checking in
Please check in at the West Coast Aquatic Safaris office (located at 101 Fourth Street, Tofino) at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time of your tour. All guests are required to sign a participation waiver prior to the tour departure. Guests under 18 years of age must have a guardian sign for them. You may also click on the link and bring a pre-signed form at check-in to expedite the process. Once all guests participating on the tour have checked-in, one of the West Coast Aquatic Safaris staff will provide a brief safety briefing before leading everyone to meet the vessel and crew. This leads to a safe and organized trip.
physical restraints
Any of the open water trips may not be suitable for guests who are pregnant, who have back or neck injuries, or have concerns with open ocean conditions including potential bumps during the voyage. Please call or email info@whalesafaris.com if you have any questions or concerns about the tour.
Please note: West Coast Aquatic Safaris’ Bear Watching tours do not take place in open waters so may be a preferable option for those who are concerned about a bumpy ride.
staff and boats transport canada certified
All West Coast Aquatic Safaris’ marine crew and vessels are Transport Canada Safety certified. Our vessels, WASCO and NANUQ, have always been and will always meet, if not exceed, Transport Canada Commercial Marine requirements.
whale guarantee
West Coast Aquatic Safaris enjoys a wildlife sightings success rate of over 95% on our tours. However due to the inherent nature of viewing wild animals in their natural habitat or due to weather, there are some tours where we do not sight whales.
If you do not sight whales on your whale watching tour, we invite all guests to return for another whale watching free of charge.
Terms and conditions of the Rain Check voucher:
- Rain check guests are on a standby basis only on confirmed departures*
- Seat confirmations may be made 60 minutes prior to departure time
- This offer is not transferable to another guest or tour and must be used by the guest that purchased the original tour
- Rain checks are not refundable for cash
- This offer is valid for life and does not expire
*Seat availability is dependent on capacity requirements and thus rain check passengers travel on standby basis.
If you have any questions regarding the Rain Check Policy or you would like to redeem it for a whale tour, please speak to any of our team members.
reservations
Reservations are recommended for all departures. Reservations can be made at any time on our website www.WhaleSafaris.com. Tour bookings can also be made by calling our office (250) 725-9227 or emailing info@WhaleSafaris.com. Payments for tours are processed at the point of the completion of a reservation. Accepted payment methods include cash, interac/debit, gift card and or major credit card. Tour bookings are not confirmed or guaranteed until payment is processed.
cancellations / changes
West Coast Aquatic Safaris adheres to a strict 48-hour notice on all cancellations or changes. For any cancellations within the 48-hour window, we do not offer any cash refund or date changes but we are happy to provide a rain check voucher or credit in our system that will allow you to rebook your tour on a standby basis per our rain check policy. The rain check voucher or system credit is valid for life and does not expire.