Up and down the coast, Orcas, Grays and Humpbacks ply the waves and perform their watery rituals. Whatever else you do on Vancouver Island, don't miss the boat - you'll have a tale of a whale to tell. Alert Bay, Bamfield, Campbell River , Nanaimo , Port Hardy , Port McNeill, Quadra Island , Sidney, Sooke, Telegraph Cove , Tofino , Ucluelet , and Victoria . Vancouver , Kitimat and Queen Charlotte Islands Click on a whale below to see a list of Whale Watching companies in that area. B.C's killer whale population is divided into 2 distinct groups which, curiously, never mingle.
Residents travel in large pods within predictable ranges and feed primarily on fish.
Transients roam in smaller groups over large areas of the coast, feeding on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and other whales. The resident orca population is divided into 2 communities, each with its own geographical range. The ocean around Victoria is home to the southern resident community of 3 pods totalling 100 magnificent animals. The northern residents total 217 whales in 16 pods which patrol the Johnstone Strait, the waters of northern Vancouver Island and the mainland coast. The transient killer whales comprise 30 small pods of about 160 whales and travel much further than the resident pods.