Roger Obayashi, driver and co-owner of Wild Whales Vancouver, has spent a lot of time on the ocean. “I was a commercial fisherman for 30 years and eventually sold my licence. I ran a water taxi and wasn’t very busy in the summer, then I saw how busy whale watching in Steveston was and started driving for a company there,” says Roger. “I got my captain’s ticket in 2000 and then when I wasn’t getting as many hours as I wanted, I decided to get together with some other partners and start a whale watching company here in Vancouver.”
In 2003, Roger and his partners secured an office in one of the most marine-centric locations in the city – Granville Island – hired naturalists, captains, and office staff, and opened their own whale watching company running out of the heart of Vancouver. Today, Wild Whales Vancouver runs three boats and three trips most days from April to October, hosting guests from all over the world who come to soak in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, one of the best places on the planet to view orcas in the wild. “It’s going to be our twelfth season this year, which is exciting,” Roger says, reflecting on the time that’s passed.
