Latest Sightings
June 13th 2023 - 1pm Tour - Cowichan Bay After a couple days absent we were lucky to encounter the Bigg's killer whales today on our afternoon t
Updated 11:59pm Tuesday, June 13
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Travel Instructions by Ferry
If you are in Downtown Vancouver, you will travel to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal via the Trans Canada Hwy BC-1 W. Click here for Google Maps directions. Note that the estimated time is 26 minutes in low traffic, though this is rarely the case in Vancouver! Please give yourself extra time for travelling to the ferry terminal. If you are travelling by Vancouver Translink, the 257 and 257 Express busses will take you from Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay. You can also take the West Vancouver Blue Bus.
The Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal ends ticket sales ten minutes prior to their scheduled departure time for every sailing. Walk on Passengers will find the ticket booth on the Keith Road side of the Terminal.
In order to make Ocean Ecoventures’ 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm tour times, travellers would need to be on the [CHECK BC FERRIES FOR 8:25/8:45 DEPENDING ON DATE] am BC Ferries Departure from Horseshoe Bay. To join our 5:00 pm wildlife tour, travellers would need to be on the 11:00 am Horseshoe Bay ferry. Please see the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay Ferry Schedule for earlier options for departure times. Passengers joining our 10:00am Full Day Tour should ensure they are on the 6:30am ferry. Unfortunately there is not a ferry early enough on this route to bring passengers to our 9:00am full day tour. If you are booking a 9:00am tour please see our options for floatplane travel, or plan to arrive the night before your trip.
From Nanaimo, it is approximately 50 minutes to Ocean Ecoventures, in low traffic. During the busy summer months, traffic can be very congested through Duncan. Please budget a generous amount of time for travel from Nanaimo to Cowichan Bay. You will travel on Trans Canada Hwy BC-1. Click here for Google Maps and Directions.
If you are renting a car in Nanaimo, both Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Budget Car Rentals offer pick -up service from the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal.
If you are staying in Richmond, Surrey, or White Rock, you may choose to travel via the Tsawwassen – Duke Point Route. The Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal is found in Delta, BC, and connects to both the Schwarz Bay and Duke Point Ferry Terminals.
Travellers can reach the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal via Vancouver Translink, aboard the 620 Bus. Please click here for bus schedule information.
To reach our office in time for the 1:00 pm and 12:00 pm departure times, travellers would need to catch the 7:45 am ferry from Tsawwassen (please note that this ferry does not run on Sundays). In order to make our 5:00 pm evening tours, travellers would need to be on the 12:45 pm departure from Tsawwassen. Early birds joining our 9:00am or 10:00am departures should plan to be on the 5:15am ferry. Please see the BC Ferries schedule for earlier departure options.
From the Duke Point Ferry terminal, it is approximately 50 minutes to Ocean Ecoventures in low traffic. During the busy summer months, traffic can be very congested through Duncan. Please budget a generous amount of time for travel from Duke Point to Cowichan Bay. You will travel on Trans Canada Hwy BC-1. Click here for maps and directions.
If you are staying in Richmond, Surrey, or White Rock, you may choose to travel via the Tsawwassen –
Swartz Bay ferry, which routes through Saanich. The Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal is found in Delta, BC, and connects to both the Schwarz Bay and Duke Point Ferry Terminals.
Travellers can reach the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal via Vancouver Translink, aboard the 620 Bus. Please click here for bus schedule information.
BC Ferries ends ticket sales 10 minutes prior to their scheduled departure time for walk on passengers, and 5 minutes prior to their departure time for vehicles.
To reach our office in time for the 10:00 am or 12:00 pm departure time, travellers would need to catch the 7:00 am ferry from Tsawwassen. Travellers joining us on our 1:00 pm wildlife tour, would need to be on the 9:00 am Tsawwassen Departure. Those joining us on our 5:00 pm evening tours, would need to catch the 1pm ferry from Tsawwassen. Unfortunately there is not a ferry early enough on this route to bring passengers to our 9:00am full day tour. If you are booking a 9:00am tour please see our options for floatplane travel, or plan to arrive the night before your trip. Please see the BC Ferries Schedule for earlier departure options for this route.
If you are renting a vehicle, both Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental will pick up travellers at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, provided it is during business hours. Offices for both companies are located in Sidney, BC, which is approximately a 10 minute drive from the ferry terminal.
To reach Ocean Ecoventures from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal you will travel via the Trans Canada Hwy BC – N1. Travel time from Swartz Bay to Ocean Ecoventures is approximately one hour ten minutes in low traffic. Please budget a generous amount of time to reach us, as summer traffic and parking can add extra time to your travel. Please click here for a map and directions from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal to Ocean Ecoventures.
Ocean EcoVentures is the most centrally located Whale Watching company on southern Vancouver Island.