3-Hour Whale Watching Tour from Monterey
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Monterey & Carmel, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy an immersive nature experience—and give yourself the best chance of spotting whales and other marine wildlife—on this half-day boat tour of Monterey Bay. Monterey is the premier destination in Northern California for winter whale-watching, and your naturalist guides know the best places to spot them. Along the way, learn about the majestic animals, and look out for whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea birds, and more.
- Learn insider facts and stories from your naturalist guides along the way
- Look out for humpback whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, and more
- Experience Monterey from the water—something many travelers miss
- Maxmize your chances of spotting whales by joining a guided tour
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Transportation to/from attractions
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 66 Fishermans Wharf, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
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.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Old Fisherman's Wharf
2
Discovery Whale Watch
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Stroller accessible
- Minimum drinking age is 21 years
- Service animals allowed
- 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.
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Andrea_D
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
Reviews
4.8
based on 242 reviews
Nicole_A, Feb 2025
Great crew, especially the fantastic naturalist. Learned a ton and she was available one-on-one to answer all of our questions. They worked hard to make sure we saw a whale (we saw a humpback off-season) and Risso's dolphins.
Andrea_D, Mar 2024
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
christana_p, Feb 2024
This trip was very fun we got to see like 5 whales. Definitely going to come back and do it again in the summertime.
Elaine_S, Feb 2024
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!
Annette_S, Mar 2023
We enjoyed the trip and the crew were excellent guides they did their best to find whales for us to see and we say a few grey whales playing , no big splashing but we did get to see rainblow from the whales
Gregg_N, Mar 2022
Amazing time on our whale watching tour! We saw 5 humpback whales and literally hundreds of dolphins.
Ammi_A, Mar 2022
It was an incredible experience. The guys giving the tour were very energetic, And also very knowledgeable. It was raining during our visit just Make sure you take a water jacket with a hoodie. The waves were not to crazy in the boat ride if you sit in the front you can feel them the waves more. Don’t feel discourage if you don’t get a seat in the beginning people move to catch the whales. Overall it was fun.
Renee_R, Mar 2022
We had a great time on the boat. Nice weather, big waves but the views of the dolphins & whales did not disappoint. The captain went out of his way to make sure we got some great views as he followed the whales.
Kushal_T, Mar 2022
Tour guide was awesome. The office called for confirmation and Waiting with all the boarding passes as we reached.
It is definitely value for money.
Craig_C, Mar 2022
Not only was the crew accommodating but Nature gave us her best with gentle seas and lots of whale sightings.
Ruby_L, Feb 2022
It was so beautiful being out on the water. We saw whales and dolphins. If you go make sure to take motion sickness pills so that you don’t get sick.
Emily_S, Feb 2022
Fabulous small boat experience! Spent 40 minutes tracking 5 gray whales and we were the only boat in site. Isaiah was wonderful. Highly recommend!
Romina_A, Jan 2022
It was an amazing trip! We enjoyed watching whales and dolphins, the people in charge of the boat was really friendly. Highly recommended
Janis_L, Jan 2022
Excellent experience, great and friendly knowledgeable staff. Felt very safe even one day after tsunami warning.
SLT, Mar 2021
We had a “whale of a time!” Great guide, very knowledgeable and we saw a humpback whale! and Risso’s dolphins! Excellent adventure!
Terrell_S, Mar 2021
Lots of wildlife. Saw the albino dolphin. Saw a group of about 100 dolphins. Humpback whales we’re putting on a show. Great crew too.
Katina_A, Feb 2021
My trip was cancelled last minute
They said it was due to weather conditions but it seemed like a nice day
Kids were very disappointed
Response from Host, Mar 2021
Hello,
we are very sorry that your trip got cancelled. We want each & every person to get to experience their trip. Conditions can deteriorate quickly in Monterey Bay & turn into unsafe conditions. The Captain would not cancel the trip unless it was a safety issue to go out. Often times, the water seems nice right out front of the marina, but conditons change quickly as you get out to sea. We always offer the chance to rebook or receive a refund when these circumstances arise.
Shaun_S, Feb 2021
A well-run professional outfit. Knowledgeable about all the marine life within the Monterey Bay. All the staff was friendly and knowledgeable and check in was quick and easy. We plan to attend another tour with them when we visit the Monterey Bay area next year.
Karyn_G, Jan 2021
It was a great trip. We saw Orca whales and a baby grey whale. The crew was very friendly. My only complaint is that a videographer that was in the boat was pushing adults and a child out of the way to get his footage. I made a comment to him and an older lady also said something.
Bryna_M, Jan 2021
Such a great trip! We saw whales and other ocean life and the marine biologist was very informative. The crew was friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.
Roberta_W, Mar 2020
The crew was friendly. They worked hard to find whales and sea lions of different varieties. It was a awesome experience
EdgarDarron_G, Feb 2020
Absolutely FANTASTIC Tour. We saw hundreds (maybe thousands) of dolphins. In all we saw 5 species of whales
Nicole L, Mar 2018
Wonderful experience. Saw about 5 grey south bound whales- and pretty close up. The naturalist talked sometimes over the speaker, but many times would have side conversations with other people. Wish he could've educated us some more. Very friendly guy though. The captain was pretty nice and really wanted us to have the best experience as well. Would do this again. Wish there was more seating as well.
Francois_L, Feb 2022
Superbe excursion. Nous avons pu voir des otaries, des loutres de mer et 3 baleines. Un moment magique.
Prévoyez des vêtements chauds (même par temps ensoleillé) et prenez un médicament contre le mal de mer comme l'indique le staff.
From $75.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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