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ABOUT PRINCE
OF WHALES
History
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| Alan McGillivray |
Office and Boat staff with local news |
Alan McGillivray started the Prince of Whales Whale
Watching company in 1995. He contracted Chris and Anna
Hall to run the trips from Victoria with his single
Daigle EagleCraft small passenger vessel.
By 2004, the company had expanded to include a second
EagleCraft, a fleet of 10 rigid-hulled inflatable vessels
and employed two dozen seasonal staff.
In 2005, the two EagleCrafts were replaced with a single,
larger vessel, the Ocean
Magic. The Ocean
Magic is a state-of-the-art vessel that was
constructed in British Columbia and makes use of technology
that reduces the amount of noise projected into the
whales’ environment.
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HISTORY
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Times Colonist : Business
Saturday May 11 2002
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HISTORY
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University of Western Ontario's winter 2003
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Princes of Whales excursions leave Victoria’s
Inner Harbour on a regular schedule throughout the spring,
summer and fall. Passengers embark on a wildlife cruise
up to 100-kilometres in length in search of killer whales,
grey whales, minke whales, or even humpback whales.
A variety of smaller marine mammals and sea birds are
often seen as well. The company strives to provide an
exciting experience that is both safe and educational.
The skippers of all vessels are all well informed and
Coast Guard approved. The Ocean
Magic offers the opportunity to ride in comfort
either indoors or out, and has a marine biologist aboard
to provide more in-depth discussions of marine mammal
biology and ecology.
In 2006, the Ocean Magic II was launched and put into
service on our new Vancouver/Victoria cruises, departing
daily from June 1 to Sept 16. This 4 hour one way venture
can be taken either way, southbound in the morning or
northbound in the afternoon. This allows a variety of
packages that can mix in seaplane flights one way and
also coach trips to Butchart Gardens with a return on
BC Ferries.
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Our Staff
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| Anna and Chris Hall |
Anna and Mike - Captains / Naturalists |
Prince of Whales is the largest whale watching company
in British Columbia. Spouses Anna and Chris Hall joined
POW (as they affectionately call the company) when it
began in 1995. Since then, each contributed to the firm’s
success in their own unique way. In the early days,
Chris and Anna conducted the whale watching trips and
helped promote the company in Victoria. Chris’s
responsibilities increased as the company expanded and
he now is the Fleet Manager overseeing all marine operations.
Though he is kept busy with technical details, he still
enjoys the opportunity to do occasional trips on the
Ocean Magic with his wife Anna, the company’s
marine biologist, and dream maker for countless visitors.
Meet
the Staff
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Projects: Research and education
(summer
student biologist) |
A new component to
Prince of Whales is our research and education
initiatives. As a leader in this knowledge-based
industry, we strive to provide the highest quality
tours by providing up to date biological and ecological
information to our passengers. Our staff participates
in a variety of whale conservation activities
throughout the year, and our marine biologist,
Anna, is conducting porpoise research as part
of her PhD at the Marine Mammal Research Unit,
University of British Columbia.
We want the whales and responsible whale watching
to survive. That means taking care in how we work
around the animals. We participate in the revision
of whale watching guidelines used throughout the
industry. We meet with government officials and
whale scientists to discuss the social and biological
impacts of eco-tourism activities. |
We attend scientific symposia to learn the latest biological
and ecological findings, and we have offered the use
of our vessels to scientists to use as “platforms
of opportunity” to observe the whales in their
natural habitats. We believe that it is important to
reduce the environmental impacts on the whales through
science, education and action.
Our newly adopted stewardship blog
allows us to document and share with the public our
findings of whales and wildlife. Viewers enjoy various
mediums; photos, videos, audio clips and text accounts
of our trips as learning tools. We encourage guests
and viewers to interact and contribute to this ongoing
initiative. As a gift to our passengers, we allow them
to take our photos with them and keep them as educational
momentos to share with others.
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