Five Star Whale Watching

The experience was great. We saw lots of whales but from afar. We also got to see seals and sea lions. The weather was okay but pretty cold when the boat was moving.

Amazing tour. Guide was extremely helpful as we went out to look for whales. Found four separate whales and one even came close to the ship. Highly recommend.

Stunning set up with totally ethical whale watching without disturbing the marine ecosystem. This is what differentiates Five Star from others offering similar services.

Cannot recommend highly enough.

Absolutely 5 star experience! Amazing and value for money tour.
From safety to enthusiasm and fun, none of it could have been better! Than five star whale watching services. We loved every bit of the tour! Tour guides services and explanation was up to the mark
We got to see 10-15 whales! As well as lots of sea lions! Higly recommended whale watching tour by five star whale watching company in victoria. ️️️️️

Great experience and the biologist specialist, very attentive and great conversationalist!

Just as the name says 5 stars, friendly courteous staff. A purpose built ship for the tour. Knowledgable guides, Catherine was really good. I also liked that they share their pictures from the trip and show other wildlife on the tour.

Gordon was our guide and he was excellent! He shared a lot of knowledge, was entertaining and found us the perfect whale watching experience. Was a perfect day for our family! Thanks Gordon!

Friendly and uncomplicated organization. We were on the small boat and had the whale watching experience of our lives. Perfect weather, flat sea, great visibility. Gordon first found us a „whale of our own“ and thereafter we visited two playful humpbacks that played with other boats and then with our’s for almost an hour. The whales delivered a real show and seemed genuinely interested in the boats. The seal colony is also very impressive, visually, acoustically and „olfactory-ally“. I’d book fivestarwhales anytime again.

​​Disappointing customer service. Our evening cruise was cancelled 27 hours in advance because of forecasted high winds. We were pleased when we were offered an afternoon cruise instead, because ​we recognize weather is out of ​anyone's control. However, 90 minutes before the re-scheduled afternoon cruise we were told there was a mechanical issue with the boat and there was nothing they could do. Despite having reservations for weeks​ (through a Travelzoo voucher), they couldn’t put us on an another ​t​our. We were left scrambling to find another cruise​ and only offered some phone numbers of other companies. When I asked at the office why they couldn’t help arrange another company for us, I was ​​abruptly told ‘that’s not how the industry does it’​. However, I saw other reviews of 5-star ​arranging other others on another tour company’s boat when they had a mechanical issue a week before. ​After a quickly scrambling, we went on a wonderful cruise with another company (SpringTide), and ​evening winds were not an issue (which is why we were initially moved). We received a full refund from TravelZoo.

Our family of four were scheduled for morning whale watch. Happened by the office night before and decided to confirm. Girl in office said there was a mechanical problem but they’d let us know next morning. We checked at 9 am and were told they’d switched us to a different company. Took a tour on SpringTide (marauder) and had a great trip. Thought it was nice they made arrangements for their clients instead of just canceling everyone.

In regards to Anthony Dough’s review:

My family and I were in the office after an amazing excursion with this company while Anthony and his family were in. In overhearing the conversation, the two kind staff members tried to explain to Anthony that because he had booked through a third-party company (Shore Excursions, I believe), they were given nothing more than a name and phone number to work with. The staff called the given number multiple times, but the call failed (likely due in part to the fact that Anthony’s family had been on a cruise which can often result in limited service). Anthony and his party failed to acknowledge that the attempt was in fact made, but because it was not a direct booking, they were provided with no other means of communication.

This being said, my family and I had an incredible time on our excursion and, prior to, received more than sufficient communication with this company. The captain was great- very kind and humorous-, the staff was quite friendly and polite, and the Salish Shadow proved to be the perfect vessel for the trip, bringing us to multiple pods of humpbacks and orcas (note: this vessel has low sonar levels, and therefore is kinder to the animals. This fact in itself is part of how we were able to safely follow and view the creatures. As someone who is dedicated to sustainable eco-tourism, I was very pleased by this quality.)

To anyone reading the reviews for this company, keep in consideration that some reviews do not tell the full story, and that the reviewers may not even be aware that the fault is their own, and not the companies. I implore you to book a trip with this company, but as a precaution, be sure to book with them directly. This will eliminate situations like that described by Anthony Dough.

Absolutely incredible.

My family and I booked a 3 hour trip on a sailor shadow and the experience was phenomenal. Within about 25-30 minutes we came across 2 pods of orcas hunting together, and 2 humpback whales as well. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to find whales off of pure knowledge of the waters and eyesight. Near the end of the trip we followed a mother and baby humpback who were comfortable enough to come up almost 20 feet from the boat. I very highly recommend this company.

Now, in regards to a negative review by Anthony Dough, my family and I were in the building when he was and heard almost the entire thing. From what we heard, Anthony and his family booked through a third party company therefore Five Star was only given a name and a phone number to work with. In Anthony’s review he says that the company “canceled on us with no warning” which is not true as the two women working at the front desk were trying to explain that they made multiple attempts to contact them which failed most likely due to the low service on the cruise that Anthony was on.

Furthermore, every time the ladies at the front desk tried to explain what happened, Anthony spoke over them and ignored what they were saying. Not only did he blame the people working the front desk, but he also yelled at them saying that they were a horrible business and “need to do better”.

So in conclusion, from reading the other negative reviews, most of them follow the same sort of story involving contact issues and cruise ships. So before you choose to base your choice on negative reviews, make sure you keep in mind that not everything is the fault of the company.

Five Star whale watching absolutely deserves a spot on your to-do list for Victoria canada and they really put the 5 star in their name.

A tour where the main interest is the orcas and where on our tour not even the captain is going to look for them.because it is totally disappointing and money was badly invested.

Had so much fun on the 3-hour expedition! We got pretty close to some humpback whales and saw lots of other wildlife like seals and bald eagles. Our guide/captain Jasper was very knowledgeable about the animals and got us some great views!

We had an awesome trip out to look for whales! Jasper, the skipper, found us two and was excellent at keeping up with the second we found (eventually identified as Scuttle or Scutter, I think). We got to watch him breach, blow and dive 3 or 4 times.

Aside from the necessary safety rules, our guide was full of tidbits about the local history, and, of course, whales. She also pointed out some sea lions, harbour seals, and one rare elephant seal on the ramp to the lighthouse.

We had great weather, not too much wind and despite my hat, I got sunburned from the glare off the water (it's obviously been too long since I was on the water if I forgot about the glare!)

My brother was unexpectedly able to get to Victoria in time, and the folks st 5 Star were able to get him on our trip with the rest of us Whelans in town for our family reunion and I very much appreciated that.

I highly recommend them!

We chose this agency for our whale watching and have not regretted it. The organization worked great and we also saw whales. There was a lot of fun.

The office staff was very friendly, helpful and professional.
The trip lasted 3 hours. Our boat companion Riana explained everything to us very well.
It is highly recommended to bring a camera as the whales may be too far away for the Cell to take pictures.

The trip was amazing! The staff were super friendly and made for a great experience. Well done Five Star Whale Watching!

Amazing experience! Saw lots of whales, some very close, plus the staff were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, always putting the safety of the passengers and the whales first. Would definitely recommend.

We saw a lot of whales, it was a fantastic experience! However, the receptionist is super unfriendly, we couldn't feel any welcome at all. I was about cancel the tour. I can recommend the tour though.