Howe Sound doesn’t waste time reminding you that cities are accidents of geography and that nature is still the landlord. Twenty minutes out of Vancouver, you’re in seal country, and the seals don’t care about your schedule, your snorkel mask fogging up, or whether your GoPro battery is dead. They have fish to chase and naps to take. And yet — they’ll swim under your kayak, nibble curiosity into your oar, and look you in the face as if daring you to remember who really belongs here.
Sea Dragon is the vessel that makes this intrusion feel almost polite. The staff know that wetsuits are instruments of both comedy and claustrophobia, so they help you wriggle in with the patience of saints. The boat is clean, the gear is solid, and the promise of hot soup afterward is the kind of detail that feels like grace. Safety isn’t lip service; it’s baked into everything, which is why even the nervous first-timers find themselves slipping off the boat into water they never imagined they’d enter.
And what happens next is the miracle of proximity. Seals everywhere: pups bobbing up like mischievous bath toys, adults rolling in the surf, one bold face surfacing inches away, as if to remind you this isn’t an aquarium. This is the wild, and somehow you’ve been allowed to join it for an afternoon. The mountains close in around the Sound, glaciers feeding the water that feeds the fish that feeds the seals that, for a few hours, feed your sense of wonder.
It was so good we did a second Snorkel, Kayak, and Seal Adventure with the Sea Dragon folks. Because honestly, when nature serves you cake, why not ask for seconds? Same seals, same mountains, same wetsuit gymnastics — but the encore felt even sweeter. Like déjà vu, except with more whiskers and better soup.
Sea Dragon doesn’t just run tours. It runs interference between human routine and the truth that wilderness is not far away, not locked up in documentaries, but sitting right at Vancouver’s doorstep — whiskers, waves, wetsuits, and all.
This was the most incredible experience! The guides were so nice and very knowledgeable. Also Kevin was a great sea captain. The seals were adorable and very playful! One jumped up in my husband’s kayak and another nosed and softly bit at my kayak paddle playing with it. The snorkeling was also super fun and it wasn’t too cold since we had the wetsuits. Plus they provided hot chocolate and soup once we got back on the boat. Overall the experience of a lifetime and would recommend this tour a million times over!
This was one of the most enjoyable holiday experiences we have ever had. We Ubered there from downtown Vancouver, and bused back (super easy). From our first glimpses of Horshoe Bay we were excited, it's gorgeous! The team taking the tour were super friendly and helpful, and the experience itself was one we will remember for a lifetime. The scenery is absolutely stunning, the seals are adorable, and we even saw a humpback whale! If you love the water, and animals, do this tour!