What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Dolphins and a Humpback...

  RicVin,May 7, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Whale watching has always been on my bucket list so this was a must for me while visiting Monterey. We pre - booked through Tripadvisor and had no issues checking in. We did the upgrade to the upper deck but it wasn't really necessary. The boat was not full (time of year) and we seemed to struggle to find a whale for a while (lots of dolphins) but eventually we found a humpback and got fairly close for a while. Part of the trip is the anticipation of finding something (not guaranteed) and what you can see for yourself in the distance (I saw another large whale that I personally couldn't identify a way off the boat). Very enjoyable, good knowledgeable guide, clean boat - about 3 hours - I'd recommend.

  

  

  

• Came to see whales, left with a marine biology degree

  B4410GNjasonp,May 6, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  My friends invited me along on a whale watching trip to see some whales and we did! The trip was "fire" according to my friend's teenage son and I couldn't agree more. We saw several humpbacks throughout the trip and hundreds of dolphins from 3 different species. There was the largest sunfish I have ever seen in the Pacific or the Atlantic gulping down by-the-wind sailors like its life depended on it. It was an astounding spectacle to behold, and we could not have asked for a more exciting tour. We were lucky enough to have a very humble professional onboard who greatly improved our experience. I was told not to "glaze" her too much because she was a bit shy in taking my compliments on the boat, but I truly was shocked to learn that our naturalist, Kristen, did not have a graduate degree and that the degree she did have wasn't in marine biology! Her degree isn't even in a biology field! (Tbf, it is a Bachelor of Science but environmental management does not prepare you for narrating a whale watching tour) I was blown away by not just the facts she shared but how well she conveyed information in ways everyone could understand. She defined terms I take for granted like "pelagic" and "benthic" because most people don't know those terms, but she never sounded patronizing about it as she explained common marine concepts. All of her narration flowed very naturally yet sounded unscripted, constantly altering to suit our sightings based on species and behaviors. Her speaking voice is even (though she does get excited about a lot of the wildlife), she enunciates well, and she is diligent about filling the silence during dives to keep her audience captivated until there is something to watch. She explained the high oxygen carrying capacity of cetacean blood so well, she had an 8-year-old kid nodding along with her presentation. Later on, when I asked her about the aerobic respiration of different whale species, she excitedly talked about how it varies not just between species, but even between muscle groups with one study on several dolphin species demonstrating that more oxygen is stored via oxygen-binding blood protein in the large locomotor muscle groups compared to the small non-locomotor groups (which she provided me a link to in order to cite her work!). I told her she deserves an honorary degree in marine biology, and she said that she's a marine biologist "by trade rather than on paper", which is fair but still, she deserves credit for the amount of personal research she has done to prepare for this job. I have never been on a whale watching tour and left feeling like I should have been handed a cetology degree, but I did after hearing Kristen's presentation. The cruise was very enjoyable and we would ride with this company again, but I would want to go with Kristen again because she said she didn't even get through all of the facts she had to share about whales or many of the other animals we can see during a cruise!

• Awesome Whale Watching Experience!

  sancheesyl,May 5, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I took my fiance to go whale watching, the booking process was really simple and the dates we wanted were available as well as the time slot. I read reviews ahead of time thankfullyto know what to expect and it paid off! Thank you to everyone pripr who recommended wearing layers and bundling up because it was really windy when we first arrived. (Make sure you check ahead for the weather.) Our tour guide was incredibly informative and made the experience that much better! The crew on board was super helpful as well! Loved the energy you guys brought!!!! We were able to see a Humpbackwhale and three species of dolphins. Incredibly thankful to have been able to see so many dolphins! They definitely put on a show for us while we were out there. The ride was 2 hours long and it looked like a lot of people were lined up when we first arrived but we still managed to get great seats on the upper deck. They do charge an extra $20 for the VIP pass to access the upper deck which has shade covering. All in all it was an incredible experience and we plan to bring our families with us next time!

  

  

  

• This company is well...

  Laura P,May 3, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This company is well staffed and managed. The boat is safe and sound. While we only saw one whale during our trip the on board marine biologist gave excellent information about the marine life in Monterey Bay.

• Wonderful Whale Watching Trip!

  710shannono,May 3, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We were very happy with the tour! We got to see both humpback and fin whales diving and spouting. There was a friendly crew member giving us information over the speaker system while we watched. The tour was not crowded at all, and we were able to freely move from one side of the boat to the other. We opted for the upper deck, and the viewing was great. The excursion was 3 hours and well worth it!

  

  

• Good experience!

  Seaside783754,May 3, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Well organized trip and the boat was comfortable with heated indoor area. Wasn’t too crowded and there were onbaord snacks and drinks for purchase.

• Whale watching

  912danitzap,May 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  A little overprice but overall we had a great time! The guide was knowledgeable and great.

• Kelleys 50th birthday celebration ..

  Elaine G,Apr 27, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The boat was very comfortable and clean .. Easy viewing from all directions .. Staff was very professional and amazing Snack bar attendant was very nice Naturalist was very informative about the whales and dolphins..

• Great experience!

  Companion272349,Apr 25, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great staff, very informative! Awesome to see numerous orcas & the humpback whale.

• Fantastic way to look at whales

  279brookef,Apr 23, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Excellent experience! Highly recommend!

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