Monthly Archives: December 2021

IMPORTANT UPDATE! PLEASE NOTE: Due to the severe winter weather and concern for the safety of our staff and guests, our office is now closed until January 3rd, 2022. Thank you for your understanding and best wishes for the New Year!

Wildlife A-Z For this week’s “Wildlife A to Z”, we look at “W” for “Whaling. As a species focus, we will discuss humpback whales in specific. Between the 1800’s and 1900’s, humpback whales were hunted extensively with the peak of commercial whaling practices. Note, this is different from traditional subsistence practices by Indigenous Peoples. The […]

IMPORTANT NOTICE – CLOSURE DEC 27th. Please note that due to the recent winter weather we have decided to close our office on Dec 27th, 2021. We are taking this step for the safety of our staff and guests. Thank you for your understanding. We will reopen on Dec 28th at 10am. If you need […]

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Gift Certificate – Thoughtful and easy Gift-Giving Christmas Day is only a week away. If you are looking for a cool gift this Christmas then purchase one of our Gift Certificates for a 3 hour Whale Watching tour. Our Gift Certificates provide a thoughtful and easy gift-giving option. Purchase before Dec 31st to save 25%. […]

Marine fact of the week For this #marinefactoftheweek, we continue our memory of the legendary “Whale Guru”, Ron Bates. As we reflect on his amazing personality and many wonderful character qualities, many people bring forward his charisma and sense of humour. Pictured below are some harbour seals. Of course, Ron loved all marine life but he […]

Today we are remembering a very special member of the 5 Star family who sadly passed away this week Ron Bates – aka ‘The Whale Guru’ had been heading out on tours with Five Star for many years. He mentored many of our Marine Naturalists and had a profound effect on the lives of all […]

Stay Local, Support Local This holiday season we’d like to re-share our list of great local businesses for those looking for some fantastic gift ideas. Help support local communities while selecting unique and thoughtful gifts or gift certificates. And don’t forget Five Star Whale Watching tours and gift certificates for the nature enthusiast on your […]

Wildlife A-Z For this Wildlife A to Z, we have U for Upwelling! Upwelling is a process that helps to drive nutrients to the surface of the ocean from deeper waters. Upwelling occurs in coastal waters and is important for distributing important nutrients. Wind pushes the surface water from the top which allows new water […]

Marine Fact of the Week For this week’s #marinefactoftheweek we present a rare and interesting species that is only sometimes spotted around Victoria and other parts of B.C.. These are two brown pelicans, and they are not very common in northern areas of the Salish Sea. However, we have had multiple sightings over several years of these […]