Reviews of Lunenburg Whale Watching Tours (Tourist Attraction)

Linda Begg

It was a great trip. We saw minx whales. Even if we didn't see ???? the boat ride was fun. Only thing is even if it is sunny and hot make sure to bring a sweater or hoodie. You may get a little wet with the spray off the water.

Diana Deming

Didn't see whales but it was a nice excursion.

Harmonis L

It was a rough time. We were running late due to some car problems and asked if we could be put on the next boat, but the lady on the phone said there were 10 people scheduled for the boat already and didnt have space (spoiler: there were at least 17 people waiting to board this boat when ours returned). Understandavle, that was our mistake and we should've foreseen the potential of problems and that was totally our fault. What was not okay however, was the follow up harassment of my friends during this entire excursion. When we got to the boat (8 minutes late from the departure time stated) and apologized to the passengers and the guide, the response was "oh yeah, no problem. I'm also good and using excuses when it's my fault." All we did was apologize. From there, he decided the best course of action was to insistently torment 1 friend (the quietest, shy, does not want to rock the boat in any ways). This consisted of: - asking for her name, telling her 'well it sounds like Elsa' and even after she asked him to stop, purposely continued to call her Elsa through the entire trip (name that's two syllables long) - asked where we were from, said Ontario, fully vaxxed, out of the incubation period AND had isolated prior to doing anything, essentially told her "oh the only time Nova Scotia had covid was when people from Ontario came here....yeah, it's people like you that cause us problems" - she felt a little dizzy after being on the boat for a while (anemic) and sat out in a corner of the boat away from all the good viewing seats to put her head down. Pulled out her phone to check the last time she took meds, only for him to come around, and loudly pull out his phone and "oh being on my phone, I can do that too. La di da, look at social media. You know, maybe you should look outside and you'll see something good." Which was extremely uncalled for.

CCAOO

Went out to see the whales but didnt find any, did manage to see a colony of seals and a pod of dolphins. The crew are great, only suggestion id make is to get a speaker when talking about the region as we could not hear anything siiting in the back.

Marek Dziedzic

Nice motor boat tour around justj nd Lunenburg

Iris Misch

(Translated) No sighting - no whales to be seen. Most expensive boat ride ever! (Original) Keine Sichtung - no whales to be seen. Most expensive boat ride ever!

Cindy Manser

Great whale watching tour. We saw 25 whales.

Carlton Todd

Although it was nearing the end of the season for whale watching when I went, the ship still sailed despite unpleasant weather. The tour is about three hours on the water and a hilarious guide is included ! I highly recommend this location for anyone.. great for families and elderly as the docks are easily accessible also. ( Not wheelchair accessible * )

Hytham Mokhtar

The tour guides are very friendly and knowledgeable. Be prepared to be on the water far from land, sea can be rough but the boat handles it well. Recommended!

Linda Khoury

They do stipulate there is no guarantee you'll see whales and that was the case when we went. That's just the risk you take. For 3 of us it was around 190 CAD and for the three hour boat ride we saw seals and a sunfish. They did say it's typical for the tourists to spot the whales first. I wonder why they don't have a fish finder? The tour guide was very informative.

Teresa Vellenga

I do not recommend this business.

byos “Bring your own straw” canada

Loved this experience...Going back soon

Julia

Similar to other reviews, we did not see any whales but enjoyed a day of great weather on a boat.

Melissa Buckley

No whales :( The captain told my son it is rare to see whales.

Nisarg Gajjar

Great sailors!

Vaughn Mullen

A great way to photograph and see Lunenburg Harbour and surrounding coastline. Got some great shots of the seacaves at Ovens Natural Park and a colony of Harbour Seals. No whales this time, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

archan dabadi

Wonderful

Sophia Sauvageau

Did not see any whales. But did see a ton of seals

Taras Pankov

A very nice ride around the bay, saw puffins, seals, various birds. There may be better tours in other regions, but if you're in Lunenburg, this is worth the money. The tour is up to 3 hours long on a decent size boat, not a zodiac. Everyone feels safe and can enjoy the ride.

Kayleigh Wallace

Spent over 120 bucks to see sea lions and fog.

Jerome Christensen

You can't make an appointment with a whale. Great trip even though no whales were seen.

Owen Mallouhi

Like many comments in here. We didn't see any Whales. It's a 3 hours trip to see tuna and some seals. I suggest changing the name of the tour. It's so misleading to call it "Whale Watching" when 95% of the reviews did not see any whales. I bet they can't get as many people to sign in if they call it "Tuna Watching"

Nino

No whale seen

Leona Wang

The ride was fantastic. But we were told what we saw were baby whales, we actually believe those are actually dolphins. As no breathe air at all. But seeing wild seals was actually the highlight of the trip. They were so curious and adorable!!~

Ken Risher

Though I didn't go out on the water, this is a beautiful spot!!

Omar S

It was an amazing experience, the hosts on board were very friendly and the trip was worth every penny. Truly an unforgettable trip, I highly recommend it.

Maninder Goel

Nice ride but whale watching depends on luck.

Mike Fraser

We travelled to Lunenburg to go on a whale watching tour. When we purchased our tickets (260$ for four guests) the woman at the kiosk stated that if no whales were seen or the weather was bad we would be refunded our money. We did not see any whales (all we saw was 2 seals) and the water was so rocky that I was throwing up. We should have turned around but they continued for almost 3 hours. It did not seem like any real effort was made to find any whales. When we got back we asked for our refund and the woman responded, "you went for 3 hours you got your tour". This was the same lady who took our payments and talked about the refund. We explained what she told us and she said, "I don't say those things" she then got in her car and drove off. To the owners- My visit was September 28 and was in the afternoon

Nate

Beautiful weather, saw lot's of seals and other small animals. Only saw a minke a few times, but it's luck of the draw. Very scenic route

mick daniel

No whales and choppy water

Tom M

Friendly people. Great experience.

C. Z

Super nice walking along the harbor with fantastic views of the lake and houses full of colors.

Lotar Nunez

Didn't see whales

Katie Cross

Tour guide was very informative of the area and history. We saw seals and sea birds but no whales. Apparently it's been quiet. Beautiful scenery and boat rides are always fun. Dress warm and wear a rain coat. It gets cold and wet.

Sara James

Disappointed with this tour. I will say the tour guide was very informative, and showed us various islands and coastlines with historical info on each. The ride was pretty cold despite the hot weather so make sure to bring a sweater as well as a rain coat because the water can get choppy and splash into the boat. (No complaints on that as I know we're out in the the ocean, it's going to get chilly!) I understand that you're never guaranteed to see whales on every tour but we were really disappointed when we overheard the guide tell another passenger halfway through our 3 hour boat trip, that they don't usually see whales until mid July.....It was May 31st when we took the tour. So why advertise on the website and sell tickets to tours from May - October?! We felt hustled to be honest. If you typically don't see whales until mid July why did we bother wasting our time and money? We saw seals, puffins, and an otter...all of which I've seen before so I was pretty discouraged by the end of the trip. I also felt that the guide spent quite a bit of time chatting with 1 particular group of passengers and not a lot of time looking for whales so who knows, maybe we drove right by some. Overall, would probably not recommend taking this tour unless you're going in August.

Krysta Carl

Good tour. Host (Kevin) was really nice guy, very informative about the town and surrounding area. Linda (ticket cashier) was so fun! We didn't see any whales only a few seals. The host said they hadn't seen any this season yet (started May 1, we went June 8) he said usually around mid June they start seeing some. I would say wait until later in June or it's a waste of time unless you want to pay $58 for a cold wet boat ride haha. Wear a waterproof jacket with a hood and bring gloves!

Denise Hill

We did not see any whales, which is not guaranteed as they are hard to find. The boat ride was nice. We went about 2 hours on the water. It was a nice ride along the coast. We did see some seals. There wasn't much offered by the guide regarding what we might see as was offered on other tours we had been on. Overall it was quite expensive and the boat was a bit crowded.

Troy Broadaway

We felt it was a little crowded on the boat. We did get to see some dolphins, Minke whales and seals.

Guillermo del Águila

It was fun. The crew was great

林修峰

(Translated) A good itinerary for watching whale lights, but often can't see whales (Original) 不錯的看鯨光觀行程 但是常常看不到鯨魚

James Hill

We had an amazing time, staff were friendly and knowledgeable we were blown away by their hospitality.

Dulshan Kasturiratne

This tour was a lot of fun, it covers whales, birds, seals and during july-august: puffins! Decently priced, takes about 3hrs, and please bring a jacket. Regardless of how hot outside is, the ocean can be windy/wet. The guide is well informed and this is a wonderful way to have a nature boat tour in Nova Scotia.

Mark Steffen

Awesome!

Victoria Mitchell

Enjoyed my time in the summer. Sadly only saw one large fish and some seals but still had a great time!

Chris Currie

Friendly, funny, beautiful experience

Jean-Guy Duc

super nice place to visite beautiful

Dominik Nöbauer

(Translated) Unfortunately no elections seen only dolphins and seals. The weather was also very bad (Original) Leider keine Wahle gesehen nur Delfine und Robben. Das Wetter war aber auch sehr schlecht

Chavi1985

No whales seen. Too long tour

Du Le

We took the 11.30 am tour. Boring tour, saw 2 whales in 3 hours but the boat stayed too far away for us to see. The tour guide keeps talking with one passenger instead of looking for the whales. Plus we can barely hear him talk because he didn’t use a speaker. The worst part was that the reception lady was extremely rude. Overall it is not worth $58/ticket

Dumantha Jayasuriya

0-100% chance of seeing a whale! You can only enjoy a boat ride other than that it's a waste of money!!

Jonathon Smith

Great fun! Saw whales, friendly staff. Would highly recommend.

Sarah Teed

On time, saw lots of amazing wildlife and a few huge whales

Shaylynn C

We didn’t see any whales when we went, but we did see a lot of other wildlife which made up for it. The tour guide was a true Nova Scotian through and through, making for an enjoyable and hilarious tour. The boat, as well as the in-board washroom, was very clean and well kept. The price was reasonable as well. We would definitely go on this tour again.

Robert Dunn

Had a blast

Tigh Loughhead

Very cool spot. Excellent views of the bay!

Andresa Karine Andrade

I will start by the minor issues with this tour: 1. There is no mic on the boat, you can barely hear what he says and although the guide seems quite knowledgeable, I wouldn't know since I couldn't hear him. 2. Linda and I exchanged about 6 emails, not in any of them she was able to mention that the tour is cash only. Now this is the reason why you shouldn't buy this tour ever. By the time they board you, they already know if there are whales or not. Whales are attracted by a combination of factors such as water temperature, amount of fishes at the bay and time of the year. They will onboard you even though there are zero chances that you will see any whale. That was the case with us. Once we were in free water, Cp. Walter told us that this time of the year there are no fishes so there is no whales. Why would you sell a 70 dollar ticket if there are no whales on a whale watching tour? Tell your customers that, cancel and rebrand the tour as a boat ride. I know that as in any wild tour, there is a high chance that you don't see any animal, however there is a difference between a chance and being impossible to see them, this is almost a scam. Reading the other reviews I am actually questioning if this tour has even seen any whales at all or it's just a tourist trap at its worst. Take your money somewhere else, it is not worth it.

Dalia Perez

(Translated) Small town that is preserved very well over time with colorful houses, near the sea, is a UNESCO heritage site and .... The place of origin of Bluenose ⛵️ (Original) Pequeño pueblo que se conserva muy bien con el tiempo con casa llenas de colores, cerca del mar, es patrimonio de la Unesco y.... El lugar de origen del Bluenose ⛵️

Renee D

It was a “rough day” out at sea for us land lovers. We didn’t get the chance to see any whales which I am definitely blaming on the rough waters, however they did bring us to a spot to see a ton of seals which was awesome! The first mate was very nice and knowledgeable about all of the history in the area. 5/5 but a 3 since we didn’t see whales!

A. Morrison

While we didn't see any whales on our tour, our captain tried hard to find them. We still saw dolphins and seals, who were just as curious about us as we were of them. Our guide talked about the harbour and other landmarks on our journey as well.

Fei Yang

Really amazing customer service! The lady was super nice even with my last min call and many times inquiries! We saw seals and baby whales and it is worth the trip!

Michael Walsh

Well organised with a successful trip to view pilot whales.

Christian Joannette

Got to participate in a whale rescue, what more could we ask for?!

John Szesnat

Everything was great. Staff crew boat etc. While we did not get to see whales we did see dolphins, puffers and seals. Our whole family had a great time. ,.

Nicole Hankey

No whales to see but you should never go on these tours expecting to see wildlife - they are on their own mission. BUT the ride was fantastic. The captain toured us though some very scenic areas including The Ovens caves and some cool spots where the locals surf. Shipmate Ty did his best to entertain and provide relevant local information and history. I just loved being on the water. Don't forget the sunscreen. Expect to be gone 2.5 ro 3hrs in good weather.

carly smith

We've have done this tour twice, and we have enjoyed it each time. However, 2nd time we didn't see any whales.

Tamara Lee

What an amazing tour.

Ehab Madokh

The tour was good, lots of information, however, is should include more area of nature. We couldn't see the whale. And I know it's not there fault. They should add seal food

Dmitry Statnikov

The tour itself was fine for Bay tour near Lunenburg. That said, no whales. The guide gave some information about the town, but they don't have any audio equipment, so it was really hard to hear. In the middle of the tour we did some hour and a half silent run around the Bay. Last half an hour we saw seals colony and guide gave additional information about local communities.

Candice Pearson

Very charming and knowledgeable guide! No whales but a beautiful boat ride none the less! A lot of fun!

Alex Whynacht

We’ve been fortunate enough to see whales 3/4 times we’ve been on the whale watching tour over the years. Very cool cruising through the islands and seeing the seals and birds. We also saw a giant leatherback turtle. Highly recommend, crew is awesome and informative.

Julia R.

No whales at all. And I had not the feeling they tried to find one...

Brad Poster

Great tour, unfortunately the whales didnt feel like seeing us but a fun boat trip with great folks.

kevin hache

This should be a boat tour of the shore and Islands around Lunenburg because that's all we seen. Although it's very beautiful and scenic, it's not what we paid for. I've been on whale watching tours elsewhere in the past and understand that it's not always a 100 percent chance you'll encounter whales but if your going to run a "whale watching tour", put some effort into actually looking for whales. The crew did nothing but chat with the people and told us that we had to look for them ourselves. They seemed more interested in just lounging around then actually doing anything useful. One crew member made crude jokes the whole time but came off creepy and made us and others feel awkward. I can't say I can recommend this tour, especially since I'v been on many better ones in the past.

Allison D

Disapointed, we drove to Lunenburg specifically to do the whale watching tour at 5:30. With the intent to do the 8:30 one if the 5:30 one was full. We found these times on the website and on the sign outside their booth. When I went to ask to sign for the 530, he said that there isn’t a 530 time. I had said that the website and this sign says there is, and he laughed and said “yeah I don’t know why it says that, next boat is tomorrow at 1130”. This was beyond our time line for staying in Lunenburg, so we were not able to go.

Eric Heath

No Whales to be seen.

Missy

It’s more of a marine watch since no one seems to see any whales but we enjoyed the scenic ride and I got some great shots of all the seals. My only complaint was that we stood up the whole ride cause there are not enough seats. The staff were great though.

Husain Desai

No whale, and crew has no idea where would they find them. Please don't waste your money

Andrew Walters

We won tickets for this whale watching tour. I called them and asked about bad weather and I was told the captain makes the decisions, OK, so now we drive in to Lunenburg to take the whale watching tour, we get on the boat and the assistant tells us that it is to rough to go out side to see whales, we will be staying inside the harbour and we will see seals. Unfortunately that's all we seen. What a waist of tickets and I felt bad for the people who paid $52.00 plus tax to see whales and did not see any, no refund on tickets or partial refund offered . There are generally 5 tours per day and after the first trip out the captain should know if it is too rough to go out side to see whales. The assistant advised it was 3 days since they were out side where you would see whales. They knew this when I called about the weather but wouldn't say anything. Very disappointed.

Jenn Ann

We didnt see any whales but we spent 3 hours touring around looking at other various forms of marine life and learning about the ocean and ways of life past and current. Great tour with or without the whales. Saw porpoise, deals, various birds and deer on an island.

Steven Lennox

Well run and located in beautiful Lunenburg.

Khaine Smith

Great town to look around. So much to see.

Dawn Szesnat

Linda and her husband are fantastic. While we didn't see any whales we did see puffins and sea lions. The ride itself was beautiful and or Captain was very knowledgeable. I would definitely go back if I was in the area again.

Yliana Swales

I think that it is a beautiful place, very colorful, great views, it makes you feel that you are in another country.

Allan MacDonald

While travelling from Ontario to Nova Scotia we skipped whale watching in Tadousac, Que because our son had booked this place for his mother's 60th birthday. Guide was informative but so disappointed to only see a few seals. The woman at the kiosk said that if the tour was cut short due to weather conditions or failed to see whales at least a portion of our 260 DOLLARS would be refunded. After the three hours and seeing no whales, we called her out on that offer. She totally denied saying that and since we were out for the full three hours, no partial refund was given. Saw more whales while crossing a ferry in Quebec. Definitely would not recommend!!!!!

Julie Sonny

We were able to see a few seals, a bald eagle and a minke whale

Harry Schwartz

Nice enough boat, nice enough crew, no whales though.

Joseph Young

Great staff. We had terrific luck with spotting whales. Guides were knowledgeable and friendly. The hot chocolate was a nice surprise!

Anna Mochen

Beautiful place in Nova Scotia

Sarah Van Sickle-Gamble

We had a wonderful time on this tour! The crew was one of the best parts about our experience. Tyler was extremely knowledgeable about the area and ecosystem surrounding us. He was hilarious, engaging, informative, and kind. The captain of the boat was a natural - so relaxed and calm at all times. Although we didn't see any whales, we spotted a dolphin, a colony of seals (so cute), osprey (and their nests too), and eagles. One of our most favourite parts of the tour was seeing the fishing village in the eastern passage. It was so still and peaceful - true beauty! Keep your eyes peeled for the stunning caves as well! We will definitely recommend this tour to our friends and would love to do it again ourselves if we ever get the chance. Thank you Lunenburg Whale & Seabird Tours for the memories!

Winter Referees

Why are these called “whale watching “ tours when EVERY review states “ no whales seen”? Click bait pfffft

Kenny Yang

Refused to serve people from outside of the Bubble after reservation by the boss, wasted us a whole day and the long driving! The response is nothing but a lie! The lady in the kiosk didn't care about the isolation at all! I arrived at Halifax on Aug. 3, and visited Lunenburg Whale Watching on Aug. 20, how do you conclude that I haven't been self-quarantined for 14 days? Why didn't you call the police to fine me if you found I haven't quarantined? What a shame! However, I do thank you for not accepting me because I visited Digby whale watch later and received a full beautiful sight of whales, birds and seals!

Janine Pottier

Wonderful place

Dan Gudmundson

We did not see whales, but the trip was a lot of fun. We did see other wildlife but you can't manage nature. Thanks for the experience

Carey Rhiness

We didn't see whales but received an excellent tour nonetheless! Well worth it. Very reasonably priced!

Jeroen Borkmann

09/2017 We wanted to have a nice expirience to the end of our canada trip. So we did 2 days on the highway to have one day for this whale watching expirience. 1000 Kilometer for an coastline and island sightseeing. The weather was a bit windy but good enough to go offshore. But we saw into 2 hrs several islands and a bit of the sea but no whales. In total we were very disappointed about that tour. Equal of the refund we got ... when they call it a whale watching tour you can name it a big tourist nap. Offer an whale watching tour when you realy wanna show whales. Or drop the tour when weather isn't good enough. Don't let the people go on board without that Information so that they can change their mind to do this.

Jolie Melissa

Nice, clean, and quiet place.

Sean Driscoll

Went out on the Bluenose II tour and was very exciting... loved it very much and would definately do it again

Bob Chauhan

We booked for the tour and had planned to drive from Halifax for the tour and tour company cancelled the tour because they chartered the boat to another customer So everyone who had booked the tour lost out Very unprofessional company

Jonathan Lemnitzer

First, it was a nice and fun tour to see the area from a boat but it didn't seem to me as a whale watching tour at all. We did not even try to find whales neither we got information about them in general. Was a little bit disappointed.

Rick Taylor

Awesome scenery

Julia Carr

Great place

Louis Leblanc

The tour takes you along the coast which is nice to enjoy the scenery, but I wouldn’t have spent $280 for 4 people for it. I am sorry, but it feels a bit overpriced. This is more like a boat tour than a whales watching tour. As many comments below, we didn’t see any whales, but we saw a couple of seals. There is an employee in the boat giving few history facts, however don’t expect to hear all of it, he doesn’t have a mic, and with the boat engine and the wind it’s really hard to hear.

S Fraser

This was my first whale watching tour. Though we didn’t see any whales because the weather wasn’t amazing- we had a wonderful time! The captain and the guide were both awesome!

florence ward

Would recommend Briar Island. Have done both and Briar Island wins hands down.

Sandra Shewchuk

A nice boat ride but no whales. We did see a bunch of seals.

Melvin Rolph

Had a great time very in formative

Claire Humphrey

Local guide Tyler was funny and friendly, knowledgeable about area history and the unique ecology of this beautiful area. We did not see whales that day but saw a wonderful seal colony and gorgeous views. Highly recommended for a fun afternoon on the ocean coupled with some ecological understanding.

Betty Urschel

The tour was fabulous today. Kevin (?) was very knowledgeable about Harbour history and the bays and canal. We saw porpoises, seals, and a minke whale. Neil the Captain shared some information as well and worked really hard to follow the whale. It was a beautiful tour.

Anabelle Ryan

We didn't see any whales.

Rajeevan

It was okay, however if you are expecting to see whales..it most likely won't happen. It's nice to see puffins, and seals at most. It was no e being on a boat but 3 hrs..too long.

Amanda Moir

Fun tour, and I learnt a few interesting things but saw no whales

Alison Haché

My husband and I went on this whale watching tour, and it was BY FAR the worst experience we have ever had. We have been out whale watching numerous times, and understand that seeing whales is not guaranteed, but this company made it sound very clear that we would not be seeing any whales. After reading many reviews indicating that no whales were seen, it makes you wonder if they are running a scam, rather than a whale watching company. One would think that the crew would make an effort at spotting whales, but instead, the crew member was on the deck spreading profanities. Luckily, no children were aboard. While I would not recommend this tour to ANYONE, definitely don't bring your kids on this whale watching tour. Moving on to the ''entertainment''. While a very select few on the boat seem to like the ''entertainment'', it was tasteless and very annoying to listen to. Comments were made about him ''liking to share personal things with the guests on the boat'', as this helped deepen his connection with the guests. Things that were shared : bodily functions, and his need to urinate. Very inappropriate, and disgusting honestly. Makes yourselves a favour, and spend your money elsewhere. This was the worst money I have ever spent.

Shelley Dunleavy

Fun

Freetospeak Man

Fantastic experience. Great bunch captain(s) and crew. We still smell that whale snot. Lol.

Ilinca

We were on the tour on Monday (August 26). We did not see any whales, and also no sign of seals or puffins either. The only thing we saw was some black birds on some rocks (no explanation from the crew as to what type of birds they were). The lack of sightings was quite disappointing, and I was particularly surprised that none of the crew members made any comment at all to acknowledge that it was disappointing or to explain why we may have not seen anything (I.e. there were lots of waves which maybe made it hard to see) but no comment, explanation, or apology was given. Also, our cruise leader did not have a microphone and it was very hard to hear him for most of the trip. I gave it 3 stars despite this because it was a relaxing and enjoyable experience just for the refreshing air out in the open water, if nothing else. But I think the staff could do more to make this experience more enjoyable for passengers, for sure.