Witless Bay whale watching happens from one village. Both boats leave Bay Bulls, 30 to 40 minutes south of St. John's, and both sail the same four islands — Gull, Green, Great and Pee Pee — inside the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Gatherall's Puffin & Whale Watch charges C$94 for an adult; O'Brien's Whale and Bird Tours charges C$74. Neither guarantees a whale. What they do guarantee, in effect, is the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America: the provincial government counts more than 260,000 nesting pairs on those islands, plus over 620,000 pairs of Leach's storm-petrels, the second-largest colony of that species in the world.
Gatherall's Puffin & Whale Watch
A family company at 90 North Side Road, operating from the same site earlier generations of Gatheralls fished from. Its history page dates the first tour boat to about 1984 and counts "almost forty years" of tours, across a line of vessels the family built itself — Gaffer through Gaffer VI. The current boat is a custom-designed catamaran, described as the largest tour boat in Newfoundland, with multiple viewing decks, rail space for everyone, indoor cabin room for all guests in rain, washrooms and a canteen. Vessel and crew are Transport Canada certified and inspected annually.
Its argument for a big boat is worth hearing: high decks and a raised wheelhouse let the crew spot whales further off, and the catamaran's range lets it go further to reach them. Published rates are C$94 adult (25–64), C$85 senior or CAA, C$70 student (18–24), C$58 youth (10–17), C$50 child (1–9), infants free, plus tax. The tour runs 90 minutes or more on a posted schedule dated 14 May to 20 September — 10:30 only in the shoulder weeks, two departures through June, and four a day from 1 July to mid-August, with extra times added as demand warrants. A St. John's hotel shuttle costs C$35 per adult and C$28 per youth.
O'Brien's Whale and Bird Tours
Founded in 1985 by brothers Joseph and Loyola O'Brien as one of the first boat-tour companies on Newfoundland's east coast, now four vessels and an event centre at O'Brien's Dock in Bay Bulls, with the founders' sons recently coming aboard as the next generation. The main trip is its Award Winning Boat Tour: roughly 90 to 110 minutes, published at C$74 adult (17+), C$68 student under 25, C$58 senior 65+, C$42 youth (10–17), C$38 child (1–9), infants free. Departures are 9:00, 11:30, 14:00 and 16:30, with tours running from early May to the end of September.
The vessel is Transport Canada certified with a fully enclosed heated cabin, panoramic windows, a canteen and bar, restrooms and non-motorized wheelchair accessibility — the most weather-proof option in Bay Bulls, which matters on a foggy Avalon morning. A shuttle from St. John's hotels is available at extra charge.
One quirk to know: the homepage tile still advertises "from $95" while the tour page lists the adult fare at C$74. Use the rate table on the tour page, and check the total in the booking flow before you pay.
Its second product, the Coastal Adventure on the 10-passenger Kittiwake at C$200 per person, is listed as not currently operating, and it never included puffins. From early September, when the seabirds head back out to sea, O'Brien's shifts the route to a coastal and geological run past sea stacks, caves, waterfalls and the wave-driven geyser known locally as the Spout.
Side by side
| Gatherall's | O'Brien's | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult fare | C$94 + tax | C$74 + tax |
| Duration | 90+ minutes | 90–110 minutes |
| Boat | One large catamaran, open and covered decks | Enclosed heated cabin, four vessels in the fleet |
| Departures | Up to 4 daily, 14 May – 20 Sept | 4 daily, early May – 30 Sept |
| Puffins | Advertised as guaranteed | Not guaranteed, "almost" in season |
| Whales | Not guaranteed | Not guaranteed |
| Cancellation | Free to 3 h before, then 50% | Not published |
| Shuttle | C$35 adult / C$28 youth | Extra charge, price not published |
When to go, and what the season really does
Both companies publish the same shape of season, and it is the single most useful thing on either site. Whale sightings peak in July; Gatherall's widens that to mid-June through mid-August, and O'Brien's adds June and August as good but lesser. Whales may show from mid-May and occasionally linger into September. Puffins are reliable from early May to early September. Icebergs are the gamble: May to mid or late June at best, and O'Brien's says outright that they do not reach Bay Bulls every year.
So the productive window for all three at once is the second half of June — humpbacks building, puffins in full swing, and a tail-end chance of ice. Pick July if whales are the priority and you are willing to drop the icebergs. See the Newfoundland page for how the capelin run drives the humpbacks inshore, and the season calendar for the rest of the country.
What the partner catalogue actually has
Neither Bay Bulls company sells through GetYourGuide. The two Newfoundland products in the catalogue are elsewhere in the province, and prices are checked regularly.
Same trip, formats compared
Prices refreshed from the GetYourGuide feed in Canadian dollars.
If you want a boat you can book with a card from your sofa, the St. John's cruise with Iceberg Quest is the one — a different harbour, a different route, no puffin colony. For Bay Bulls, book direct.
Verdict
Take O'Brien's if the group includes anyone who will want a heated cabin, a bar or step-free access, or if the fare difference matters over four tickets — C$80 saved on a family of four. Take Gatherall's if you want maximum deck and rail space, the widest daily choice of departures, and the puffin guarantee in writing. Either way, book a morning slot so a fog cancellation leaves you the afternoon, and read what a sighting guarantee is worth before you weigh one against the other. Trinity and Bonavista, two and a half hours north, are covered in the Trinity operators review, and the wider east-coast picture is on Atlantic Canada and humpbacks and grey whales.