Wildlife Boat Tour: Intimate Marine Encounters in Monterey

Embark on a private wildlife encounter in Monterey Bay. Get up close and personal with whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and more. Book your intimate experience today!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Monterey Bay - Join us for a fantastic day on the waters of Monterey Bay spending time Whale watching and seeing amazing animals like seals, otters, whales, dolphins, turtles, sharks and the coastal scenery of Monterey Bay. With intimate wildlife encounters, Animals are so close you can almost touch!
    groups are small (1 to 6 people), we travel…
What's Included
  • Inflatable life jackets provided for safety
  • 19 years of experience ensuring a fun and reliable tour
  • Vessel equipped with modern, up-to-date electronics
  • All required safety gear available onboard
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
Additional Information

We offer private and semi-private wildlife encounters that focus on creating intimate experiences. Once aboard the boat in Monterey, each guest enjoys one of the six comfortable seats, providing a prime position to observe a variety of wildlife. Every day brings a new adventure, with plenty of opportunities to see diverse marine life. During the trip,…

Location
Monterey Bay Marine
Brommer Street
Please meet us at 555 Brommer St, Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Come down to the lower parking lot. We are at Dock J, in the parking lot is a bathroom and the place to pay for parking.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(15 Ratings)
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C
Oct 28, 2025
Fun and amazing time - James was awesome !! Well worth it and got to see a lot of whales. James went all out to make sure we had the best trip imaginable. We will definitely be going again for the other tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_n
Oct 22, 2025
Best Tour Ever - I have been on many tours and not one comes close to the experience we had with Captain James. Even if we had not seen a single animal this would have been a great tour but we saw many incredible animals. What a perfect day. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Alanfish2020
Oct 3, 2025
Close up and personal with humpback whales - James took us out on a RIB with 6 very comfortable seats. The other passengers had cancelled but James took the two of us out anyway. What a trip! sea otters, sea lions, dolphins, and whales, whales whales! The boat was nippy and maneuverable, so James was able to take us right up to humpbacks as they displayed and dived. One of the highlights of our time in California and hugely recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sgdevries
Sep 2, 2025
Best whale watching ever!! Chris’s Whale watching, fisherman’s wharf in Monterey Whales, dolphins, & more - Best whale watching tour we’ve ever been on! Chris’s Whale watching on fisherman’s wharf in Monterey. The entire 3 hour tour was eventful with 3 whales playing around the boat, joined by over 100 sea lions and birds having an anchovy feast. On the way back we saw dolphins! Crew was helpful! If you go, come early as parking is a nightmare but worth the angst when you finally get there!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K1385kumichaela
Aug 9, 2025
High end adventure! - Incredible experience with James! He’s very knowledgeable and friendly. He got us up close and personal with a lot of wildlife. His zodiac was fast and cut through the waves well and the seats were comfortable. Really had an expedition feel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah
Jun 21, 2025
Memorable Whale Adventure - James gave us a great tour. He was very knowledgeable about the ocean animals and where to find them. Everyone had a great time and got good looks at humpback whales and sea otters and dolphins.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
529genevab
Feb 4, 2025
Best Whale watching tour ever - Amazing day out on the water with captain James. If you want an adventure with a front row seat ( that’s super comfortable) take an Ocean Safaris on Monterey tour with www.OceanSafaris.com. Best day ever whale whaling We seen whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea otter and more. And, I’ll be back for the Great White Sharks in the summer
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lrsiegel68
Nov 24, 2024
Magical experience. - Of all the many trip we have taken, this was definitely in the top 3. The bay had several pods of whales we followed during the three hour excursion. Between my husband and I, we had over 50 videos of whales spouting, diving, and staring at us out of curiosity. Our guide,Chris, was personable and knowledgeable. This was a bucket list adventure for us. We highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louella_c
Aug 11, 2024
Wonderful experience - It was our first time to be able to see and experience whales up close. Our guide, James, was very knowledgeable and really knew where to go to search for whales. He was very kind and accommodating. We will definitely book again. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Melanie_r
Oct 18, 2023
Excellent tour - My son had an amazing time. I can’t wait to come back and take this tour myself! Lots to see and amazing photos and videos.
Review provided by Viator
From $199
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).