Is the Experience of a Whale Watching Expedition For Everyone?

On a recent trip to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, we decided to include a whale watching expedition as part of our visit. We had planned it to be the highlight of our trip. But is it for everyone?

There are several reasons why it may not be for you. With large waves hitting the bow of the boat, particularly after you have left the inner harbor, anyone who is prone to seasickness may decide that this adventure is not for them.

Or if you do not have a flexible attitude, it also may not be for you. And by that I mean, if you have gone on the excursion with the idea of seeing whales and feel that anything less than that is a waste of time and money, perhaps you should not take the chance. One of my sons went and didn't see any whales; another went and saw several from a very close vantage point. I felt, therefore, that my chances were fifty-fifty and this did not seem like a bad percentage to me.

Also if you are easily or quickly bored, perhaps the trip will not be your thing either. The trip is three hours long with stopping, starting and waiting and often with not much to see in between. Particularly if this is the main purpose of your trip rather than the adventure of an afternoon on the ocean enjoying the feeling of freedom that comes from this type of experience.

On the other hand, if you love an adventure and suspect you will enjoy it whether you see whales or not, it is well worth the time and money. We found that it was a trip we wouldn't have wanted to miss in spite of not getting closer to the whales we did see. But there were many things to see and enjoy during the three hour excursion besides whales.

As we left the inner harbor, float planes lifted off not far from our boat and slowly began their climb into the clear blue sky, and fishing boats plowed through the water as they returned to the harbor. On a large outcropping of rocks near the entrance to the harbor we saw what looked like hundreds of sea lions, stretched on the rocks soaking up the afternoon sunshine. And occasionally the head of a seal popped above the surface of the water to welcome us to their ocean home before sliding quickly beneath the surface again.

As we left the shelter of the harbor, we picked up speed and headed for the open waters. The further out we went, the deeper the trough of waves became and we could hear the slap of the water beneath the hull of the boat, a steady rhythm in our ears. The sun sparkled like diamonds on the waves as they rolled towards us heading into shore. And occasionally from overhead, the sounds of seagulls greeted us.

Periodically the captain of the boat cut his engines and listened for any possible underwater sounds the whales may have been making but there were none. We did, however, eventually see some whales a little distance from us, close enough that we were able to get pictures of them. It was exciting to watch their tails and backs lift out of the water before disappearing and then repeating their performance again in a short while. We were pleased with our whale watching adventure although it is possible that those whose expectations it didn't quite meet would not have felt the same as we did.

So was it the highlight of our trip? We'd definitely do it again. And is it for everyone? Only you can decide but it certainly was for us.