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Hundreds of Bald Eagles. One private boat. An experience you’ll never forget

Starts/Ends

Campbell river

Duration:

2 Days

Group Size:

Max 8 persons:

Date:

Two departure dates

Experience intimate, front-row bald eagle feeding encounters in pristine coastal waters, without overcrowded boats, physical strain or expensive gear and is perfect for ALL nature lovers and photographers.

Tour information:

This tour is open to ALL nature lovers and levels of experience.

Two available departure dates to choose from:

Departure date ONE:

Date: 30 - 31 May 2026 (Saturday and Sunday)

Departure date TWO:

Date: 6 - 7 June 2026 (Saturday and Sunday)

Size of groups: 8 persons max/ tour

Cost:

One day: CAD $495 + 5%GST

Two day: CAD $915 + 5% GST

When checking out scroll down on the payment screen and select Card for the easiest and fastest booking.

The Experience:

Imagine yourself standing on a boat, surrounded by rugged coastlines and towering evergreens, as hundreds of bald eagles could be seen lined up in the tall branches of the trees. Some circle overhead, and suddenly dive down in powerful bursts with outstretched razor-sharp talons. They snatched a floating fish right from the surface.

You hear every beat of their powerful wings.
Fish are swallowed mid-air, stolen in aerial chases, or dropped and instantly reclaimed.
Juveniles challenge seasoned adults. More eagles show up, often times 300-400 birds. Total Chaos erupts as this frenzy starts, and you’re standing right in the middle of one of nature’s most dramatic feeding events.

This is raw, untamed wilderness and it’s unfolding naturally, ethically, and right before your eyes.

Quick Facts

Two departure dates in late spring/ Early Summer(Very short seasonal window)

Small Group setting: 8 persons max per tour

Minimal Physical demand, no hiking required

Always responsible and ethical wildlife viewing. No compromise!!

Personal guidance from a wildlife photographer and naturalist with 16 years field experience

Comfortable, Enclosed boat with onboard washroom

Highlights:

Astonishing ocean and mountain scenery.

Photographing and viewing 250-400 bald eagles in their natural environment fishing for hake, diving, and even fighting for a meal mid air.
Potential to photograph and view other marine mammals.
• Humpback whales and Orcas
• Pacific White-Sided Dolphins
• Stellar Sea Lions and seals
• Possible Black & Grizzly Bears along the shorelinel
Learn to become a better nature photographer in pure raw untamed nature.
Making new lasting friendships.

Who is this experience for?

This experience is designed for anyone who loves the natural world.

Whether you are a passionate birder, a wildlife enthusiast, a photographer of any level, a non-photographer, or a partner simply tagging along for the experience, you’ll feel completely at home here.

There is no pressure to perform, no expectation to photograph, and no need for expensive gear. Just curiosity, a hunger for adventure, respect for wildlife and beautiful scenery, and a desire to witness something truly rare and exceptional.

Why this experience is different

Most eagle tours get you on the water and in front of the eagles. That's a great start. But The Bald Eagle Spectacle is built around something more including maximum access, minimum crowds, and genuine expertise from arrival to well after you get home.

Private boat with 8 guests maximum. This isn't a shared tour where you're competing for space at the railing. Every guest has room to move, room to shoot, and room to simply stand and take it all in. Eight people is the most this experience will ever carry. Period.

You're prepared before you arrive. Before you ever set foot on the boat you'll join a group Zoom session covering bird behaviour, what to expect on the water, and how to make the most of your time with the eagles. You arrive ready and not overwhelmed or trying to figure it out as you go.

Expert eyes with you the entire time. With 16 years photographing wildlife across Africa and North America, I'm not just on the boat, I'm actively reading the behaviour, positioning the group, and helping everyone get closer to the moments that matter. Whether you're shooting on a phone or a professional lens, that expertise changes what you come home with.

The experience doesn't end when you leave the boat. Two-day guests receive a private one-on-one session with me after the experience where we go through your best moments together, talk through what worked, and discuss how to build on it. Most wildlife experiences end the moment you step off the boat. This one stays with you.

Why is this event so RARE?

This extraordinary feeding frenzy only happens during a very short seasonal window each year.

Dramatic changes in tides occur when massive amounts of water are being forced through narrow channels. This creates fast currents also known as tidal rapids, creating a serious of whirlpools and upswellings. Every year during this time North Pacific Hake fish migrates through the Discovery Islands. This fast water movements are deadly to the Hake, as they are being pushed to the surface in large numbers. They are trapped on the surface as their swim bladders expands, disoriented and unable to dive back down deep. The fish become easy prey, triggering a concentrated feeding event that draws hundreds of bald eagles to a single area.

To align with tides and migration patterns, only a small number of carefully timed departures are offered.Timing is everything and that’s why availability is limited and timed perfectly with the tides.

Each experience is limited to just 8 guests, ensuring calm, ethical, and uncrowded wildlife encounters. Once these limited dates are filled, no additional trips can be added.

Which Date Is Right for You?

Both experiences are carefully scheduled to align with peak tidal conditions during the short bald eagle feeding season. Each offers the same exceptional experience, small group size, and ethical wildlife encounters. The choice comes down to timing and your personal preference.

May 30–31, 2026

Early-Season Energy & Fresh Migration

This early-season experience often delivers high numbers of bald eagles with lower quantities of hake as the migration begins slowly at first. Expect powerful feeding activity, dramatic interactions between adults and juveniles, and just pure raw and unfiltered moments in nature.

This date is ideal if you:

Prefer to experience the event as it first starts peaking.
Often times overcast weather can be expected making photography more ideal since the tides are not always optimized with the best light conditions
Enjoy high-energy wildlife behavior
Want first access to the seasonal feeding window

June 6–7, 2026

Peak Conditions & Refined Encounters

This later experience benefits from slightly more settled patterns, often offering larger and more consistent feeding activities as more and more hake migrates through the area. Huge concentrations of eagles can be seen all around and can be very chaotic at times. Light Conditions may not always be optimized as typically more clear skies could be present making photography a little more challenging. This will still deliver more intense, close-range action due to the large amount of eagles and higher concentration of hake on the surface.

This date is ideal if you:

Prefer a high number of eagles with consistent opportunities to view or photograph eagles in flight.
Value consistency alongside spectacle
Higher chances of seeing humpback whales as they are starting to return to the cold Pacific Waters to feed.

One Day Experience vs Two day Experience.

One day experience

Perfect if your schedule only allows a single day or you want to experience the eagle feeding frenzy without the full two-day commitment. You'll spend five full hours on the water with hundreds of bald eagles in one of nature's most extraordinary wildlife spectacles. Expert guidance throughout, light lunch and soft drinks included, and a private boat with a maximum of just 8 guests.

This is still an exceptional and complete wildlife experience and one day on the water with these eagles will stay with you for a long time.

Two day experience

The full experience and our most popular option. Two days on the water gives you something a single day simply cannot. Two completely different encounters with the eagles in different tidal conditions, different light, and different behaviour. What you learn and see on day one sharpens everything about day two.

Day one you're taking it all in. Day two you know what to look for, how to anticipate the moments, and how to make the most of every second out there.

This is a short, seasonal experience with extremely limited availability.

With only 8 guests per departure and a narrow window each year, spaces fill quickly. Once the season ends, this experience is gone until next year.

If witnessing one of nature’s most powerful wildlife spectacles has been on your bucket list, now is the time.

Let’s explore wild places — responsibly, intimately, and unforgettable.

I've spent 16 years in the field photographing wildlife across Africa and North America. From tracking lions at dawn in the Sabi Sands to standing on a boat while hundreds of bald eagles dive for fish ten feet away.

In that time I've developed a deep understanding of animal behaviour across two continents. I know how to read what's about to happen before it happens, position a small group for maximum access, and make sure every single person comes home with something extraordinary. Whether that's an award winning photograph or simply a memory that stays with them for the rest of their life.

I started Stephan Olivier Photography & Tours because I wanted to share these wild places with people who love them as much as I do. Not as a tour operator running groups through a checklist. As a wildlife photographer and naturalist who genuinely lives for these moments.

On every experience I guide personally. It's me on the boat with you the whole time.

About your guide - Wildlife Photographer & Naturalist

This is depending on the type of experience you select. Some of the activities will be dependant on weather, but here is a sample of what it might look like.
Day one
- Meet at Campbell River. (Specific place and time will be communicated).
- After a short safety briefing we will depart on the boat. We will look out for any marine mammals on our way to the Eagle Show and spend some time with them.
- Be in total admiration for all the beautiful views surrounding Campbell river.
- Depending on the sightings a small lunch would be served.
- The eagles will be in the vicinity but they might not be active yet by the time we get to them.
- Patience is the name of the game as the tides start rushing in.
- Before long the Hake will hopefully start rising to the top, just in time for hungry Eagles to start their feast.
- After the feast dies down we continue in our search for other Marine wildlife.
- As with anything in nature nothing is guaranteed. We do however try our very best to put you in the the best position for stunning wildlife photography.
Day Two (only for multiple day tour)
- New day with new possibilities.
- Light conditions, eagle activities and presence of other sea life could bring whole set of different photo and viewing opportunities.
- This is also a day to make any tweaks to camera settings or expanding your capabilities or creative vision. This day is about progression and not repetition.
- Nature will for the most part decide on our direction as we search for marine wildlife on our way to the eagle show.
What is included:
- Private boat - maximum 8 guests
- Highly experienced captain
- Covered boat with large outside deck
- Onboard washroom
- Light lunch and soft drinks
- Expert photography and video guidance throughout
One day experience also includes:
- 5 hours on the water with the eagles
- Pre-experience group Zoom session of birds in flight overview
Two day experience also includes:
- 10 hours on the water across two days
- Post-experience one-on-one coaching session with Stephan
What is excluded
- Transportation to and from Campbell River.
- Accommodation.
- All meals not specified in the itinerary.
- All drinks not specified in the itinerary.
- Tips or Gratuities to the guide and or captain.
- Items of a personal nature.
- Activities not specified in the itinerary.
- No skills required. Just a passion for the great outdoors and a hunger for adventure.
As a small business we incur many expenses in preparing for a workshop or tour. We appreciate your understanding that our trip dates and capacities are often limited, to ensure that our guests have the best possible experience.
When we accept your booking or reservation, we may be turning others away from booking a spot on a tour or a workshop. Therefor our terms and conditions and cancellation policy reflect this. If you are unable to join your tour or workshop, we need to receive the cancellation in writing. It is highly recommended to take out Travel insurance.
The cancellation fees are as follows:
- Prior to 75 days before commencement of the Workshop = Full refund minus 25% nonrefundable deposit.
- 30 – 74 days before commencement of the Workshop = No refund, but you can use 75% as future trip credit (valid up to 3 years).
- Less than 30 days prior to the commencement of the Workshop: No refund or credit to future trips.
- Last minute bookings are final sales.
For more details and full T&C’s please click here:

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are feeling adventurous and want to explore more of the area before or after the trip on your own, the Ferry would be your best bet. With set scheduled times throughout the day it is very easy to plan your trip. Fly in to Comox or directly to Campbell river is a very convenient option. Which ever way you choose, the scenery will be incredibly and it will be well worth it.
It's a very comfortable ride for the majority of the time. There could be some choppy conditions if it’s fairly windy but the captain will try to mitigate it as much as possible. When riding between the Islands, conditions are general very smooth.
Not at all. This experience is designed for nature lovers first. Photography is optional, and many guests join simply to witness the spectacle.
Absolutely not. Guests range from experienced photographers to those using basic cameras. Even your phone will do but it also depends on what is your ultimate goal for your photos.
- A zoom lens or a fixed focal prime connected to your favourite camera will be your best bet. A zoom range between 200-600 mm will get you fantastic detailed shots. If you have a shorter lens on a another camera nearby it will come in handy since opportunities for more wider or Environmental type of shots. are very possible.
- Bring extra batteries and lots of space on your memory cards. You will shoot a lot of photos.
- Leave the tripod at home as it will just be in the way.
Often times very close as the unique tidal conditions naturally bring small hake fish towards us and therefor bringing the eagles into excellent viewing range. We will always maintain ethical and respectful distances but sometimes nature has other plans.
No. The tour is boat-based with minimal physical requirements and no hiking involved.
No, this a private tour and Group size are capped at 8 guests to ensure enough space, comfort, and a unforgettable experience.
Wildlife, including the eagles are wild and never staged. That said, this area consistently delivers remarkable eagle activity during this season. Strategically planned times, aligned with the tides brings an exceptionally high probability to see eagles and other marine wildlife.
West Coast weather is part of the experience and can change on a dime. Tours operate only in safe conditions, and changing light often enhances wildlife activity. Thankfully, a fully enclosed boat will keep you warm, dry and toasty.
Yes absolutely. It is a wild and natural occurrence that happens during this time of the year, whether we are there or not. We are just there to observe the natural spectacle. But as always Wildlife welfare comes first and there is no exception.
Yes all dietary options can be accommodated if its been requested prior the trip.