Whale Watching

As summer begins and the waters warm hoards of Humpbacks begin their migration from the south towards Alaska in search of food. Along the way these glorious mammals find spots where there is so much baitfish, they need travel no further. One of those spots is right off the Duncanby dock!

Killer Whales or Orcas are actually the largest member of the dolphin family and they frequent the Inlet. These beautiful creatures are very social and love to put on a show, you can’t help but miss a hit on the rod when they pass through the Inlet! What may appear to be one or two whales at first will often be a pod of 10 or 15. They are magical to see.

There is not an abundance of Minke Whales in the area but if you are lucky enough to see one you won’t forget it! Their average length is 43-52 feet! Humpback and Killer Whale’s reach a maximum of 26 feet, these incredible Minke’s are twice their size!

Bear Watching

Rivers Inlet is situated in the Great Bear Rainforest and has one of the largest bear populations in North America.

Black Bears are in an area of heavily vegetated mountains with easily accessible food. With the luscious feeding grounds of Pacific salmon, mussels and other exposed marine animals at low tide, bears are always around feeding. Black bears have incredible eyesight, hearing and their sense of smell is 7 times more sensitive than dogs!

At Duncanby, you can expect to see Black Bears and the occasional Grizzly Bear. The best time to see these unbelievable creatures is in August when they are fattening up on salmon in the river before the long winter. With that being said, Grizzly and Black bears roam the shorelines all summer long and are often spotted from some of our favorite fishing grounds.