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Parksville Whale and Wildlife Adventures 

Ocean EcoVentures is excited to announce Vancouver Island’s newest Whale and Marine Wildlife Adventures! Tours departing daily from the picturesque beach town of Parksville BC. Whales, Wildlife, Waterfalls, Tidal Rapids and so much more! Encounter Orcas, Biggs Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Black Bears, Grizzly Bears, Steller & California Sea Lions, Pacific Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles, Stunning Scenery and Seascapes.

Parksville is the perfect departure point for Ocean EcoVentures Whale & Wildlife Adventures on Vancouver Island. The waters off Parksville and Qualicum Beach have become a hot spot for both Orcas and Humpback Whales in the past 5 years. Chances to encounter Biggs Killer Whales, Orcas, Humpback Whales, Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Sea Lions, Pacific Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles and Stunning Scenery on our daily 3.5 – 4 hour Whale & Wildlife Adventures.

Escape to the secluded waters of the northern Salish Sea and beyond, have intimate encounters with the whales and wildlife. Fewer boats make for better wildlife encounters and the waters that we operate in have the lowest density of eco tour vessel distribution on Vancouver Island. Our Whale & Wildlife Adventures departure from our office at the French Creek Marina.

Our experienced team is excited to share their passion and intimate knowledge of the whales and wildlife of the Salish Sea. Whales are our passion! We feel fortunate and grateful to be able to share Vancouver Island’s marine ecosystem and all that inhabits it. We are dedicated to responsible and ethical wildlife viewing. After researching copious amounts of whale and wildlife sightings data we decided that Parkville is the perfect new departure point for Ocean EcoVentures Whale and Wildlife Adventures. We are thrilled to explore a diverse new area of the Salish Sea with our guests and offer some different adventures than our Cowichan Bay location offers. We are currently offering daily tours out of Cowichan Bay and as of July 1st, 2021 we will be offering Whale and Wildlife Marine Adventures from French Creek Marina just 5 minutes from Parksville.

Year-Round Guaranteed Sightings

Ocean EcoVentures Offers Guarantees Whale Sightings Year-Round. If you do not see a whale on one of our whale watching tours we invite you to come again for free.  Our sightings record for 2023 was 96%. We extend a free stand-by tour to the few passengers who do not see whales on their tour. Our whale guarantee is a complimentary, non-transferable and on a stand-by basis. Our Whale Guarantee is not species specific.

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Our Ethos & Conservation

Grassroots Change through Education & Conservation. At Ocean EcoVentures we firmly believe making grassroots change through education and conservation at a household level can help our local marine ecosystem. If we can make a difference at home we can make a difference in the world.

Ocean EcoVentures donates $2 from every passenger’s fare directly to whale and wildlife conservation efforts. We also support local researchers to help their conservation and research efforts. The vessels we operate have the quietest sound footprint in the industry for the whales and marine mammals we view.

Conservation Details
Workers picking up plastic from the beach
Families enjoying a Parksville whale watching tour

Family Friendly Tours

Our Adventures are perfect for the whole family. Get out on the water and explore the Salish Sea with your family bubble. We offer Daily Scheduled Departures as well as Private Marine Adventures. We focus on the whole Salish Sea ecosystem. Passionate, certified captains and an exemplary safety record.

Our Location – Parksville

In Parksville you will find amazing sandy beaches, epic seascapes, picture postcard views, world-class, salt-tinged ocean air, and small-town charm.

Parksville is located on the eastern central shores of Vancouver Island and is under a two hour drive from Victoria the capital of British Columbia. Our departure point and office is located at French Creek Marina just a 5 minute drive from downtown Parksville and under 10 minutes from Qualicum Beach.

View Location Details
Beautiful sunset over the water in Parksville

Testimonials

We read about this company on trip advisor and made our reservations.The tour certainly lived up to the worthy praise that preceded it. We saw a pod of something like 30 whales!! Plus a smaller pod of 3 before that. Also porpoises, seals & eagles. It was beautiful and the guide was absolutley excellent. He was organized, informative & friendly. The boat was also great: an inflatable just like what the coast guard uses. It skips right over the water & enables you to feel far fewer rock & rolls than an ordinary boat does, which is really good for someone like me, who does get seasick! Also really appreciated that there were just 8 of us instead of a whole mob of people as we saw on other whale watch boats. This really is worth a trip no matter where you are on the island and it is suitable for children.

Clarke Family, Coburg, Ontario

We would like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you for the trip on the 25th August, it was just fabulous. We ploughed through all the tourist information available in Victoria BC and especially the whale trips and we did not see any advertisement for your company. You need to get your company ‘out there’, what you offer, no one else does, i.e., the small capacity and willingness to provide your customers with truly amazing memories. If any of our photos turn out any good, we will email them to you, if you like. We do not get home until late September, so it shall be a while. Thank you again so much and we wish you much success in your business and we shall be recommending your trip to anyone we encounter who may be interested in whale watching trips.

Kind regards, Kris and Maree

We had such a great time on this trip. The scenery here is fantastic and our captain was very knowledgeable about local history and wildlife. It was nice to have our own set of binoculars through the boat ride. A nice touch.

Julie Harris, Seattle, Washington

A whale breaching 100 yards from the boat – what more can we say?

Conni and Chris Jensen, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I don’t know how to swim, so I was nervous to even go on the boat. But the friendly and professional attitude of the Captain and the comfort of the boat put me at ease. I can’t wait to go again and see even more beautiful BC coastline.

Kathy Parks, Picton, Ontario

Our boating trip was well beyond what we expected – fun, educational, and exciting. We’ll definitely be back

John and Catherine Sanderson, Calgary, Alberta

We just wanted to thank you again for the excellent service your outfit provided us. Your excursion was the highlight of our trip. We are already planning our next trip to see our “new friends of the sea” Keep in touch and let us know when you start offering “frequent whale watching rewards program” haha! Thanks again!

Jen and Joe, Colorado

You went out of your way to make the day a real experience, and you succeeded 150%! I think Evan is trying to find a way to get ourselves and the rest of our team back to the West Coast so that we can do it again! I honestly don’t think I could think of one negative thing to say, because both Evan and I walked away almost speechless (which for the two of us, is tough!). Thank you so much for spending the day with us, and accommodating our schedules-we both appreciated how you went out of your way to make the day great. We had an amazing time, and would do it again in a heartbeat! If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know! All the best!

Valerie @ YUM Canada

This was our first trip to B.C., and we’re thrilled to have discovered this great company. We saw orca whales, humpback whales, beautiful scenery, bald eagles, and sandy beaches. This boat ride was a highlight of our trip to this beautiful island.

Sam and Carrie Johnston, Ottawa, Ontario
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