancouver Island?
Types of Whales Around Vancouver Island
The most common types of whales to watch out for around Vancouver Island include resident and transient Orcas, humpback whales, and Pacific gray whales.
What is the top predator on Vancouver Island?
Cougars
Cougars are at the top of the food chain, and fierce predators. Although they will normally avoid confrontation with humans, unfortunately, their actions are often unpredictable. There is also little understanding of what might trigger an attack. Children and pets are most likely to be the victim of a cougar attack.
Are there any predators on Vancouver Island?
Black bear sightings are common on Vancouver Island during spring and summer, as the region is home to around 7,000 black bears (but zero grizzly bears). Although black bears prefer wooded areas near rivers, they sometimes make their way into residential neighbourhoods and busy campsites in search of food.
Can you see orcas in Tofino?
Orcas. Sightings of Transient Orcas are common around Vancouver Island, with many resident orcas traveling in pods throughout Tofino and Clayoquot Sound in their hunt for food. Orcas typically travel together most of the time, with the possible exception of when foraging or mating.
How long until Vancouver Island is underwater?
Vancouver could be unrecognizable if sea levels rise and the projections suggest that a 1.5-metre rise is a “realistic estimate” that will most likely occur “within the next 80 years.” Some of Vancouver’s famous landmarks could end up underwater including Granville Island, Museum of Vancouver and Steveston Harbour.
Where can you see orcas in Victoria?
Daily Tours From Victoria
The nearby Juan de Fuca and Haro Straits are home to Transient or Bigg’s Killer Whales and Humpback Whales – you’ll have plenty of opportunities for an encounter with these magnificent creatures.
Are there orcas in Nanaimo?
Our coastal wilderness is home to killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals, eagles, and more! Our 3-5 hour whale watching tours depart daily all year from downtown Nanaimo BC.
Are there crocodiles on Vancouver Island?
Well, no, not really. But there is a creature called the Northern Alligator Lizard living here. It’s actually the largest lizard in Canada, but that doesn’t mean much when it reaches less than a foot long.
Are there orcas in Victoria?
From June to October, humpbacks, southern right whales (and even orcas) can be seen breaching, hunting and breeding in the coastal waters from Portland in Victoria’s southwest to the NSW border.
Are there sea lions in Vancouver Island?
They are sometimes seen on the rocks beside the ferry route through Active Pass, and at Race Rocks near Victoria, among many other suitable rocky islets. From December through April, sea lions converge on the east side of Vancouver Island to feed on herring that are returning to spawn.
Are cougars a problem on Vancouver Island?
There are an estimated 4000 cougars that live in BC and an estimated 600-800 live on Vancouver Island making it the highest concentration for this mountain lion in North America.
Are there grizzly bears on Vancouver Island?
Grizzly bears do not live year round on Vancouver Island however you can go on one of the bear watching trips to view the mainland Grizzlies. There are almost 14000 Grizzly Bears in British Columbia and many coastal Grizzlies feed along the shorelines for shellfish as well as during salmon season.
Are there wolves in Vancouver Island?
The Vancouver Coastal Sea wolf or Vancouver Coastal Island wolf (Canis lupus crassodon) is a subspecies of grey wolf, endemic to Great Bear Rainforest and northern Vancouver Island within the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. It lives in packs of about five to twenty.
Are there black wolves on Vancouver Island?
The Vancouver Island wolf is of medium sized, measuring roughly 26 to 32 inches high, 4 to 5 feet from nose to end of tail, and weighing 65 to 90 pounds. It is usually a mix of grey, brown, and black. Occasionally, they are seen pure white.
Are there bobcats or lynx on Vancouver Island?
Vanessa Isnardy, WildSafeBC provincial co-ordinator notes both lynx and bobcats are not known to have populations on Vancouver Island and adds the sighting would need to be verified. Lynx generally prefer deep forested areas and within the province occupy habitats away from the coastal region.
Are there sharks near Vancouver Island?
Yes, we’ve got sharks in Tofino and off Vancouver Island people. You’ve got a slim chance of seeing one, but they’re out there, maintaining balance in the marine ecosystem of the BC coast.
Does Vancouver Island have bobcats?
There are no bobcats in northern B.C., along the coast north of Bute Inlet or on any of the coastal islands (Banfield, 1974).