Mossfern Gate 49°N · Pacific Rim, BC

Clayoquot Sound & West Coast Vancouver Island

Whale migration: March through October

About 25,000 Pacific gray whales pass Clayoquot Sound every spring on their way from Baja California to the Bering Strait — and roughly 200 skip the trip entirely, feeding here all summer instead.

Gray whale peak
Late March–April
Resident grays
~200, stay through summer
Humpback peak
June–September
Overall season
March–October

Two different whale stories

Migrants in spring, residents all summer

The northbound gray whale migration passes directly offshore from late February through May, peaking in late March and April — timed closely with the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. A smaller resident population of around 200 gray whales stays in the nutrient-rich waters around Tofino through the summer rather than continuing to the Bering Strait.

Humpback whales are present throughout the season but are most frequently sighted between June and September, often later in the day than gray whales. A single trip can realistically encounter either species depending on timing, which is part of why locals treat the whole March–October window as "the season" rather than one narrow peak.

Gray whale surfacing near a licensed whale-watching vessel
Licensed operators maintain legally mandated viewing distances that shore-based watching cannot guarantee.

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