When are you travelling? Pick your date and see which sailings are sold out. Watch one and we text you, free, if a spot opens.
The Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay crossing is the northern gateway between the mainland and Vancouver Island: about 1 hour 40 minutes from West Vancouver to Nanaimo through Howe Sound and the Strait of Georgia. It's the natural route for anyone headed to Tofino and Ucluelet, Parksville and Qualicum Beach, the Comox Valley, or Campbell River — which makes it the fleet's summer road-trip workhorse.
Horseshoe Bay itself is a small terminal tucked into a cove, with limited holding space and no easy overflow — which is why the rules here are not the rules everywhere else. Since 15 October 2025 there is no drive-up lane for Departure Bay at all: every vehicle sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo has to be booked and paid for in advance, motorcycles included. The return leg from Departure Bay is unchanged and still takes drive-up traffic.
When this route sells out
Horseshoe Bay → Departure Bay: summer Fridays and holiday Thursdays
Island-bound traffic is dominated by vacationers, so the pattern skews hard to Friday afternoon and evening through July and August, with Thursday evening joining in before long weekends. Saturday mornings fill next, driven by campers and Tofino-bound surf traffic trying to arrive with the day ahead of them. Mid-week departures are your escape valve — Tuesday and Wednesday sailings on this route rarely sell out outside peak holiday weeks.
Departure Bay → Horseshoe Bay: Sunday afternoons, and the end of every long weekend
The return crunch is Sunday from early afternoon onward, when the whole central and north Island funnels back through Nanaimo at once. On long weekends the peak shifts to Monday afternoon, and sailings can stay sold out from noon to the last boat. Cancellations here often appear in clusters the evening before, as families decide to stay an extra day or bail early to beat the rush.
Oversized vehicles, RVs, and trailers
This is one of the heaviest camping-and-RV routes in the system, and the oversized allocation reflects the terminal, not the demand: over-height space on each sailing is limited and goes early. If you're towing a trailer or driving a camper to the Island in summer, treat oversized space as its own scarce resource — it regularly sells out days before standard space on the same sailing. FerryHawk watches the oversized pool separately so your alert matches what you drive.
The BC Ferries oversized vehicle guide covers the height and length thresholds, what counts toward your measurement, and why over-height space sells out first. For this crossing specifically, see live oversized availability on West Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) ⇄ Nanaimo (Departure Bay).
Travelling without a reservation
Drive-up rules are not the same on every crossing, and one direction stopped taking drive-up traffic in October 2025. See which routes still allow drive-up, how much of each deck is held back for the queue, and what to do on the direction that takes none.
Frequently asked questions
The Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay ferry is sold out — what are my options?
Leaving Horseshoe Bay, two: set a free FerryHawk alert and grab a cancellation (they're released continuously, most in the last 24 to 48 hours), or check Tsawwassen–Duke Point, which also lands in Nanaimo and often has space when this route is full. Driving up and waiting is not an option in that direction — advance booking has been required since 15 October 2025. Sailing the other way, from Departure Bay, the drive-up queue is still there.
When should I get to Horseshoe Bay for the Departure Bay ferry?
Check-in for a booking opens 120 minutes and closes 30 minutes before departure. There is no drive-up alternative to arrive early for: this direction has been booking-only since 15 October 2025. If you are at the terminal without one, you can still book a sailing up to 30 minutes before it leaves, space permitting.
Is Tsawwassen–Duke Point a good backup when this route is full?
Usually, yes. It's a longer crossing (about 2 hours) and Duke Point is a 15-minute drive south of Departure Bay, but it carries more truck traffic and fewer tourists, so reservations survive longer — especially for the same Friday and Sunday peaks.
When do cancellations show up on the Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay ferry?
Mostly within 48 hours of departure, with a burst the evening before as travellers firm up plans. A FerryHawk alert texts you the moment one appears, so you don't have to keep refreshing the booking site.
Can I bring an RV or trailer on this route without booking oversized space?
If your rig is over 7' tall or 20' long, you need oversized space, and on summer sailings it sells out before standard space. Book early, or set an oversized alert on FerryHawk — it tracks that allocation separately.