Whale Watching and Sea Sickness
 

I will be in Victoria and also in Tofino this July. I would like to do some whale watching but easily get sea sick. I know it is impossible to predict exactly what the conditions will be like. But I am thinking that it would be better to try to do this in Victoria if the boats go in the inner passages rather than the open ocean. I do ok on glassy water but not well bobbing up and down on waves, especially if sitting still for long periods. I also do better if the boats are more stable and if the trip isn't too long.

So, with all of that in mind, does anyone have any ideas on which tour companies would have the most stable boats, the shortest trip, and the calmest waters?

Thanks in advance for your help!
JoniC

To my knowledge, the whales stay in the open ocean... they are not likely to come in to you... take some motion sickness medicine, get a patch, or see them at SeaWorld... good luck, you must really love whales to risk this...

Try one of the enclosed boats out of Victoria-some of the trips are as short as 3 hours and conditions are generally calm.

In Tofino you might try a kayak paddling trip on one of the inlets behind town-water like glass and lots to see.

Buy and take some Bonine - excellent for seasickness without getting sleepy.

No, the very best, sure fire, remedy for seasickness is not Bonine, It is Oak Trees!

Just lie down under one. You will feel better immediately.

Works every time!

:-)

I used to work for a whale watch company based out of Vancouver for a summer... which is basically the same waters where the Victoria companies go. It was very rare for people to get sea sick while travelling on the east side of Vancouver Island because since it's not open ocean, you lack any ocean swells. There is no bobbing up and down... if there are any waves, they come from the wind, but it's not those rolling waves that you get from the open ocean.

Tofino, however, would be different. I'd therefore say if you're prone to seasick, go on a tour out of Victoria.

Oak trees. Cute! Ha! On a serious note though, does anyone know specifically which tour companies have the larger boats and also those that wouldn't go too far out? Or maybe you have to stay with the smaller boats to avoid going out too far? I usually do better on the larger, stable boats as opposed to the little dingies or rafts. But if the water is like glass, I should be good. What are the winds like in the area in July? Pretty calm?

Thanks again!
JoniC

I don't know if you will be in the States on this trip, but whale watching boats also go out of both Anacortes and Friday Harbor. They stay mostly around San Juan Island (depending on where the pods are, of course), and those waters tend to be more sheltered. The seas tend to be quite moderate in those area in July.

There is a company in Anacortes, Mystic Sea Charters, that runs their whale watching boat down the channel below our house. She is called the Mystic Seas and is 100 feet long. I went on one of these cruises on her years ago, and don't remember it being rough. She rolled a bit as they awaited the pod to go by, but I don't recall any swells.

I had a wonderful whale-watching trip out of Tofino, but it was a small boat and the sea was a little rough. If you are prone to seasickness, try a larger boat. And try not to get downwind of the pod. The smell is quite "remarkable". It may be the "last straw" if you are queasy.

Orca Spirit (http://www.orcaspirit.com) offers whale watching cruises with large covered vessels that minimize the amount of crashing around. I've been on many sailing trips and tend to get sea sick in the open ocean almost every time, but was nice smooth sailing on the large covered boats.

Sea-bands are worth a try (there are generic brands too). They're based on acupressure, you wear them on your wrists, a lot of people do find they work and they're widely available. They were first suggested to me by a Pharmacist, many years ago, as an alternative to Gravol which knocks me out.

I was very interested in this post since I came to this forum to find out about viewing orcas. I don't get seasick, but I'd like to know what place and maybe boast would give me the best possibility of seeing orcas. I will be on Vancouver island July 17 for a week.

It's not that some boats have better success than others - if one boat sees them, they radio in to all the other boats, and then every single whale watching boat in that regions travels - hours, if necessary - to the location of the orcas.

The secret is to simply be in the right region at the right time of the year. For Victoria and Vancouver, that time is May-October where there's a 90% chance of seeing orcas. Sometimes it's better to go in the afternoon because the morning tours spend time searching for the orcas, but once they're found, the afternoon trips simply B-line to where they're located.

A friend took one of the boats last week from Anacortes, and tells me the Orcas have not yet appeared this year. They did see three Minke whales, however.