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Whale Watching Tour: 4-Hour Guided Marine Adventure
4.9
948 Ratings
Monterey
Join a 4-hour excursion to spot whales. Tour guides, certified as naturalists or marine biologists, will explain the sights and interact with passengers on deck. Pro photographers frequently accompany the tours to photograph the amazing views and can provide advice on your own picture-taking.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- 66 Fishermans Wharf - Meet at Fisherman’s Wharf to begin your whale watching experience at 9am. 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
- Professional guide
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum drinking age is 21 years
- Warm layers are recommended
- Sun protection, camera, binoculars, water, and snacks are recommended
- If prone to motionsickness, please take precautionary measures and we also sell motion sickness remedies in the shop
Location
66 Fishermans Wharf
Fishermans Wharf
YOU MUST PARK FIRST!!
PARKING ADDRESS 245 Washington St, Monterey, CA 93940
After parking, head to Wharf 1. Look for The Harbor House (pink building) to guide you. Continue towards The Crab House (yellow building), then turn right. Discovery Whale Watch is the blue building at 66 Fisherman’s Wharf
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(948 Ratings)
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Leon_z
Oct 3, 2024
Excellent trip - very good experience. See lots of whales and service is pretty good. Learn a lot from this trip and have a good memory
Review provided by Viator
Mary
Sep 28, 2024
Whale watching extravaganza - It was an amazing trip! We saw so many whales, and our guides were amazing! They were in communication with other boats so they were able to find the whales. We definitely got our money's worth.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y8437dnhelenw
Sep 28, 2024
Amazing whale watching experience. - Amazing whale watching experience! I have always wanted to see whales and this trip was everything I hoped for. The boat and crew were great and it felt organised and safe but also really exciting. We whizzed around the bay stopping to view whales and I learnt loads. We saw over 30 humpback whales and 2 pods of killer whales.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dgswk
Sep 27, 2024
Amazing, know what they are doing and deliver! - Kind of did what they said they’d do - 99.xx% chance of seeing whales!
We also saw Porpoise, Sealion and Orca, probably the most memorable 3-4hrs of my life.
Small boat, not too many people, very very friendly and knowledgeable pair of guides on board as well.
They clearly really know what they are doing, and that’s what you want on a trip like this.
Just brilliant and thank you :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G2180adkatec
Sep 26, 2024
Unbelievable!! - What an insanely perfect experience!! Kevin and crew were absolutely the BEST!! Informative, personable, helpful, and funny!! We saw so many humpback whales and multitudes of other marine life!! We watched two adults communicate back and forth through a series of partial breaches, splashes, and dives, learned how to identify each one by their fluke pattern, had a close encounter with a few of these curious gentle giants, and a full calf breach while mama and escort stood by as the “little” one got some ‘spicy’ out of its system!! We can’t wait to go back!! Thank you for the BEST trip ever!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
659tilp
Sep 25, 2024
Great tour with high chance of whales - A great tour with great moderation from fun and competent guides. The chance of whales is extremely high. But you have to be prepared for wind, waves and sometimes fog.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adrianja1982
Sep 24, 2024
Half day whale watch tour - Fin-tastic! - My wife and I are travelling through California for our honeymoon and I had to do a Monterey Bay whale watch. We booked a half day trip with Discovery based on the reviews and we were not disappointed. The crew were great, giving lots of local knowledge as well as the important info and facts about the whales we were about to see as well as the others we might see.
When we did see whales, and we saw over 20 during our trip, we got close enough to see them without disturbing them.
We also saw what we were told was the best feeding event seen all year with Humpbacks lunging from the surface to feed. The sea lions were never too far away also who are great fun to watch.
Despite the sea fog we had a fantastic trip, one that I will never forget.
Thanks Discovery Whale Watch!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dan
Sep 23, 2024
Fantastic Nature Experience - 50 ft single deck boat. Very close to water and whales. Great Crew and naturalist commentary (Sophie) when you could hear her. VERY attentive crew, especially Sophie. If you are up for a smaller craft. . . This is a good choice. Be sure to dress in layers and have your camera ready.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B3841ivjosht
Sep 22, 2024
Awesome crew that obeys MMPA - Awesome whale watching experience.
The crew was knowledgeable and followed MMPA rules.
We saw some really cool animals and of course plenty of whales.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paulina_m
Sep 25, 2024
Great customer service and employees - The most memorable part was the tour guide Kevin and how he was so accommodating and attentive to people’s needs. Throughout the tour he was trying to announce facts about the sea life, but everyone kept getting seasick so he was great at doing both and cleaning up after everyone making sure they didn’t feel bad about it. Kevin was excellent and the captain was great at finding the whales.
Review provided by Viator
