Route

Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour) to Gabriola Island (Descanso Bay)

Switch direction

 Departures and arrivals, ferry tracking and terminal webcams are available for this route

Learn more about the improvements to current conditions

Last updated:  9:58 am Refresh details

Departures Status

5:45 am  Departed  5:48 am
Island Kwigwis

5:45 am  Departed  5:48 am Island Kwigwis

Arrived: 6:15 am

6:55 am  Departed  6:55 am
Island Kwigwis

6:55 am  Departed  6:55 am Island Kwigwis

Arrived: 7:21 am

7:35 am  Departed  7:35 am
Island Gwawis

7:35 am  Departed  7:35 am Island Gwawis

Arrived: 8:00 am

8:10 am  Departed  8:10 am
Island Kwigwis

8:10 am  Departed  8:10 am Island Kwigwis

Arrived: 8:33 am

8:45 am  Departed  8:45 am
Island Gwawis

8:45 am  Departed  8:45 am Island Gwawis

Arrived: 9:09 am

9:20 am  Departed  9:20 am
Island Kwigwis

9:20 am  Departed  9:20 am Island Kwigwis

Arrived: 9:44 am

9:55 am  Departed  9:55 am
Island Gwawis

9:55 am  Departed  9:55 am Island Gwawis

ETA : Variable

10:30 am
Island Kwigwis

DG Sailing only, No other passengers permitted.

Dangerous Goods only

10:30 am Island Kwigwis DG Sailing only, No other passengers permitted. Dangerous Goods only

Upcoming

11:05 am
Island Gwawis

11:05 am Island Gwawis

Upcoming

11:40 am
Island Kwigwis

11:40 am Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

12:55 pm
Island Gwawis

12:55 pm Island Gwawis

Upcoming

1:30 pm
Island Kwigwis

1:30 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

2:15 pm
Island Gwawis

2:15 pm Island Gwawis

Upcoming

2:50 pm
Island Kwigwis

2:50 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

3:25 pm
Island Gwawis

3:25 pm Island Gwawis

Upcoming

4:00 pm
Island Kwigwis

4:00 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

4:35 pm
Island Gwawis

4:35 pm Island Gwawis

Upcoming

5:05 pm
Island Kwigwis

5:05 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

6:15 pm
Island Kwigwis

6:15 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

7:30 pm
Island Kwigwis

7:30 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

9:10 pm
Island Kwigwis

9:10 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

10:05 pm
Island Kwigwis

10:05 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

11:00 pm
Island Kwigwis

11:00 pm Island Kwigwis

Upcoming

Webcams

Last updated:  9:58 AM Refresh details

Traffic at the terminal

Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour)

# 160 Front Street, Nanaimo, V9S 5R1

Get directions

Route fares

Fare calculator

Plan your trip with ease. Add passenger and vehicle details to calculate your fare for this route.

Or, download our complete PDF fare guide.

Parking:

Limited pay parking nearby.

Learn more about current conditions

What is current conditions?

Current Conditions is a real-time planning tool that helps customers make informed travel decisions. Current Conditions provides information about sailing status, arrival times, departure times and deck space availability by sailing. Current Conditions also displays live web cams at terminals and parking capacity information.

Why do some routes have Current Conditions pages and others do not?

Current Conditions is available at terminals with Traffic Towers. We are looking into adding additional routes where we can install cameras for live traffic tracking.

How do we calculate Estimated Deck Space Available?

Estimated Deck Space Available is the approximate percentage of vehicle deck space that remains available for sale on a particular sailing. It is calculated after counting the number of reservations and the number of drive-up customers already checked in at the terminal. This percentage changes as more vehicles are processed through the ticket booth.

Around 10–20% of customers do not check-in for their bookings. After the booking check-in window closes, which is around 30* minutes before departure, we free up these spaces for drive-up customers.

*Some exceptions apply find and review the check-in and cut-off times at your departure terminal.

What does Now Ticketing mean?

The Now Ticketing section of Current Conditions informs customers of the sailing currently being sold at the ticket booth. It indicates for those customers without a reservation in the pre-ticketing area with the sailing they can expect to travel on. As sailings become full during the day, Now Ticketing displays the next sailing with available deck space for non-reserved traffic.

Are commercial vehicles calculated as part of Estimated Deck Space Available?

Yes. We calculate all types of vehicle traffic, including commercial vehicles and buses, as part of Mixed Vehicle Deck Space Available calculations. Foot passengers are not calculated as they do not take up vehicle deck space.

Why do the cameras show an empty lot, but Estimated Deck Space Available indicates the sailing is full?

Estimated Deck Space Available includes advanced vehicle bookings. In most cases, these customers can check-in up to 30 minutes* before their sailing. If customers have a booking but haven’t yet arrived, the terminal lot may appear empty.

*Some exceptions apply find and review the check-in and cut-off times at your departure terminal.

How often is Current Conditions updated?

Current Conditions retrieves live data from all terminals every five minutes.

Why does Current Conditions not show a sailing as delayed until after it departs?

There is currently no way for a terminal to update the anticipated departure time without affecting the scheduled sailing time online.

What is displayed when a sailing is cancelled or late departing?

When a sailing is delayed or cancelled, the sailing will display a message that indicates the reason. This will appear on the Departures/Arrivals page under Status.

Why does Estimated Deck Space Available only show departures for today?

Estimated Deck Space Available is built on a 24-hour clock and is designed to be a near-term planning tool that displays real-time conditions at the terminal. We have recently made updates to Deck Space Available that now show the day’s sailings as well as the first three sailings of the next day.

Sailing status by route

Select destination (city)

City Terminal

Very weak Weak Medium Strong Very strong password.strength.unsafepwd Too short Use %d - %m characters with a mix of any 3 [upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers & symbols] 8 32 Password must be more than eight characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Password must be less than 32 characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Enter current password Enter valid email address Password not valid Select account type Enter first name Enter last name Confirm Email Not Valid Password must be more than eight characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Passwords do not match Enter valid postal/zip code Loading... Please wait... Stores loaded View schedule from View sailing status from Discover our routes from to