Fisherman’s Wharf Victoria
Sailing into, or walking alongside Victoria’s famous Inner Harbour, you’ll be hard-pressed to overlook Fisherman’s Wharf. Vibrant, eclectic, and colourful – it’s a must-do while visiting Victoria, BC. Home to a community of floating homes, gift shops, eco-tour operators, and sea life, Fisherman’s Wharf offers a fun (and delicious) place to spend an afternoon.
If you’re planning to visit, here’s what you can expect to see.
The Float Homes
A floating boardwalk runs alongside 33 float homes at Fisherman’s Wharf. These homes are home to full-time residents who are used to sharing their ‘backyard’ with tourists and wildlife like harbour seals, herons, eagles, geese, seagulls and raccoons. With costly real estate in the city, float homes, like those at Fisherman’s Wharf are gaining popularity. It might surprise you to know that recent listings show the value of these homes between $350,000 and $550,000.
The Seals
If it wasn’t for their somewhat playful nature, the Fisherman’s Wharf harbour seals are easy to overlook. Roughly 1.2 – 1.6 meters long, and 60 – 80 KG in weight, the harbour seals are often spotted and might be black, brown, tan or grey. Though feeding seals at Fisherman’s Wharf attracted thousands of visitors every year, it’s now prohibited by the city as it’s thought to disrupt their ecosystem. Even still, by simply glancing over the edge of the boardwalk, you can expect to see harbour seals swimming or splashing by flapping their fins.
The Food
When it comes to food at Fisherman’s Wharf you’ll have one tough choice to make – to cook or not to cook. If you’re inclined to cook, or looking for a great gift, The Fish Store at Fisherman’s Wharf sells fresh salmon, halibut, snapper, albacore tuna, dungeness crab and spot prawns. The Fish Store serves a great ready-to-eat menu too – with items like Steamed Mussels, Fish Tacos and Rice Wraps.
Perhaps most iconic here though is Barb’s Fish and Chips, rated #1 Best Fish and Chips for the past 33 years. And, is seafood isn’t your thing, you also have the choice of Jackson’s Ice Cream, or Mexican at Puerto Vallarta Amigos.
The Tours
Wandering the edge of the waterfront, you might feel inspired to go kayaking, whale watching or fishing. Thankfully eco-tours are on-site at Fisherman’s Wharf. Both SeaKing Adventures and Eagle Wing Whale Watching offers tours where you’re likely to see not just whales but other marine life like porpoises, dolphins, and sea lions to name only a few. You could take a two or three-hour kayak tour with Kelp Reef. And, Bearsley’s offers fresh and saltwater fishing charters for all experience levels.
The Harbour Ferries
Having spent a few hours at Fisherman’s Wharf, you might feel too full or too tired for more walking. One of the most convenient ways to move around Victoria’s Inner Harbour is by Harbour Ferry. The Victoria Harbour Ferries offer a variety of services – from water taxis, harbour tours, and even a pub crawl known as the Pickle Boat Pub Crawl. As Fisherman’s Wharf is a harbour ferry stop, it makes reaching or leaving the wharf incredibly convenient.
For all your yacht provisioning call our concierge desk at 778-432-0477. If you’re looking for a superyacht marina we accept 65′ to 180′ vessels. Phone or book online to reserve your slip.
