Noon on a Monday in January = You get the boat to yourself! On a whim we made a reservation to go... read more
Noon on a Monday in January = You get the boat to yourself! On a whim we made a reservation to go... read more
Staff was great and helpful. Trip was smooth and safe. They stayed out longer than expected. Highly... read more
Several weeks in advance we had booked the 8am boat for a Sunday morning in Sept. 2017. TIP1: On Sundays parking is free in unmetered spaces. There’s lots of such parking near Fisherman’s Wharf and on nearby side streets. We had overcast skies all morning. It was not as cold as we had expected. TIP2: Do wear layered warm clothing and bring hats & sunglasses. TIP3: I do get seasick, so I did get a doctor’s prescription for a $12 generic Scopolamine patch at my local Giant pharmacy which I applied to my neck the night before. It worked fine! The medium sized Sea Wolf II, see photos, had a single level deck and interior cabin. There were about 30 passengers on the trip. We enjoyed the intimacy of a smaller boat and it was easy to move about to get the best views or just go inside to rest a bit as the boat sped to the next spot
We started seeing humpbacks surface just ½ hour from port. All the passengers were on the lookout for spouting whales that we would point out to the crew and then head for them. At various times that morning we came up to flocks of birds and sea lions feeding off surface fish and saw many whales at these locations. Tip4: I think the smaller boats used by this company allow them to approach the whales closer than the big boats of the other tour companies. We could also see many spouting whales in the distance. As we were changing locations, one humpback suddenly surfaced just 150’ away swimming parallel to the boat. Once we came upon a super group of about 200 sea lions (no exaggeration!) churning the water in a feeding frenzy 150-200’ from the boat. A few sea lions came within 100’. We saw one big Sunfish pass right next to the nose of the boat. TIP5: It’s impossible to guess what the whales will do next, so use your camera’s video setting to capture the action, or TIP6: Set your camera to take multiple photos as long as the shutter button is held down and, afterwards, delete the bad photos. Even the onboard naturalist said we had an unusually good day. We quickly lost count, but we think we saw about 25 or more humpbacks and saw 2 ½ breaches. Your mileage may vary.
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John, we feel it will be helpful to many! Thanks for taking the time to review your trip with us. We're thrilled you had such a great time!
This was fabulous!!!! The people running the trip were all very professional and informative and helpful. The boat itself was spacious, well cared for and nice. The captain was obviously skilled. And then there were the whales...and dolphins...and wow!!!! We had an unusually spectacular day for whale watching. I have been on many, many tours in various parts of the world. This one combined all of the previous ones. That won’t happen every time. However, the information about what we were seeing and what to look for was stellar. Again - not new to this environment - and yet I learned new things. The 4 hour morning trip was truly a great deal and a perfect amount of time.
Also - I love that they have their own photographers - allowing all of us (if we wished - plenty still took own photos) to just enjoy the views knowing we could go to their website and get photos and videos from there.
HIGHLY recommend.
Thank you for taking the time to share such a great review of your trip! It's a delight to know how you enjoyed your time with us, and your generous recommendation is truly appreciated. We hope to see you again soon!
our day started off with getting our group together and milling about the gift shop, the store attendants recommended the seasick pills, thankful for that! They had individual pills available. Once on board we saw sea lions, sea otters, a lot of really cool ocean birds. Once further out on the bay we got up close to grey whales! And then it was so special to get to see a pair of blue whales, never in my life did I think I would get the chance to see a blue whale. The week after our New Years trip we already reserved a all day 8 hour whale watching trip in killer whale season. My dream has always been to see orcas so hopefully we get to see them :D
I highly recommend This company, very knowlegible and very open and friendly.
Ashley, thank you for ringing in the New Year with us! We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Highly recommend. Big and comfortable boat. Areas to get food or stay warm if it’s cold. You might get less sea sick on a larger vessel like this as well
The lady narrating was excellent and talked about sea life and the area around where we were.
We saw multiple whales and dolphins.
Our daughter dropped her iPhone into the bay before the boat left and the captain called a diver to come get it. Alas, it was toast despite being an X , but we were happy to have it back.
Thank you for the generous review. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your time with us and that your family was comfortable/able to see some of our amazing wildlife. We are sorry to hear about your daughters phone, but glad they were able to retrieve it, take care!
I was worried that I'd be sea sick and I was worried we wouldn't see a thing. I was wrong on both counts.
We set off early which I think is a good plan, as if the water is rough and it's cancelled then you may get time to try and fit onto another trip.
The team are welcoming and have lots of knowledge. They know how to follow the whales and what they are up to and keep you up to date with what they have seen and what to look for,
We saw grey whales who they felt weren't migrating as they were hovering and perhaps being social on the route to San Fran bay - good to know! We saw lots of seals and otters and had a ball.
It was rough out there and some kids did not seem to enjoy it. So I'd consider their age and if they are up to it. Seemed a total chore and many were glad to get off. Most adults were fine but it was bitter cold in February so many layers are needed and a hat.
Take a camera and obviously depending on the time of year the team will do their best to show you something but of course it's not guaranteed.
Nicki, thank you for sharing your review! We're glad you enjoyed the day with us, and appreciate the insight for those who may join us in the future. We hope to see you again!
Booked the day before and got on even though it was busy. Saw glimpses of whales wish we could have got closer but a great day out and not too rough on the water.
Saw whales,dolphins seals,sealions and otters, the girl crew were great and very helpful.
$45 good value wish we could have seen more but might be because of the time of year.
Robert, thank you for joining us! We look forward to seeing you again.