Reviews of Capt. Mark's Whale and Seal Cruise (Travel Agency)

Shayesteh Farzad

An adventurous and memorable day with Mark’s whale watching zodiac tour. Captain mark was very knowledgeable and kind. We watched seals on our way to see whales, we watched lots of whales. Best part of our cabot trail visit. Thank you very much Capitan Mark and Capitan Tina for running such an excellent safe tour.

RUSSELL HENNINGER SR

Excellent excursion on a zodiac with this tour company. Joe are tour guide was informative and funny, local man in the area twenty five years.

Akbar Butt

Captain Mark and his son took their time with our tour group. Saw many pilot whales, seals, and some horses. Captain Mark definitely knows the area history!

Lana Brown

So. Much. FUN!!!! Didn't see any whales, but the water was so rough, it was like a roller coaster! Had a blast! They even offered a complimentary tour the next day, since we didn't see any whales that day, but we couldn't go. Nice of them to offer though!

Ryan Gunn

Very personable crew. Saw a minke whale and many pilot whales and seals. They also gave a great tour of the scenic coastline.

Inderjeet Singh Dogra

I agree with one of the reviewer’s comment that this company is bit overrated. The reason is not that we didn’t see any whales on our trip, but because of the quality and condition of the Double Hookup boat in which we traveled. As soon as we sat in there and the engine was started, all I could smell was diesel and there was lot of it. On my entire journey, no matter where I sat, I could directly inhale all the diesel fumes. This made me vomit at the end of the trip. I think, considering the price and number of people that take the trip, Capt Mark should consider upgrading his boat big time. I saw a similar boat in Lunenburg which was way better that Capt Mark’s. Our overall experience was just ok and would not like to do it again at least with Capt Mark.

ANDREW Muir

We would like to thank Mark, Tina, and their son for their hospitality, professionalism, and knowledge. This was our first experience. Heading out on a zodiac is definitely the right choice if you're looking to get up close and personal with nature. Capt Mark got us on 5 pods of Pilot Whales. These whales are very curious and playfully danced around the boat. He probably spent an hour here educating us, answering questions, and through a hydrophone let us listen to all the underwater conversations!! Being able to get in close along the shoreline we were greeted by the Grey Seals, picked up some history of the island, and caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle. Cheers and thanks again ???? ????

Martin Blais

Took the research boat tour. Captain Gilles and guide Elisabeth were very good, instructive and funny. We saw dozens of pilot whales, plus seals! You might get splashed even on the boat so bring a raincoat of some sort. Would recommend to anyone!

Tamara Norris

Fabulous trip! Saw 16 pilot whales, seals and an eagle. Knowledgeable crew and university students. Boat ride was awesome! Thank-you all! Tamara, Hugh & Haleigh (August, 2017)

Ellen Muir

Absolutely fabulous experience! Mark is knowledgable, funny and a skilled mariner! Great small group boat. If you love the water and don't get seasick, this is the excursion for you. I loved every minute of it. Saw a TON of pilot whales and seals. Great tour!

Jiaqing Pan (Canada 家庆)

(Translated) The routes, boats and prices are all good, and it is a good place to watch whales. (Original) 航线、船只、价格都不错，是观赏鲸鱼的好地方。

Miranda Fox Porter

My husband and I took this tour on our 3rd year anniversary and were not disappointed. The boat ride itself (zodiac) was so fun and the views of the shoreline were stunning. We went in with the expectation that we may not see any whales but in the end we saw plenty of pilot whales & gray seals! Mark was very friendly and answered everyone's questions.

Carly Watts [Staff]

Mark was awesome and had so much knowledge to share. We went out in the zodiac with 6 other people and were able to get up close to the whales. Mark also brought us to a spot where seals usually swim so we got to see those as well. We were a little apprehensive to bring along our DSLR camera but they provided dry bags that we could borrow to keep our camera dry. Overall it was great experience! Thanks for a great morning, Mark!

chad lloyd

Didn't see any whales

Jane Rusch

Unbelievable experience! Worth every penny!

D F

Seems okay, didn't go on the cruise though !

Meaghan Smith

SW tons of whales and these guys are super easygoing.

Jason Emery

Went out on a Zodiac. The boat itself was worth the ride. No whales, but we got to see dolphins.

Jack Wang

Captain mark is passionate and friendly and went above abd beyond to give his customers a good experience. We didnt see any whales in the first hour so he extended his tour by over an hour and a half so we saw two amazing pilot whale pods. We saw them so close you could almost touch them. We also saw tons of cute seals and jellyfish.

M P.

We saw so many pilote whales. Everyone had an amazing time!

Jenni L.

Cool ride ride with the Zodiac! Didn't really see any whales though so left a little disappointed.

Louis Horvath

Cool boat trip!!!

Nitzan Blouin

We saw SO many whales. And seals. And eagles. Had an incredible time on the tour.

Kevin Wang

We saw many whales on our trip, no complaints

Chris Newman

Wifey said it was awesome, and would do the zodiac again

Lisa Groomer

Best Trip out ever. We saw a lots of whales very close to our boat. Had a great Captain and I can't wait to return this year!

chris Audi1

Even if the weather was good and not too windy they send us a text to cancel the trip He had to search another company for the trip the same day

Jamie MacDonald

Fantastic experience! So many whales!

Antoine & Marion

(Translated) We chose Captain Mark for whale watching and it was a great choice. He and his wife are adorable, smiling and hospitable! We were on the big zodiac for 12 people and we were not splashed once! The sea was calm and the light so beautiful the meeting with a 50 seniors pilot whales was magical! We even saw bald eagles along the coast on their way back. Do not miss ! (Original) Nous avons choisi Captain Mark pour la découverte des baleines et ce fut un très bon choix. Lui et sa femme sont adorables, souriants et accueillants ! Nous étions sur le gros zodiac pour 12 personnes et nous n'avons pas été éclaboussé une seule fois ! La mer était calme et la lumière magnifique donc la rencontre avec une 50 aines de globicéphales noirs fut magique ! Nous avons même vu des aigles à tête blanche en longeant les cotes au retour. A ne pas manquer !

Andrew

Tuna and egals and more.

Megan Drolet

it was so amazing and i wish i could go everyday the tour guide was amazing and i had so much fun

Tammy Hudgin

WOW what a fantastic day with you guys! The whales were so amazing and Capt Mark, you outdid yourself with all your knowledge, one of our favourite parts about our trip on the Cabot Trail.

Brian Dainard

It's the ocean, it is going to be rough, there is no guarantees when dealing with wildlife. We did get to see some whales, and we got to see a couple of seals. even as we were almost back to port, the capt was still searching for more whales to show us. great job, we were very happy.

Lisa Ley

Great experience ! We saw a lot of pilot whales, seals and one eagle ! It was amazing !!! Captain Mark is really nice, he answered all of our questions and respects the whales !

Dar Villeneuve

Friendly staff great rates beautiful drive to get there. Guarrenteed to see whales

Parker Donham

Excellent ocean cruise in search of the abundant seals and whales along the western coastline of Cape Breton. The large vessel carries Dalhousie biology students collecting data on pilot whales in the area. They provided an interesting talk about their discoveries. If I could improve one thing about the trip, it would be to have more information about the sea birds — gannets, fulmars, petrels, etc. — that can often be seen from the boat. Altogether a great trip.

Nicole St. Jean

They no longer have the large boat, and only have the two zodiacs. We were in the smaller zodiac and had to stay near the shore because the boat was too small to go out far. We had to sit around and wait to get a radio call from the large boat saying they saw a whale. But by the time we made it out to where the larger zodiac was, the whale was gone and did not surface again. We did not get to see any whales in the smaller boat although the people in the larger one did. If we had of known the small boat couldn't get far from land, we would have booked a different day when the larger boat was available. However the staff was friendly, they provided waterproof bags for our things and rain jackets to wear. We did see a few seals.

Jason Vary

Captain Ron went above and beyond on the Zodiac! We saw pilot whales and a (huge) finback whale. Highly recommend!

Ali Aasim

Surreal experience

Rob Showers

Great adventure lots of minke whales and a leather back turtle

Marcin Serwin

Amazing tour. both Captains are great experts!

gr8onaplate

The waters were rough and so much fun. Not once did we feel in danger. Saw bald eagles, seals and minke whales. Mark was a great captain and very sociable, told us some history about the surrounding land and the creatures we share it with.

Paul Figueroa

Only one deck so a little tough to see but great crew

Candice Grizzle

Saw only one type of whale but the view and customer service was amazing. We were even allowed to bring our dog. We really appreciated that

Asma S

Incredible experience!

Julia Tsitrin

Captain Mark's tours are great! Took couple of tours with them on July 30 and 31st, 2017. Both boats, the Researcher and the Zodiac are in great condition, nice and clean. Tour guide Ben is supper attentive, knowledgable and friendly. We saw a lot of whales one day and got a lot of information about them from Ben and two researchers on the boat. The hydrophone that is used by researchers allowed us to hear the whales 'songs' and sonic signals. We also got on Zodiac tour on another day and although were not so lucky with the whales, we got a lot of fun riding the choppy waves and saw a lot of seals and bald eagles. Captains Mark and Gille do a lot of extras to maximize people's experience with the whales. Their tours often runs longer than planned and they will always go an extra mile for people to show beautiful coast lines.

Gerald Butts

Have been on many over the years. This was the best experience by far. Take the zodiac.

Brandon Hermalin

Great staff. Smooth ride. Beautiful views

KJW

Awesome adventure with Captain Ron! Myself & 2 kids had a blast on the Zodiac, it was "too much" fun!! We saw a family of whales with a calf & a cheeky member who went on her back to show off her belly (some within 10' of the boat). The seals were scarce but the shore line tour made up for them. Would highly recommend.

Steve Issekutz

Great experience

Areez

Wonderful whale watching experience! Captain Mark was super friendly and talkative throughout the excursion. We saw many pilot whales and visited the caves along the coast too. Highly recommend this whale watching company! Thank you Capt. Mark

E.

(Translated) In a zodiac boat you sit outside on the tube and somehow have to hold on. Very uncomfortable and exhausting in the long run. (Original) Im Zodiacboot sitzt man außen auf der tube und muss sich irgendwie festhalten. Sehr unbequem und anstrengend auf die Dauer.

Michelle Kennedy

We were traveling as a group of 4 around the Cabot Trail and stayed the night in Pleasant Bay to get on the early Whale Watching tour with Captain Mark! Upon arriving at Pleasant Bay a day early, we drove around and saw that all of the whale watching tours had been cancelled for the day due to high winds. Captain Mark saw us parked out front and came by to ask if we had booked a tour. We told him that we had booked for tomorrow morning and he explained that our tour would likely be cancelled, due to weather. After calling around, we were able to book a different tour with a company on the other side of the trail (apparently the wind is not as bad there). Before officially booking with this 2nd company, we went back to talk to Capt. Mark to make sure that we could cancel without penalty. Unfortunately, he had left for the day however, someone at the Whale Center called his personal number so we could chat with him. He was so friendly and, although he was disappointed we couldn't go out with him, he told us he wanted us to have a good time and allowed us to cancel without penalty and book with this second group. Although we did not actually end up going out with Captain Mark, I was so impressed by his customer service. He really cared about making our trip a memorable one! I would highly recommend booking with his company!

Anne Cox

Although it was a beautiful calm day on shore, the ocean was extremely rough. I think we all should have been warned before we were taken out. It was so rough it was hard to see any whales! I have never been so sick on a boat before and I've been on half a dozen whale cruises. After a short time I was sick as a dog, and before the trip was over there were more than a few of us filling barf buckets! I did not enjoy the experience one bit. My husband was lucky enough to see two minke whales. I was so sick I just wanted on dry land! This was on Canada Day.

Pascale Lafontaine

we had high expectations and unfortunately our tour was disappointing, a cold , rainy day did not help, we followed the coast to see a few seals and then went into a small cove, followed by a short distance off the coastline looking for a whale seen on the previous trip, we went back and forth for an hour in waves trying to locate a whale with no luck, which I understand can happen. The wet cold day, was more of the issue, with spray from the waves and rain at the same time, it was not a very enjoyable trip. We are planning to try again this summer, and will watch the weather closer now that we are aware the weather plays such a big role!

Angela Henderson

Not to be confused with captain coxs whale tours which is closed.

Margit Leupers

(Translated) Unfortunately only a short sight of the fin (Original) Leider nur kurz die Flosse gesehen????

Jeff W

Based on a reference made in the CAA booklet about Nova Scotia we decided to try Captain Mark's. We booked 4-5 days early as they seemed to fill up fast. Since being out here we had numerous locals tell us we made the right choice picking them and wouldn't be disappointed. I have to say that Captain Mark and his family did not disappoint. We arrived appropriately 30 mins early as requested and met with his wife Tina who was extremely friendly and relaxed. She was extremely knowledgeable about what to wear and how to pack what you're bringing along. Captain Mark was friendly, approachable, and very experienced in his profession. The trip started promptly and was well coordinated. Within a short amount of time we saw grey seals, then turned toward an observed Minke whale. Captain Mark was able to get us into good photo taking position without encroaching on them. After ample pictures we made our way to some Pilot whales located by another vessel also sightseeing. The Pilot whales were incredible and swam along side of us which was a first time this season for them. The winds picked up as we headed to the calmed waters close to shore and along with the beautiful cliffs also saw two bald eagles perched on them, and capped it off with some more seals and gannets fishing. This was money well spent, my two young daughters (8&10) had an amazing time and experience, not frightened once. We have recommended them to friends coming here in a couple of weeks and would come back again next visit.

Michelle Sabourin

Mark was absolutely AWESOME!!!! My new husband and I came down to the east coast for our honeymoon and our father in law booked us with captain mark. The weather that day was questionable and the other whale and seal tours weren’t heading out but Mark was a total professional and advised us it would be a little rough and handled the waves like a complete champ. Some people were hesitant because he has a smaller boat… when really his boat gets on top of the waves and it was completely fine. Mark was very knowledgeable and told us so much about the pilot whales, seals and some history of the surrounding areas. We would totally do this again whenever we come back to the east coast, thanks SO much Mark ☺️

warren Armstrong

Fabulous trip, we saw lots of whales ( no big ones, alas) but the guide was really informative.

Dirk Grylewicz

It was a great experience! We were in the middle of a huge pot of pilot whales. Amazing experience with Captain Ron.

Ian Garnhum

Capt Mark was amazing, very knowledgeable, great personality, easy to talk to and funny. We saw pilot whales within 10 minutes of leaving shore and continued to see whales, seals, and amazing coastline for the next 2 hours. Would 100% take my friends and family on this great experience.

laura ll

Beautiful trip, we got to see two fin whales, and while the picture doesn't do justice, they got very close to us. The captains were knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting info while we watched the whales, got stalked by some sea lions, and had a tour along the coast too where some seals were sunbathing too. Definitely a great experience!

H

Great experience! We saw minke whales, pilot whales, fin whales, dolphins, seals, and a bald eagle. Capt Mark was friendly and informative.

Dutch 57 (Dutch 57)

Great tour. Put us on whales. Lots of local flavor.

A &A

When we arrived in Pleasant Bay it was a nice and calm day. However, when we came out of the harbor, the waves were pretty high. Since the boat is not very large, it was a very choppy ride. People sitting on the sides were getting really wet because of the spray. A few people were sea sick. So remember to bring your rain coat on board. Take a pill against motion sickness if you're prone to get sea sick. Because of the waves, it was difficult to spot whales. But the captain and his team really tried hard. In the end we saw a few seals and several Minky whales.

Sham T

The place is on Harbour Road not where it shows on Google maps. It was a great trip on the Double Hook vessel. Both the captain and crew were always engaging us and providing info. Saw whales, seals, and eagles. I got a bit queasy half way through and they gave me something to help. We went on the 1pm ride. They spotted whales on their earlier trip so that may have helped. The Double Hook has a washroom but I never used it. Some people did get a bit wet

Ketan Kumar

We had an advanced reservation for whale watching with Captain Mark’s but got an email on the day of the event that the tour is canceled due to bad weather conditions which is totally understandable. We still reached at their office at the scheduled time and surprised to know that the tour is on now and that too at the scheduled time. Considering the positive reviews and local recommendations we find it very disappointing that they didn’t bother to call /email us and let us know that the tour is back on. And when we enquired if we can still hop on, they said they can’t accommodate all four of us as they admitted people who didn’t have reservations. They also didn’t put any efforts in accommodating us for any other trips remaining during the day. This left is with sour taste with a well reputed company.

Anita Feeser

(Translated) It was a lot of fun and we could see pilot whales from the heights (Original) Es hat super viel Spaß gemacht und wir haben Pilotwale ganz aus der he erleben können

Leslie Whitney

Excellent safe enjoyable great time. Friendly informative staff and Captain. Got to see whales even though were sleeping. Active feeding Porpoises. Lots of wildlife. Took lots of pictures. Kids got to drive the boat with Captain. Served snacks and drink at the near end of trip. There washroom on board if need. Great time, money well spent!

Heather Lappan

Thanks for a fabulous experience! We had a wonderful day and saw lots of pilot whales! Spectacular!

Frank Yang

Took the research boat at 10am this morning. It was cloudy and windy. Didn't see any whales unfortunately. I feel this company is a bit over rated on the internet. Don't why some people still added 4 or 5 stars despite the fact they didn't see whales at all. The research boat moves slower quite obviously compared to the competitor's boat which leaves at the same dock, maybe because the ocean was wavy and the boat was fully loaded. The other boat saw a whale today but we didn't.

Alanna Morrow

Great tour! Our guide Gil was awesome. He was very knowledgeable and fun. We we're able to get up very close to a Minke whale. I would absolutely recommended Captain Mark's.

Andrea F

Had a great time on the Zodiac boat. Captain Mark was very friendly and knowledgeable. We saw tons of whales, seals and eagles. Way more than we were expecting to see. Highly recommend

Patrick Bättig

(Translated) “As many whales and dolphins as your heart desires” We did this tour in the afternoon and were very excited. We first received some safety instructions, and then we were given an introduction to the different types of whales by marine biology students. We saw dolphins pretty quickly. After that it went on with different types of whales. One highlight chased the next. It was really a memorable experience. The crew was very friendly and answered all of our questions. We would book this tour again immediately. (Original) “So viele Wale und Delphine wie das Herz begehrt” Wir haben diese Tour am Nachmittag gemacht und waren sehr begeistert. Wir haben zuerst einige Sicherheitshinweise erhalten um dann von kundiger Seite durch Meeresbiologiestudentinnen eine Einführung zu den verschiedenen Walarten zu erhalten. Ziemlich schnell haben wir dann auch schon Delphine gesehen. Danach ging es weiter mit verschiedenen Arten von Walen. Ein Highlight hat das nächste gejagt. Es war wirklich ein erinnerungswürdiges Erlebnis. Die Crew war sehr freundlich und hat alle unsere Fragen beantworten können. Wir würden diese Tour sofort wieder buchen.

Mr. Zeng

Responsible captain. Construction caused huge delay. Kept calling to update our locations. The Captain promised to wait until the last minute. We made it. Just in time for 1 pm Aug 01/2018 research boat tour. Great tour. We saw seals and whales. No hesitation for 5 stars.

Ellie Plourde

Highly recommend this tour, took the 12 passenger Zodiac and got super close to more than 1 pod of pilots. Seals and Eagles as well. Captain Ron got us real close to the cliffs and shoreline on our way back in to the docks, a gorgeous view. Such a cool experience.