3-Hour Monterey Bay Winter Whale-Watching Tour

Badge of ExcellenceMonterey & Carmel, USA

3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Look for whales during a boat tour from Monterey, the premier destination in northern California for winter whale watching. Learn about the majestic animals from a marine biologist or naturalist guide who shares detailed commentary about the whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea birds, and natural history of the region.

Learn about whale behavior and conservation from the naturalist guide
Get the chance to view humpback whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, and other Pacific Ocean wildlife
Experience Monterey from the water!

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.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

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

Cancellation Policy

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

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or 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

5.0

215 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 215 reviews

it was good to see whales...

Andrea_D, Mar 2024

So much fun

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.

Great experience

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!

Great whale watching trip on a beautiful day!

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

Amazing time, we saw lots of wildlife!

Gregg_N, Mar 2022

Amazing time on our whale watching tour! We saw 5 humpback whales and literally hundreds of dolphins.

Best family activity

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.

Worth the trip!

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.

Great trip

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.

A perfect day

Craig_C, Mar 2022

Not only was the crew accommodating but Nature gave us her best with gentle seas and lots of whale sightings.

Super nice view

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.

Small boat experience, great whale watching

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!

It was an amazing trip!...

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

Great experience

Janis_L, Jan 2022

Excellent experience, great and friendly knowledgeable staff. Felt very safe even one day after tsunami warning.

Excellent

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!

Great tour!

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.

Didn’t get to ho

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.

A great experience

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.

January 30, 2021

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.

Wonderful Experience

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.

Amazing

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