| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
longer tour worth the money
|
| Sat, Jul 5, 08 9:00 AM |
alscat63 |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| The longer tour (the ecotour) was worth the money. We spent quite a long time with a group of humpback whales, as well as seeing otters, dolphins, sea lions and sea birds.
I do recommend taking something for seasickness before you leave if you might be susceptible to it. Also, dress warmly. It can be cold. |
|
|
supernaturally out of this world
|
| Wed, Jul 2, 08 9:00 AM |
AngelicRyan |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We went on a tour July 2nd & July 4th. and we not only saw whales and dolphins, the whales played w/ the boat. They were so close we could have reached out and touched them! they sprayed alot of us up close and personal. I would suggest that you go take this tour. thank you so much for the experenice of a life time!! The Ryan Family, Mesa, AZ |
|
|
"Oh my gosh"
|
| Tue, Jul 1, 08 9:00 AM |
jerrykobrige |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
| Two whales approached the boat and played with us for at least half an hour! I was recording the whole time. When we watched the videos after, you heard everyone saying "Oh my gosh!" over and over. It was an awesome experience. |
|
|
What an Amazing Day!
|
| Mon, Jun 30, 08 9:00 AM |
KGStorms |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| Within twenty minutes of leaving the dock, two humpback whales approached our boat and stayed and interacted with us off and on for several hours. We also saw Risso's dolphins, Pacific white sided dolphins and common dolphins, a small great white shark and from a distance two blue whales. Our captain and crew were just as thrilled as the passengers. The boat was clean and well maintained. The naturalist who accompanied us was friendly and knowledgable. We all agree the whale watching cruise was the highlight of our California vacation. |
|
|
Good Show
|
| Sun, Jun 29, 08 9:00 AM |
AJThrasher |
Male |
20-29 |
Local |
Individual |
| We saw a few dozen Humpback Whales, as well as hundreds, if not thousands of Dolphins, including 4 different species of Dolphin. We also saw a few Black-footed Albatross birds, and the occasional Blue Jelly-fish. |
|
|
Dolphins Galore!!
|
| Sun, Jun 29, 08 9:00 AM |
baby5598 |
Female |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| OK, firstly, I must say the guides know what they're doing. They know where to look to find sea life. We did see humback whales, although we did not get as close as I would have hoped to. Secondly, the white sided dolphins and the rizzo dolphins where absolutely amazing! The white sided and northern right whale dolphins swam right at the bough of the boat and put on an absolutely amazing show! The next time we go to Monterey, I want to bring my children and I would do this again. One bit of advice, bring a jacket and pack a small ice chest if you go on the 5 hour trip. The snacks are all $2, including for a 75 cent bag of chips. The also offer binocular rental for $5.00, not a bad deal. All in all, a terrific experience! |
|
Relaxing morning jaunt
|
| Sat, Jun 28, 08 9:00 AM |
milyrd |
Female |
Unspecified |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| Got there with 10 minutes before launch and got confused to where the place was. Called the number on the sheet a couple of times and the second time, got through to a real person and was given directions to the launch off point.
Right away we saw some dolphins. . .and then we were able to follow groups of dolphins throughout the day. Saw a rare type of dolphin - many of them and they even met up with another pod which was neat. Saw many birds. Saw jelly fish, sun fish, and parts of whales. Saw the sea lions close up, from the water, great change in perspective, since we usually see them through the fence. And also got to see three sea otters pretty close up. Also two dolphins were having some fun coming out of the water and splating on their sides. But I felt that the dolphins weren't as special because the kayakers saw them too.
It was a smoky day, so visibility wasn't that good, due to forest fires at the time. Since the weather forcast was great. . check out the weather forcast before you pay!
Felt like I wanted to see much more, especially whales, for the money, but maybe it was just a so-so day. It was slow enough paced that you could take various naps and warm enough that we only wore about 4 layers - 2 shirts and 2 jackets.
The best thing we could see of the whales was when they came up for air, and fluked. Also, we weren't very close to the whales. The boat has to keep its distance unless the animal comes up. Don't expect to see something fancy. No dolphins did any jumps either. But it was neat to see them in their natural environment.
We went to the aquarium afterwards, and I felt really fulfilled. In the boat we saw what was at the surface level, and then in the aquarium was saw what was underneath. |
|
|
great but cold
|
| Wed, Jun 25, 08 9:00 AM |
Huxtable |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| The sea was rough, air was cold, but finally saw whales, dolphins, and lots and lots of sea lions. Many people got sick on our trip, we took Dramamine and just felt kinda bad (just two of us). I guess they could have warned us of the huge swells and maybe some people would not have gone, but having said that, we still would have gone out. My teenage girls had the time of their lives. They loved the swells .It was like we were on a rollercoaster. We all loved seeing whales and the dolphins riding the waves at the bow. If we had taken the shorter tour we wouldn't have seen whales, but 5 hours was long when your teeth are chattering. Wear lots of layers if the temps are in the 50s. |
|
|
An amazing experience
|
| Wed, Jun 25, 08 9:00 AM |
theresamc |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| A great experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. I prepared for the seas by taking seasickness medication the night before the trip and in the morning an hour ahead of our departure. The captain referred to our seas as "challenging" but I felt fine as did my husband who is a more seasoned fisherman of Florida seas. The whale experience was exciting. From the Pacific white-sided, and northern right whale dolphins playing in our vessel's wake and wanting to share our day, to the sound of the humpback whales surfacing for air, these memories will stay with me forever. |
|
|
Impressive!
|
| Wed, Jun 25, 08 9:00 AM |
donnathomas |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| My husband and I were not dissapointed. The crew was professional and went the extra mile (litterally) to make sure we saw whales, dolphins, otters and other wildlife. It was worth every penny and we would do it again. |
