Bird island boat tours was one of the first things I booked for my Nova Scotia trip. As a birder…read moreand nature lover, this was a must do. I paid a $20 deposit at booking, and $62 per person upon arrival. There were maybe 8-10 total guests on the boat. We had an enthusiastic captain and first mate who pointed out good photo ops and the type of bird (or seal!) that was nearby. We saw tons of puffins, cormorants, razorbills, gulls, guillemots, kittiwakes, and a few eagles and herons. I highly recommend bringing binoculars (or you can rent for $8). They had a small gift shop where I bought cute puffin socks after the tour. I highly recommend this experience!

This tour was the first thing we booked when we began planning our vacation 10 months ago. I am so…read moreglad we did! The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and very good at pointing out the different birds we saw. They also discussed the history of the area and the reasons for changing bird counts over the years.

What a great experience! We went one of the last days of the season, knowing we likely wouldn't see…read morepuffins because they had migrated early. We didn't see any, but that was ok because it was still a great experience. The boat has some cover and it was comfortable. Donelda narrated and told us about what we could expect and some history of the area on our way to the islands. The journey itself was beautiful. A major highlight for us was getting to see bald eagles up close (right next to the boat) as she feeds them on the way. The tour could've been about bald eagles and I would've been happy! We saw lots of different types of birds, bald eagles of different ages, and seals! Lots and lots of seals. We also got to see the puffin breeding grounds and learned about them. That just made us want to come back and do it again in the future. Originally we didn't have enough people to take off (need 10, we had 9). Not everyone had shown up. However, someone asked if we could pay for the extra ticket and we happily split it with them. I suggest bringing cash, the credit machine was down. I was able to pay via PayPal but cash would've been easier I think.

Best boat trip ever! We saw puffins, seals, bald eagles, cormorants, mini penguins and lots of…read moreother bird species. Worth the money completely. There was also great veiws of mountains and cliff's. Best part of our trip to Canada from NC. We would do it again! Thanks for the great boat tour!

Don't really like fishing but.. there's a lot of trash sometimes like old cans and old ciggeretes,…read moresmells bad

BEST WHALE WATCHING - EVER!!…read more From the moment we arrived the owners and staff were welcoming and friendly. John came over from a bench and talked at length about the fishing that takes place out of the harbor. Quentin was our Captain on the trip. The zodiac boat holds about 10 people and it was a fun bumpy ride up the coast. After about 20 minutes we began searching for whales. 10 minutes later we saw our first Pilot whales. Within minutes, Captain Q had maneuvered to within a 100 yards of the pod and killed the engine. The entire mass of whales slowly approached us and before long we were right in the middle of the pod! AMAZING, we had whales completely around us for over an hour! Some came right next to the boat, not even concerned that we were there. The ride back was much closer to the beautiful mountains and cliffs along this side of the island. We slowed down to see Seals and eagles. It was just the best experience for our family. Staff even watched our 5 mo. old Labradoodle while were were on the tour!

Best Experience of Cape Breton! Highly recommend Limbos Cove. More expensive than the other tours,…read morebut totally worth it. Great Service, friendly staff and captain. The Captain knew exactly where the pilot whales were and we got to just drift for over an hour and watch dozens of wales swim around the boat. We got to go out (about 8 of us) in the zodiac which, according to whale watching sites, is better for the whales then a bigger boat. The whole time, we were the only whale-watching boat in sight.

Great afternoon on the Bras d'Or! We had two couples who both really enjoyed the charter, and…read morecould have had another 2 people based on the size of the boat. The weather was perfect, blue skies and a nice breeze. The crew of 3 was very friendly and they handled the boat with skill. They let us steer for a while in the quieter parts, they explained the basics of sailing, but we didn't have to worry about things when we wanted to sit back and enjoy the ride. We will be back!

From the owner: Daysailing experiences on Cape Breton's Bras d'Or Lake. Half and full day group and private…read morecharters, multi-day/multi-port cruises. This is a hands-on experience where you sail the boat, with instructions and advice from the captain. Gourmet catering available.

Captain Mark's has a great website and web communication. There are two boats - one larger one and…read morea smaller Zodiac one which can go out further to sea. It was very easy to make a reservation online, which was confirmed by email. Unfortunately, a month before our trip, the Zodiac vessel which we were booked on was due for repair and Tina from Captain Mark's sent us an email to let us know we'd be put on the larger Double Hookup. And you know what, it was still a very intimate tour with a small group at the beginning of the low season. (At high season, the boat can carry up to 30 people!) On the morning, Captain Mark went to whale spot at a nearby lighthouse to increase chances of whale sighting when the boat was out. Captain Jean was also on board to teach us about the different whales we could spot in Pleasant Bay. It was a fantastic morning out - we spotted pods of pilot whales including a baby, a possible minke whale in the distance and a white seal on the rocky shores. We went as far as Meat Cove. The ride was smooth and our hosts were great. My favourite part was when they dropped an under water microphone into the sea so that we could hear the whale clicking whilst watching them swim to the surface. Definitely worth it!

Our time with Captain Mark (or in our case, Captain Gil) was as fun as it gets. We went for a…read more9:30am tour on the zodiac boat this June on a beautiful, sunny day. When we arrived we laughed for a good few minutes about the funny orange trek suits guests wear, not realizing that they are beyond necessary! When you're not spotting whales you are on a boating thrill ride - jumping waves, going fast, and enjoying the beautiful ocean and coastline. But beware! If it is a choppy day, your boat is likely to get very, very wet each time the boat stops. Those silly orange suits were lifesavers and kept us dry, comfortable, and having fun. We saw three Minke whales, all very close to the boat - it was an extremely choppy day which is apparently why we struggled to spot more. Even if we had seen no whales I would recommend this on your trip to Pleasant Bay!

A boat maintenance facility open year-round, located on the Bras d'Or Lakes of Cape Breton Island…read more They provide haulout, launch services, and mooring (including water taxi), fuel and pump out, showers and laundry. Also a provide maintenance (including computerized engine diagnostics). The store carries charts, tools, parts and accessories, and clothing and flags. I bought a very nice all weather Nova Scotia flag that I will hang up at home as a souvenir of my visit.

If you need to buy parts for your Yanmar diesel engine you would be better off going elsewhere…read more I had a leaky water pump that I had to replace. Since I would be sailing past Baddeck Marine within a week or so, I called to place an order for the pump. The person who answered took my information and phone number and told me the person who handles parts would call me back. After two days with no call back, I called again with all the same information and was given the same response. This cycle was repeated over ten days or so until, due to schedule restraints, I had sailed past Baddeck and on to North Sydney (37 miles away by car). In North Sydney I finally got a reply, placed an order and was promised delivery... within 5 days. (I learned after the fact that the price for the pump from Baddeck Marine was about $100 more than the on-line price). Delivery occurred as promised, and I was ultimately only delayed one day. However, when I got my credit card bill, there was an additional charge of $79 that I never agreed to and that I assume was for delivery of the pump. This is an outrageous charge for a circumstance that developed only because of Baddeck Marine's repeated failure to accept my order in a timely fashion.

Last year we spent a terrific day with Capt Kerr and his yacht Cu Na Mara on a lovely September…read moreday. Our original booked day turned out to be rather ugly re: rain and cool, so Capt Kerr suggested a two day delay and it worked out to be wonderful. We really appreciated how accommodating the Capt was. The yacht was very comfortable and the Capt has a very good knowledge of the entire area, and well as being a very good sailor. We spend spent two weeks in Cape Breton, and as wonderful as everything was, the day sailing with the Capt on his Cu Na Mara was clearly one of the highlights. Capt Kerr is very entertaining, and it was a real pleasure to spent the day with him. The sailing and scenery was terrific. If we ever get back to that part of the world, this will certainly be something we would do again.

Captain Kerr took us out on a fantastic October day. The sun was shining, the wind was right, and…read morethe fall colors all along the lake banks was spectacular. We had complete confidence in our Captain's sailing ability, and he gave us quite a bit of interesting information about the lake, the history of the area, and the people living there. We anchored in a little cove for snacks, and all in all, it was a wonderful experience! Great way to get to know that part of the Bras d'Or, and in a most memorable way as well.