! capacity is 12, your group is 16 · $112.50 a child is over your $10 budget
Cost
$1800 per class
$112.50 a child for 16
Prices displayed do not include taxes, fees or gratuities for the guides. The booking policy lists 5% GST, a $3.00 Clayoquot Sound Access Fee per person, a $10.00 fuel surcharge per person, and 6% FareHarbor website fees.
Fieldy handles all communication and booking for you.
What it actually looks like
Photos from The Whale Centre's website
Our note
This buys the whole boat for up to twelve people, which lands close to the cost of twelve children's tickets on a scheduled departure. Worth asking which works out better once you count the adults you have to bring. Nothing on the site says whether they take daycare or school bookings at all, so start there.
What the children do
The whale watching and bear watching tour pages both list a private tour for up to 12 guests at $1,800, which holds the boat for one group instead of selling seats. The price is per boat and does not include taxes, fees or gratuities. Private bookings need 72 hours notice to cancel for a full refund, rather than the 48 hours on a scheduled tour. The site does not say which tours can be chartered, what months it runs, or whether a school or daycare can book one.
The same two and a half hour boat trip as a scheduled departure, with the boat held for one group of up to twelve rather than shared with other passengers.
Good to know
The charter price and the twelve person limit are published, and cancellation needs three days notice instead of two. Which tours can be chartered, what months, and whether children's groups are welcome are all unstated, so this one needs a phone call before anything else.
Sources disagree. Their pages split children's ages two different ways. The tour pages price children as ages 1 to 12, while the booking policy lists infants under 2 as their own group. Everyone needs a ticket either way, so ask what your youngest will actually be charged.
Sources disagree. Their contact page writes the postal code as V0R 2Z0, but the map link sitting beside it shows V0R 3A0. The street address, 411 Campbell Street, is the same either way. Give the driver the street address rather than the postal code.
Washrooms
Yes, restroom facilities are available at the dock and at the hot springs pools, as well as change rooms.
Lunch space
Needs confirmation
Rain backup
Tours run in the rain and are only cancelled in extreme or unsafe conditions. The cabin cruiser has a heated indoor cabin and seating, with protection from wind and rain.
Strollers
Needs confirmation
Wheelchair access
Needs confirmation
Bus parking
Needs confirmation
Nearby park
Needs confirmation
Restrictions
Infants and small children are not able to go out on the open boat.. All passengers, including infants, require a ticket. Age and size restrictions may apply for safety reasons.. Participants must be 19 years of age or require a parent or guardian to sign on their behalf.. Tours require a minimum number of guests to operate.. No meals or food onboard.
Getting there
411 Campbell Street, Tofino, British Columbia V0R 2Z0