Canada · Vancouver & the Salish Sea
Vancouver Boat Trips
Salish Sea whale watching, the Indian Arm fjord and Howe Sound
- routes
- 3 routes
- departure points
- 3 departure points
- boats
- 3 boats
© David Zhang · CC BY-SA 2.0Vancouver
Routes in Vancouver
Researched routes with stops, departure times and season.
Private Boat from Horseshoe Bay: Howe Sound and Bowen Island
Indian Arm Fjord and Granite Falls Boat Trip
Vancouver Salish Sea Whale Watching: Gulf Islands
Vancouver
Highlights
Gulf Islands and Active Pass
The narrow pass between Galiano and Mayne islands that whale-watching boats often work.
Granite Falls
A waterfall dropping into the sea beside an old granite quarry in the upper Indian Arm.
Snug Cove, Bowen Island
The small harbour village of the island at the mouth of Howe Sound.
Boats
Boats in Vancouver
motor-yatIndian Arm Fjord and Granite Falls Boat Trip Boat 1
Coal Harbour, Vancouver 13:00–16:00
SpeedboatVancouver Salish Sea Whale Watching: Gulf Islands Boat 1
Granville Island, Vancouver 10:00–14:30
Private Boat from Horseshoe Bay: Howe Sound and Bowen Island Boat 1
Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver 10:00–14:00
Vancouver about
Boat trips from Vancouver head three ways: south-west across the Strait of Georgia to the Gulf Islands for whale watching, east into the Indian Arm fjord that runs north from Burrard Inlet, and north-west into Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay. Whale-watching boats leave from Granville Island, Coal Harbour and Steveston in Richmond; killer whales, humpbacks, harbour seals and sea lions are the species most often seen. Indian Arm is a fjord of roughly 20 km that narrows between steep forested slopes beyond Deep Cove. In Canada boats must keep legal distances from whales; under the 2026 order vessels may not come within 1,000 metres of Southern Resident killer whales. The main season is April to October.