Gray whales migrate up and down the Pacific Coast between the Baja, where they birth their young, and the coast of Alaska, where they feed. Like the birds, these migrations are on a regular seasonal cycle that is fairly predictable.

There may still be gray whales migrating up the coast in late May out in Tofino (the slower mothers and calves, most likely) and usually a few gray whales stick around that area all summer.

There are two different kinds of orca, or killer whale: residents and transients. They don't seem to interbreed and they have different diets. The resident pods specialize in marine mammals like seals, while transients eat fish. Transient pods are unpredictable and not usually seen in BC's inland waters. The residents, on the other hand, are well known by researchers. They seem to be fairly predictable in their patterns during the summer, but dissappear in the winter. It is assumed they head out into deep ocean, but no one knows for sure.

Whale watching in BC's inland waters (the east side of Vancouver Island) takes advantage of the predictable patterns of these resident pods. However, it is possible to see killer whales anywhere.

While it's true that you don't see whales right next to the city of Vancouver, the Vancouver-based companies head out into the Georgia Strait to the Gulf Islands, San Juan Islands, and the southern end of Vancouver Island. They see them 90-95% of the time. They go to the exact same spots as the Victoria companies do. Statistically, your chance of seeing whales out of Vancouver is exactly the same as if you were go from Victoria. In fact, both Vancouver and Victoria companies go to see the very same pods of whales.

But the reality is that there is a network of boaters who go around looking for the pods of whales (of which there are three between July-September) and once they know where the whales are, they know exactly where to take the boats to see them. That's why they can guarantee sightings and  the success rate is so high.

The only time they do not see whales is when the whales have decided to leave the region and go out into the open ocean for the day. If the whales go out into the open ocean, they are too far away from where the Victoria and Vancouver based companies are willing to go. As a result, the companies will circle the region in hopes of finding anything... but if they don't see whales (orcas), they'll give you a certificate (that doesn't expire) that allows you to come back and see whales again.

Late May is generally a good time to see the southern resident orca pods on whale watching trips out of Victoria. In late July, you'd  probably have the best luck seeing the northern resident orcas in the Telegraph Cove area towards the north end of Vancouver Island. But that's too far for a day trip from Nanaimo (as is Tofino).

The southern resident orca pods will be in the area but the chances of seeing them from Victoria or Vancouver are not as good in late July as they are in June since the whales tend to travel further from the Haro Strait in search of the salmon they feed on as the summer progresses. That said, there's certainly a chance of seeing them. On the east side of the island, there are three resident pods of killer whales which travel around the area and total up to about 90 whales. Although the pods do not always travel together, the likelihood of seeing at least one of them is over 90% during the summer months of July and August. You also have the opportunity to see transient killer whales.

 It is possible to see orcas from the BC ferries; occasionally ferry captains will point out pods in the area. If you're travelling by ferry, make sure to keep your binoculars handy! But you will get much better views from a tour designed around whale-watching.