Reviews of Mackay Whale Watching (Travel Agency)

Karen Myshkowsky

If you take any other company's tour, you're missing out!! Mackay Whale Watching was amazingly professional from the beginning to the end. Captain Bill's decades of experience and knowledge is second to none, and the Naiad is a phenomenal vessel. The knowledge of our guide Marieke was incredible, her passion shines through - her incredible encyclopedic knowledge of the whales and her enthusiasm made the entire trip! My family will never forget our sightings of Humpbacks, Sea otters, Sea Lions and Orcas ❤

Zack Mosley

Our experience with Mackay Whale Watching was fantastic! The hilarious and enthusiastic Captain Bill found a large group of resident orcas in about half an hour and we spent the day watching them in close proximity without ever getting the sense that we were disturbing them. Twice during the voyage, a large pod of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins showed up to ride and jump in our wake. A one-of-a-kind experience that you can't miss if you find yourself on the northern end of Vancouver Island.

Paula Munro

Really great outfit. They find the whales and give you a nice lunch to boot. Great people in the most beautiful part of the Northern Hemisphere. The Broughton Archipelago. Let's try to keep it that way!!

Arno

(Translated) Nice family business, takes the time, tells a lot and value for money, we have been at sea for 5 hours, 10% discount because we were 10 people. Highlight of our vacation (Original) Leuk familie bedrijf, neemt de tijd, verteld veel en waar voor je geld, wij zij 5 uur op zee geweest, 10%korting omdat we met 10 personen waren. Hoogtepunt van onze vakantie

Darryl Rolfe

Bill and Donna make this a great excursion. The boat is a great platform for the adventure providing good sight lines, coverage if the weather is nasty and plenty of room to move around. Lunch bring provided is a great bonus. I feel like this is one of the best locations on all of Vancouver Island with the highest likelihoods of seeing whales. Great value!

Deborah Freeman

Our day spent with this family run business was a highlight of our trip of north Vancouver Island. Their shared knowledge was impressive but more than that their care and obvious love of not only the whales but all fauna in the area was what moved me. Amongst many beautiful orcas we were especially privileged to see a young orca with its mother. This was a truly precious moment. The Humpback whale did a lovely dive displaying its most flamboyant tail. The birds flying by were so different from what we see further south on Vancouver Island. It was one of those magical, memorable days that you hold close to your heart. Many thanks to the Mackay family for making it so.

Carmen Wüllems

The tour was great. The crew know a lot about the different wales and it is a very nice boat. We see a lot of different animals. We got a vegetarian soup and a bread for lunch. I would choose Mackay Whale Watching for my next Whale watching Tour at Vancouver Island.

Bianca van K

(Translated) Made a great tour and seen a lot. Nice clear explanation with lots of humor. Nice soup with bread from Marieke in the afternoon and some small cakes. Really enjoyed it. (Original) Geweldige tour gemaakt en ontzettend veel gezien. Fijne duidelijke uitleg met veel humor. Lekker soepje met brood van Marieke tussen de middag en wat kleine cakejes toe. Erg genoten.

Toby Barazzuol

Captain Bill Mackay is a seasoned veteran of these waters and a naturalist. On our tour we say orcas, humpbacks, sea lions and dolphins. Though I had some reluctance about going on a whale watching tour, I felt we always stayed respectful of these beautiful creatures and we learned a lot about them from Captain Bill's knowledge and decades of experience. I gained a deeper appreciation and love for the orcas and the Salish Sea after this tour. Highly recommended!

Lucie Cencova

The best!! Great lunch, super service the best capitan! ????

Tara Saracuse

Did a great three hour tour with this professional, clean and fun outfit. The boat was very comfortable with both warm inside areas and two outside areas. Great views from all angles. They're currently all set up for covid-safety with partitioned areas inside. Captain Bill and the bio-guide Marieke were SO lovely! They were both full of knowledge and stories. We learned about the history and ecology of the area, plus they're both very funny and had the group laughing lots. I know it varies by day, but we saw a small pod of orcas, a large pod of about 15 dolphins, a ton of porpoises, and SIX humpback whales! Everything was observed by a respectful distance. I would totally recommend McKay Whale Watching. Great boat, great people, great day!

Jonas Verbeeck

Great tour!

karsten wuellems

The whale watching tour was awesome. We saw orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, sea lions, seals and a minke whale. There was a soup as small lunch and a small sweet. The crew was very friendly, funny and informative.

David Cliffe

Awesome

Maggie Geer

the spot is probably the best on vancouver island, but Bill the captain and Marieke are definitely the best, we had residents and biggs orcas, in huge numbers, could get an "orcasm", humpback whales and seals, birds and finally they served a mama bear with two cubs, and the boat is very comfortable, thank you two!! never will forget this day

Ken Sawyer

Mackay Whale Watching was an awesome experience.If you haven't booked a reservation on the Niad Explorer please do it for the start of next season.You will not regret it.The Captain and his wife Donna will show you the best time ever.This is coming from a 30 year veteran of the whale watching tour.

vern schramm

We saw great views of the Orcas and Whales. A disappointment was the lack of communication to the full passenger quota. Passengers on the upper deck got good guide information. Only one third were able to get the info. A boat-wide narrative would improve the tour very much. Vern

Stefanie Weiß

(Translated) We had a wonderful day. Traveled about 5 hours and saw orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals and sea otters. Great captain and great crew !!! It was really fun! (Original) Wir hatten eine wunderschönen Tag. Waren ca. 5 Stunden unterwegs und haben Orkas, Buckelwale, Delfine, Seelöwen, Seehunde und Seeotter gesehen. Toller Captain und tolle Crew!!! Hat richtig Spaß gemacht!

Galen Campbell

All around excellent! We were out for five hours total since we had to head way east to find the orcas, after spending more than an hour with the humpbacks. All the commercial boats share whale locations, so I think you'd see whales no matter what, but I chose Mackay because - longest outing (plus soup for lunch) - small family business - price was actually cheapest, too (we got 10% off the posted price as a family group over 4 people) Word to the wise: you will get more out of it if you are on top where the you can hear what the captain / guide are saying

Roger Hunter

Don't know much about them I've never been on a whale watching boat, I just take the ferry to Alert Bay and hope to see another whale or ten. If in Alert Bay go too the First Nations Museum. Back too MaKay's right next door is a laundry coin operrated.

Holly Craig

What a great day! The Captain was funny, welcoming and knowledgeable, the boat was comfortable and safe, and the wildlife was amazing! The orcas were a little elusive today, although we did see a few, but the big show was the dolphins and sea lions swimming together amongst the humpbacks! It was a rainy, wet day, but the heated cabin and the hot soup for lunch kept everybody in good spirits. Definitely a great day and I would highly recommend this company!

Dianne Lady

Always a great ride. The boat is very large and fast. The captain knows the area quite well.

Nanci Skirlo

(Translated) A dream came true (Original) Ein Traum ging in Erfüllung

Kelly Parker

Cannot recommend highly enough! The crew were lovely, entertaining and very knowledgeable! We saw humpback whales, sea lions, more dolphins than I could possibly count and AT LEAST 40 orcas. The orcas swam right up to us and passed right under my feet, it was amazing. And a lovely lunch on top of that. Well worth the reasonable price for the trip. 5 stars :)

MARJAN HANSSEN

(Translated) Had a great day. We saw whales, killer whales, sea lions, eagles and many other animals. Good care on board and very friendly and funny staff. They also take the time to show something. They don't watch for fifteen minutes. (Original) Super dag gehad. Walvissen, orca's, zeeleeuwen, adelaars en nog veel andere dieren gezien. Goede verzorging aan boord en zeer vriendelijk en grappig personeel. Ze nemen ook de tijd om iets te laten zien. Ze kijken niet op een kwartiertje.

Tracey Carson

Best money ever spent and exceeded all expectations. Highly recommend as a must do activity especially if you love Orcas. Thanks for a great day.

Stephen Pannekoek

Was everything I expected plus a staff experience that went way above expectations. Fantastic knowledge and laughs. I'll always remember, "flip the dishes"

Sarra Mellouk

Marieke and Captain Bill were amazing, so knowledgeable and fun! We saw sea otters, stellar sea lions, humpback whales, an eagle and orcas! Thanks to MacKay Whale Watching, we learned so much about all the marine life we saw and also heard the orcas on the hydrophone. This was definitely my best experience whale watching and I can’t wait to go back! Such a perfect day on the water!

Grace Smyth-Bolland

Best whale watching on the Island! I will definitely be back again. Bill, Nicole and Ron were absolutely lovely and their family run business should be everyone's top pick for whale watching in the area - they are THE experts!

Steven Yurkiw

There were so many whales, I got tired of taking pictures

Andrew

We had a fun day with Bill our Captain and Marieke. Their enthusiasm and passion along with Bill's witty humour made for a memorable day out on the water. Of course the Orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, sea lions and eagles make for a special experience, but it was the sheer humour from Bill that made our day that much better! Would highly recommend a day trip with Mackay Whale Watching - you won't regret it!

Linda Gregory

The most incredible and moving experience of my life. Not just watching orca but hearing them too. And our Captain's enthusiasm and informative talk was truly inspiring. Wish I could do it all again. Thank you for your keeping them safe. Not to mention the humpbacks and other wildlife! Amazing.