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Whale and Wildlife Yacht Cruise in Santa Barbara

Recommended by 94% of travelers
Santa Barbara, USA
High interest
Booked 5+ times today.
  • 2 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6
·
· Cedarion_Q ·
Feb 2026
Absolutely amazing! The views are to die for. GREAT drinks and service. Whether lower deck or upper the experience is awesome. Love that the waiters come to you. The guide was very informative and a great spirit! Saw whales in the first 5-10 mins, they swam along side our route. 10/10 would ABSOLUTELY recommend!
· Becky_J ·
Mar 2026
Really fun. Great staff. We saw sea life and the day was beautiful. Would recommend to all ages. Good value.

Overview

    What's Included

    • (2) hr. Whale & Wildlife Cruise departing from 237 Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara

      Meeting and Pickup

      Meeting point

      • 237 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA

        Stearns Wharf is the historic wood pier at the base of State Street. Celebration Cruises is located near the end of Stearns Wharf on the left-hand side. There is limited parking available on the wharf, near our ticket kiosk. Additional parking is available at 1 Garden St (corner at Cabrillo Blvd)

      End point

      This activity ends back at the meeting point.

      Itinerary

      Santa Barbara Channel (Pass By)

      Additional Info

      • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
      • Not wheelchair accessible
      • Service animals allowed
      • Near public transportation
      • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
      • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
      • children under the age of 5 & expectant mothers are not permitted on this trip
      • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 26 travelers

      Cancellation Policy

      You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

      Traveler Photos

      Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

      Featured review

      Cedarion_Q
      Absolutely amazing! The views are to die for. GREAT drinks and service. Whether lower deck or upper the experience is awesome. Love that the waiters come to you. The guide was very informative and a great spirit! Saw whales in the first 5-10 mins, they swam along side our route. 10/10 would ABSOLUTELY recommend!

      Reviews

      4.6
      based on 18 reviews
      Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

      Not worth the money

      Tallie_S, Mar 2026
      Honestly, this was not worth the money. We spent two hours out at sea and didn’t see a single whale — or really any wildlife at all. There was maybe a quick five-second glimpse of some sea otters, but that was it. I understand that nature isn’t guaranteed, but the experience itself didn’t make up for it. It ended up feeling like a long, uneventful boat ride that left us pretty disappointed. Definitely something I’d think twice about booking again.

      Lovely relaxing trip out....

      robert_b, Mar 2026
      Lovely relaxing trip out. Really informative commentary from the skipper and the two assistants and best of all we got to see some whales.

      Response from Host, Mar 2026

      Thank you for sharing, Robert! We’re delighted you had a peaceful outing. Great to hear the crew made it informative and that you caught a glimpse of whales! Hope to see you again soon!

      Fun activity in Santa Barbara

      Becky_J, Mar 2026
      Really fun. Great staff. We saw sea life and the day was beautiful. Would recommend to all ages. Good value.

      Response from Host, Mar 2026

      Thank you for the kind words, Becky! We're so glad you had a fun day and enjoyed the sea life and beautiful weather. Hope to see you again soon!

      Overall a fantastic...

      Brenda_S, Mar 2026
      Overall a fantastic experience. The team was fun and engaging, and went out of their way to not only find as many wildlife experiences as possible, but to keep the entire trip both entertaining and informative. We were able to see multiple whale and dolphin types, as well as sea lions and a whole host of different birds. The trip, the experience, and the team exceeded all expects.

      Response from Host, Mar 2026

      Thank you for your kind words, Brenda! We’re so happy you had a fantastic time and got to experience so much incredible wildlife. Our team takes pride in making each trip fun, engaging, and memorable. Hope to see you again soon!

      Amazing 1st Whale sighting experience

      Cedarion_Q, Feb 2026
      Absolutely amazing! The views are to die for. GREAT drinks and service. Whether lower deck or upper the experience is awesome. Love that the waiters come to you. The guide was very informative and a great spirit! Saw whales in the first 5-10 mins, they swam along side our route. 10/10 would ABSOLUTELY recommend!

      Response from Host, Feb 2026

      Thank you for the wonderful review, Cedarion! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the scenery, drinks, and attentive service from our team. It’s always incredible when whales make an appearance so early in the trip! We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you on board again soon.

      Fun excursion

      Mary_M, Feb 2026
      It was a beautiful day for a cruise. Didn't see any whales . But it was a lovely day anyway. Captain was knowledgeable

      Response from Host, Feb 2026

      Thank you for joining us, Mary! We’re glad you enjoyed the beautiful day on the water. We appreciate your kind words about the captain and hope to welcome you aboard again soon.

      Great expedition.

      Christiane_L, May 2025
      Captain Andy did not disappoint. Navigate us straight to the whales. Saw dolphins and sea lion as well.

      Response from Host, May 2025

      Thanks so much for sharing about your experience, Christina! We would love to have you back anytime.

      Lots of wildlife and very...

      Jennifer_S, May 2025
      Lots of wildlife and very attentive staff. It was a great experience I would recommend to everyone!!

      Response from Host, May 2025

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Jennifer! We're thrilled you had a great time and appreciated the wildlife and crew. Thanks for recommending us!

      They will enjoy every...

      Lois_M, Apr 2025
      They will enjoy every minute and crew was wonderful. The wild life was all around us and captain tried to give the best experience.

      Response from Host, May 2025

      Thank you for the lovely review, Lois! We're happy you had such a memorable experience with great wildlife sightings. The crew and captain will appreciate your kind words!

      Whale trip

      Alan_T, Apr 2025
      Well organised and pleasant crew but unfortunately no sea life to be seen no whales no dolphins however nice boat ride

      Response from Host, May 2025

      Thank you for the review, Alan! We hope to have you onboard again soon.

      Whale of a Good Time

      Gary_M, Mar 2025
      We had a mix of beautiful weather and some foggy cool temperatures. The cruise itself and the way it was conducted was Top Notch and professional. We saw only a few whales from the distance but no disappointment as the overall experience was great. Highly recommended.

      Response from Host, Mar 2025

      Thanks so much for taking the time to share about your experience with us. We really do love sharing the Santa Barbara coastline with our guests. Come back anytime!

      Top Notch Crew!

      Ryan_U, Mar 2025
      Even though there was some rain, the crew was very diligent and attentive in making sure our experience was great. I would definitely take this tour again!

      Response from Host, Mar 2025

      Thanks so much for sharing about your experience with us. We'd love to have you back anytime!
      Likely to Sell Out

      From $55.00

      per person

      up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

      Book ahead!
      On average, this is booked 18 days in advance.

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