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The Whale Centre & Museum

411 Campbell Street | PO Box 111, Tofino, British Columbia V0R 2Z0, Canada
250.725-2132
Website
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Ranked #19 of 38 activities in Tofino
Type: Tours
Owner description: The Whale Centre invites you to join us for an exciting sea adventure in pristine coastal ecosystems!Celebrating 20 years of operation on the west... more » Owner description: The Whale Centre invites you to join us for an exciting sea adventure in pristine coastal ecosystems!Celebrating 20 years of operation on the west coast of Vancouver Island, The Whale Centre continues to venture out into Clayoquot Sound, off the coast of Tofino, BC, taking passengers on whale watching tours, bear watching trips, hot springs soaks and pelagic birding expeditions on the sea. We specialize in the natural history and marine wildlife of the Clayoquot Sound area. Located in the heart of town in Tofino, we offer free parking, a complimentary dog kennel and a gift shop complete with a full grey whale skeleton!The Whale Centre is a member of the Pacific Rim Association of Tour Operators. We support and abide by the guidelines for responsible whale watching and safety. A portion of proceeds supports local wildlife research and marine wildlife rescue programs. « less
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37 reviews from our community

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Bath, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
105 reviews 105 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 60 cities Reviews in 60 cities
65 helpful votes 65 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 11, 2013

There are several whale-watching tours to choose from in Tofino and I opted for this one based partly on the reviews but also because of the knowledge and enthusiasm of the girl in the office/museum and I liked their ethos. I've been on other similar tours and I know what you see is a matter of luck on the day,... More

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See 2 more reviews by allesca for Tofino
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 6, 2013 via mobile

We have been very lucky today. We booked a whale tour and hoped we would see some grey whales. But we got more to see, we also had a bunch of Orcas on the hunt and some dolphins, sea lions, ... Best thing was that our skipper Howie kept a good distance to the whales, so we hopefully didn't stress... More

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Port Alberni, Canada
Top Contributor
54 reviews 54 reviews
27 attraction reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
34 helpful votes 34 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

On our boat ride up to Hot Springs, our very knowledgable tour operator took us on the outside route and around every headland found us nature's best. Whales, sea otters, dolphins, seals, sea lions, kelp beds, cormorants, eagles. My friend giggled in delight as the porpoises danced along side our boat. My favorite was the flotilla of otters, relaxing on... More

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See 9 more reviews by RosemaryRonalds for Tofino
TWCtofino, Owner at The Whale Centre & Museum, responded to this review
March 16, 2013

Thank you so much for your kind words and I'm so glad we were able to give you such a fantastic trip. More

West Vancouver, Canada
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 1, 2012

This was a fantastic experience. Howie, our guide, knew where the whales were and took us there. We spent over an hour with two grey whales and we were the only boat there. The whales were very curious and came right up to the boat. These whales were so close you could touch their heads. Thank-you Whale Centre. Thank-you Howie.... More

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TWCtofino, Owner at The Whale Centre & Museum, responded to this review
March 16, 2013

Well it sure pays to be lucky. It isn't very often we get friendly whales but for some reason The Whale Centre seams to get more than our share. I believe it is our fantastic boats and very quiet engines, not to mention Karma. Your right Howie is amazing. Thanks again. John Forde More

Derby, United Kingdom
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 29, 2012

After visiting the other whale/bear businesses in Tofino we finally settled on The Whale Centre. Why? because the girl on the desk was professional and seemed to know what she was talking about and made no promises! We were told that the tides were difficult that week but we decided to book for the bear watching experience.We were kitted out... More

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See 2 more reviews by Nicola538 for Tofino
TWCtofino, Owner at The Whale Centre & Museum, responded to this review
March 16, 2013

Thank you, I remember that tour and yes it pays to be honest with our guests. The tide wasn’t great but we persevered and had a good tour. It drives me nuts when we try so hard to provide a serene quiet educational tour and the large noisy boats are roaring around scaring wildlife. People think their great and that... More

Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 2, 2012

we took the bear watch trip, as it is on low tide, you cant plan the time to go!! ours was at 8am, but it was worth this early hour. cold but with sun and.................with bears!!! great job guys!!!

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See 2 more reviews by irma_en_edwin for Tofino
BC
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 26, 2012

We have been on several trips with this company, Hot Springs plus Bear and Whale watching. Each proved to be more than we expected. Knowledgeable, environmentally friendly staff knew where to best view whales, bears, birds, seals and sea lions without interfering with them in their natural habitat. The skipper provided helpful wildlife photography tips and was a wealth of... More

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Vienna, Austria
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 24, 2012

Great Bearwatching tour! Small boat that gets closer to the shore than the others (bigger ones) can do. Very concerned about the bears, tried not to stress them or disturb them too much. Nevertheless we got really close to a mother bear and her two cubs. Friendly staff all over.

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See 4 more reviews by flugdrache77 for Tofino
Vancouver
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 23, 2012

This is a great experience for anyone wishing to enjoy the natural hot spings in the area and I'd highly recommend it. We enjoyed sitting in the pools which were indeed hot (!) and had a packed lunch afterwards looking out on to a spectacular view. We had a knowledgeable guide who directed our attention to the natural wildlife including... More

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Victoria, Canada
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 21, 2012

I had no idea a whale watching west coast nature tour could be so good. As an islander, I've taken a few whale watching tours locally and up island, and have been ho hum, that was neat. But! The Whale Centre's tour really floored me with the personal attention to the guests and the education we received about the area... More

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