We jumped on a
Prince of Whales whale watching tour out of Victoria, but didn't see any whales :( There are a ton of companies operating out of Victoria, some out of Vancouver, and some out of Seattle. They all coordinate and report sightings to maximise the chances of finding whales. Unfortunately the day we went out there was heavy fog (only on the water, Victoria was really hot), which makes them hard to find. They claim about 95% success rate, so we were fairly unlucky.
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Lighthouse. Whale watching tour kinda boring without whales. |
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Two bald eagles in this tree (trust me) |
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Really cold in the fog bank |
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Sea lions |
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A 'bait ball' (bunch of little fish being a meal for birds). Sometimes these attract whales. Not for us. |
We saw a bald eagle and two sea lions. Not exactly $210 worth, but we can come back for free if we ever happen to be in Victoria again...hmm....I'd suggest calling in the morning and asking if they have seen whales and getting on an afternoon tour if they have - once they have found them that day you are basically guaranteed to see them.
We took our 5-month-old on the larger (ocean magic) boat with no problems. It was a little bumpy, but just enough to send him to sleep, not a problem otherwise. Definitely dress warmly: it was super-hot in Victoria, but *really* cold on the water.
After whale watching we spent some time in Beacon Hill park so E could run around.
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Peacocks at Beacon Hill Park |
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World's tallest totem pole @ Beacon Hill Park |
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Victoria busker's festival. These guys claimed to be ex cirque du soleil, and I believe it. They put on an amazing acrobatics and contortionist show. |
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Great food trucks at the busker's festival |