Ocean Safaris Whale Watching semi-private limited to 6 people max
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Santa Cruz, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get out on the water to enjoy unobstructed views of Santa Cruz's marine life in Monterey Bay. Your guide knows the best spots for whale-watching, improving your odds of seeing one in the wild. In addition to different kinds of whales, you may also encounter porpoises, dolphins, sea otters, and more. Add context to what you see with insights from your guide.
- Ask your guide as many questions as you like about local wildlife
- Skip the crowds on larger boats with a small-group tour
- A morning tour frees up the rest of your day to sightsee
- Upgrade to a private tour for a more personalized experience
What's Included
- Inflatable life jackets and 19 years of experience on a fun, safe and reliable vessel with modern up-to-date electronics with all safety gear required
- Snacks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Santa Cruz Harbor135 5th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA
Please meet us the Santa Cruz boat Launch at 135 5th Ave Santa Cruz, CA. 95063 . We will Be at Boat Launch Dock. Please turn into the harbor at the first or second driveway. Find a blue parking pass machine and pay for parking till 1:00 Bathrooms are located by the Crows Nest Restaurant.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Monterey Bay
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Santa Cruz Wharf (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Our boat is equipped with comfortable seats with backrest but even so, if you are pregnant, have a weak back or neck, or if you don't like going fast over the water, you should not go. If you have concerns please consider booking with one of the the large capacity vessels in Monterey bay
- Not recommended for travelers with neck problems
- Not recommended for travelers that do not like to go fast over the water
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
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.
Reviews
5.0
based on 26 reviews
This experience was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done & James is an awesome captain! We saw otters, sea lions, dolphin, so many humpbacks around us at one time that I couldn’t even look at them all, and orcas playing with sea lions RIGHT next to our small boat of only 6 passengers max. We had a group of four and it was perfect because we could move around the boat and get super rad views! James was so friendly and nice to talk to. He genuinely loves these animals and being able to share it with people is definitely his passion. This was such a special tour. Thank you, James!
Phenomenal experience. James was great and there was no shortage of whale sittings. Definitely better to do it on a smaller boat like James’ where he could quickly maneuver to get us the best views
James is an amazing captain. This was an incredible experience! We will definitely be doing this excursion with James again!
As a family we thoroughly enjoyed our experience with James, the prior communication was good, his boat & equipment were great and as a skipper he was exceptionally knowledgeable.
What we really liked about this was having the flexibility to manoeuvre quickly and this is what James did when his beady eyes caught sight of something interesting. We were able to see & safely follow plenty of whales (much to our delight) - as a guide he was super respectful of their habitat and plays a positive role in keeping that safe and respectful for the wildlife. It was money well spent for such a memorable experience! Thank you James & keep up the great work!
What a wonderful Experience James was super friendly and even waited for us as we were late to arrive. We thought we were going to miss it and was so appreciative he didnt leave without us. We got to see many Whales, Dolphins, Sea Lions and the trip was remarkable. Bring a jacket forsure it gets cold on the boat. Perfect trip and wonderful tour.
James was amazing. Me and my mom had an amazing time. It was great to see the whales up so close. We also got lucky with seeing whales do pec slaps and even breach. We had an amazing time!
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!
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!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for the great review it was nice to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again soon
James
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.
Member Pricing
From
$194.75
per personWas $205.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Current
Member Pricing
Ocean Safaris Whale Watching semi-private limited to 6 people max
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$205.00
$194.75
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