Sea Otter W/ Bull Kelp
While out on one of our Bear Watching or Whale Watching Tours you might spot a sea otter or two… or fifty! There seems to be a lot of otters in Clayoquot Sound these days. Which is a marvelous reality for our ecosystem here. The otters feed on sea urchins and other animals that graze on the bull kelp beds. This keeps an abundance af kelp alive and well, and in turn is fantastic for the life of our fish stock.
Tofino Lantern Festival
Every year, at the end of August, Tofino celebrates summer and sets the mood for fall with a magical night at the Tofino Botanical Gardens. Volunteers, locals, and guests spend the preceding weeks to the Tofino Lantern Festival crafting and creating beautiful lanterns.
The day of the Lantern Festival busy little hands work to create an ecstasy of ambiance in the gardens. Pathways are adorned with tea lights embraced in glass jars that light the the foot steps of the festival goers. Hundreds of lanterns are hung from buildings, trees, railings, and hand held wands. There are even lanterns floating gracefully, over the water, in the pond. The crisp evening air is thick with music and excitement as dusk creeps into dark.
You can never predict the weather in Tofino, BC. Even when you wake up in the morning and look outside you can’t really count on it to remain the same through out the day. It’s always good to have a back up plan for any activities that you have planned (not to mention back up clothes). So here is a few suggestions on those days that are less then sunny and the water won’t seem to stay up in the clouds.
You bet they do. They sleep quite differently than you and I though. Whales do not breathe automatically like humans. They must consciously inhale and exhale. Whales could not be in full unconscious sleep (the way we sleep) and actively decide to breathe. So this brings up the question of how a whale would breathe while when it sleeps. Scientists have come to the conclusion that whales rest only half of their brain when sleeping. This allows the whale to never be fully unconscious but still get the rest it requires to function. They sleep close to the surface of the water and breathe when required. The whales drift slowly near the surface, this action is known as “logging”. To find out more about whales hop on board, our 36 passenger catamaran, NANUQ, for a Whale Watching Tour. We have knowledgeable Naturalists as a part of our crew on our vessels. They know tons about whales and love to answer any questions our guests might have.
A whale tail caught by one of our guests this summer!
Our crew at West Coast Aquatic Safaris is often able to get some pretty amazing shots of local wild life while out on our tours. However, some of our best photos have been from our guests. On our website we love to show off all the wild life our guests have seen on our tours. We have a photo of the week contest to showcase the most brilliant picture taken that week. We send our winner a West Coast Aquatic Safaris travel mug, regardless of where they live. We’ve sent them out as far as Germany! To see some of our previous entries visit our photo gallery. If you are heading out on one of our Whale Watching, Bear Watching, or Hot Springs Tour make sure you have your camera ready. You never know what you might capture!
When spending time on the water it is important to know who you are going with and that they are safe and reputable. West Coast Aquatic Safaris prides itself in being Transport Canada Safety Certified since we have opened. All of our Captains maintain a level of certification higher that what is required by Transport Canada.
When planning your vacation, everything must be perfect. Hotel must be comfortable and convenient for the things that you want to do, activities should offer an enjoyable experience at an affordable price and meals should be the perfect accent on every day. For each of these things there is of course many options in Tofino and at times it can be a little overwhelming to have to make the decisions. At West Coast Aquatic Safaris we want your time with us to be as stress free as possible. We encourage you to take the advice of others that have been through it and are offering insight into their own personal experience. Understanding just how important and precious your vacation time is we put every effort into offering the best. Our vessels have been designed with the purpose of wildlife viewing in mind which means; comfort, maneuverability both for yourself and the vessels, the best possible vantage point for that perfect photo and knowledgeable helpful staff that understand the importance of having all the details worked out. If it is something that we don’t offer that you are asking about then we will still go the extra mile to make sure you are getting what you need. For your comfort and convenience you can visit our website to find all of the details on the tour that interests you. You will also find a Guest Book section where our past guests have shared their comments and insights. For those that want to look one step further you will also find a like on our site that will take you directly to Trip Advisor and see how we compare. We offer First-Class Vessels With a Comfortable Price and the service to match and encourage all of our guests to post their feedback. We look forward to hearing from you!
Heading out on the water with West Coast Aquatic Safaris is an experience that is carefully thought out; just for you. Our goal is to make your experience as “first class” as we can. We want you to be comfortable through out the entire duration of your experience with us. Your comfort begins with our boats. Both WASCO, our 12 passenger vessel, and NANUQ, our 36 passenger catamaran, have heated cabins with dehumidifiers. Not only will you be dry and warm when you are inside, but the windows will be free of fog – creating a clear view for watching wild life. You’d like to be outside you say? No problem. Both of our vessels have open top decks so you can feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. And not to worry about the wind or rain; we supply complimentary Helly Hansen rain jackets. Wherever you choose to sit on our vessels you will always be able to change your mind. There is plenty of room to get up and move around. Our guests are able to view wild life from the bows and the back decks of our vessels. There is also a clean bathroom on both boats. NANUQ is equipped with a flat screen that shows our live navigation through Clayoquot Sound, so you are able to see where your experience is taking place. And last, but not least, our crew is one of a kind. We are very proud of our drivers and naturalists. They are friendly and knowledgeable. We get complimented regularly on our crew. If you’d like to hear for yourself our guests’ real experiences; check out our online guest book. A first class experience at a comfortable price.
Vargas Island is a large, mysterious island in Clayoquot Sound located a few kilometers Northwest of Tofino, British Columbia. It is approximately a 20 minute ride to Vargas Island by boat from Tofino. It contrasts strongly against it’s neighboring mountainous islands such as Flores and Meares because it is flat and boggy. Vargas is vast and begging to be explored with it’s thick rain forest, soggy marsh, and the long stretch of beaches, broken up by jutting rock ledges as it’s outline. Vargas is home to the beautiful Ahous Bay, which is located in Vargas Island Provincial Park.
Here in Tofino, summer is still in full swing, but fall is definitely on the horizon. Our thoughts flicker every now and then to September. Excitement builds in all the surfers’ bellies as the swells that start to come in are getting bigger and bigger as the summer ages. It has us checking Magic Sea Weed and SurfCam.ca every morning, afternoon, and evening to see what the sea is brewing up for us. Local businesses anticipate the excitement of the summer’s climax: Labour Day Weekend. A time for visitors to have on last dance with with Clayoquot Sound before heading back to the city for school or work.