Quatsino Sound Pelagic Birding

Coastal Rainforest Safaris operates a specialist pelagic birding tour from Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island, venturing to the deep submarine canyons of Quatsino Sound off the exposed west coast of the island — one of the least-visited and most productive stretches of offshore water on the entire BC coast. The full-day trip typically runs 9–10 hours, covering the shelf-edge and canyon systems where cold, nutrient-rich Pacific waters well up to concentrate seabirds in significant numbers. Target species include Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Pink-footed, Sooty, and Short-tailed Shearwaters, Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-Petrels, and Parasitic, Pomarine, and Long-tailed Jaegers. Offshore marine mammals — Northern Fur Seals, Fin Whales, and Pacific White-sided Dolphins — are regularly encountered. Passengers are outfitted in floater suits before departure from the operator's office at 7185 Market Street, Port Hardy; minimum participant age is 15 years. Coastal Rainforest Safaris is an Indigenous-owned operator with deep knowledge of northern Vancouver Island's marine environment, offering a rare window into waters that receive very few dedicated birding trips despite their exceptional seabird productivity.