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Letter: Established guidelines form ‘appropriate practises’ for whale watching

Operators are concerned about the environment and wildlife
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Re: Reader questions allowing whale watching in Oak Bay, (Oak Bay News, Letters, May 17)

Another boat or two transiting to and from Oak Bay Marina is not going to endanger swimmers and recreational boaters as the writer suggests. Whale watching tour boats follow a traffic pattern through our waters that is used by pleasure, commercial, recreational and sport fishers daily and is over a mile away from swimming areas. I agree they may be a bit noisy but nowhere near as much as the jet skis that regularly launch from Cattle Point and the marina ramp and travel at high speeds, often dangerously close to Willows beach. Why aren’t you complaining about them?

Tour boats have been transiting Oak Bay waters for over 25 years without incident. Operators are concerned about the environment and the whales, seals, sea lions and sea birds that their professional captains monitor. They also provide valuable support to the marine research and monitoring community. Tour boats are often first to respond to a marine emergency or to provide assistance to a recreational boater.

“Appropriate practises” should include established guidelines already in use by the local whale watching community, not a moratorium.

Rick Gonder

Oak Bay



Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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