3-Hour Monterey Bay Whale-Watching Tour: Explore Marine Wildlife
4.8
215 Ratings
Monterey
Embark on a thrilling 3-hour whale-watching tour in Monterey Bay. Learn from marine biologists and naturalists about whales, dolphins, and other marine wildlife while enjoying the stunning natural beauty of the area.
Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • 66 Fishermans Wharf - Meet at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey to begin your whale watching experience at 10am. Monterey Bay is considered to be a premier destination for whale watching year round as these animals are often spotted there. Your whale watching trip will be narrated by a marine biologist or naturalist, who will provide you educational and interesting information about marine wildlife.

In addition to teaching you about the wildlife, your marine biologists and naturalists will provide information about the natural history of the local area and talk about conservation. While out on the ocean, your marine biologists and naturalists will also be collecting sighting data for scientific research. During your trip, the crew will show you how to spot whales and dolphins as well as give you advice on how to best capture photos and videos of the wildlife. You will return back to the original departure point between 12:30pm and 1pm.

What's Included
  • Experienced driver/guide
  • Engaging live commentary
  • Complimentary tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Food and drinks
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

Monterey Bay stands as the top location for year-round whale observing. Enjoy a daily 3-hour journey, accompanied by a commentary from a marine biologist or naturalist offering insightful and informative details about whales, dolphins, and numerous marine creatures. Alongside guiding you about the wildlife, your onboard specialists will discuss the local area’s natural past and the importance of conservation.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Minimum drinking age is 21 years
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
  • Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
Location
66 Fishermans Wharf
Fishermans Wharf
Parking Address: 101 Washington Street Monterey CA 93940 Find beginning of Fisherman's Wharf with Pink building/Blue Lighthouse (Harbor House). Walk past all the gift shops and turn right when you see a giant clock or the Crab house Restaurant. Will be on the right the BLUE Building.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(215 Ratings)
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Deewond
Mar 20, 2024
Great experience! - Efficient booking service. Friendly staff went through briefing and let everyone know what to expect, they seemed as enthusiastic as passengers to see all the wildlife! We saw lots of humpback whales, Risso’s and other dolphins too numerous to mention. Thanks to the written brief prior to the trip I dressed warmly - and really needed to, it was cold out there!! I also took the recommended sea sickness tablets and felt no nausea whatsoever, despite sitting at the front of the boat. A fantastic morning out, thanks to the crew!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia
Mar 18, 2024
Fun in the Bay, and whales too! - I did the 3 hour tour of whale watching out 9f Monterrey. The first attempt the smoke detector went off, so we had to turn around at the sea lion wall. However, the company was able to schedule me for the next day. The day was beautiful. I went to enjoy the water, but seeing the humpback, 2 species of dolphins, sea lions, and otters just made the 3 hours more enjoyable. The naturalist answered questions and maintained a respectful distance from the whales. It's definitely an excellent excursion. I would do it again with the same company.
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Andrea_d
Mar 12, 2024
it was good to see whales... - it was good to see whales i went when it wasn’t so crowded if you get sea sick i would not go. it was very rocky but i was ok and i enjoyed it the tour director was very nice and funny and the crew was very sympathetic to sick passengers
Review provided by Viator
Culture15100020655
Mar 11, 2024
Exhilarating - We thought the crew were fantastic! They were knowledgeable, friendly and informative. They guided us to a position where we successfully spotted sperm whales, gray whales and dolphins. We had a great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pdx27
Mar 9, 2024
Highly recommend! - We had a great time on our morning whale watching tour. We saw humpbacks, gray whales, and Risso’s dolphins. My 9 year old twin boys had a blast! Highly recommend! Isaiah, Kevin, and David were great!
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Christana_p
Feb 24, 2024
So much fun - This trip was very fun we got to see like 5 whales. Definitely going to come back and do it again in the summertime.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabethha2581pi
Feb 8, 2024
They promised we'd see whales! - They promised we'd see whales. (I've heard that before.) We SAW whales! The crew did a great job in locating several pods of gray whales, which were migrating at that time, and getting as close as possible to the whales without disturbing them. The onboard naturalist was very knowledgeable and shared his knowledge in an easy, clear way. At one point three whales flipped their tales in perfect sequence. My sister called it "whale ballet" and it was! Thank you guys!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elaine_s
Feb 4, 2024
Great experience - Great guides and wonderful experience!! Onboarding and offboarding the boat was smooth. Learned a lot about the Gray Whale. The crew did their best to find whale!
Review provided by Viator
Mclade
Jan 27, 2024
BEST TOUR EVER - SPECTACULAR! Getting older, and spouse nor I have EVER been on such an incredible experience. If we had seen no dolphins, otters, or whales, besides an amazing view back to shore, we still would of had a fantastic tour! The naturalist, crew, captain, ALL still had a child’s excitement, passion and enthusiasm for what they do. Because they love what they do, they were committed 110% to be sure WE (thus any customer) has an incredible experience. There is no substitute for REALLY loving what you do, as them teaching us thru their passion, is what really elevated the experience. And, it was not in a preachy, or boring educational delivery, but a fun and enthusiastic way that just made us all want to know more! And saying ALL, I specifically picked this tour company because, assumed and WAS, a small group 12-14 people), intimate tour. Because of such, everyone was friendly, talkative and interested in each other, which made for an awesome 3+hours! And not that the other tours were priced much different, more or less, but for $70pp, you could not touch this tour in the east for almost double that price, and that’s not including guides anywhere near what we experienced on this tour. It was SO BEYOND our expectations! (Fun note, our plane that we were rebooked to from original reservation, aka NOT to of been on said flight, well the engine caught fire at 30000’ on the 2nd of 3 legs to here and emergency landed. As beyond scary as that was, we BOTH said this whale watch tour made it all worth it! GO, you wont find better anywhere!;-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jess
Feb 22, 2024
Crew - Fantastic! Experience - meh. - First, we LOVED the staff and boat team. They were great! Overall, we saw some Risso dolphins and a blowhole - We really wanted to see the body of a whale and just didn’t get that experience. Team: 5 Stars Experience: 3 Stars
Review provided by Tripadvisor