| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Enthusiastically recommend.
|
| Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM |
cheryldayley |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Local |
Other |
| I enjoyed the whale watching trip immensely. The boat was clean and neat. The captain and crew were attentive, knowledgeable, and made the trip fun. Although it is not guaranteed that whales will be seen on a trip - on our trip we actually saw several Humpback whales, a pod of Orca whales, and many other assorted sea animals and birds. When a whale(s) was spotted, the captain would get as close as he could without disturbing the whale(s). If the whale(s) would dive, the captain waited in the vicinity in hopes of seeing the whale come back up from the dive. This maximized the amount of time we actually were able to observe the whale(s). Also, the captain is concerned about the environment, so if trash was spotted during the trip, he and the crew would remove the trash from the water and bring it back for proper disposal. I enthusiastically recommend whale watching and Sanctuary Cruises! |
|
|
Outstanding
|
| Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM |
tedmiller |
Male |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| I was impressed by the knowledge and courtesy of this operation. They made this a very enjoyable experience. |
|
|
Great sightings, intimate boat
|
| Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM |
karajoy |
Female |
20-29 |
Local |
Other |
| The trip was excellent overall. Because the boat is on the smaller side, you are closer to the water and the animals such as waterfowl, harbor seals, sea lions, and sea otters. The day was absolutely perfect - flat seas, starting out overcast then clearing to sunny and blue skies - so we were able to discern whales which were far away.
We saw humbacks AND orcas! Wow! The small craft also allows you to get closer to the whales than you would be able to in a bigger boat.
Only areas that could use some improvement:
* Neither the captain nor the deckhand introduced themselves. A bit of a welcome talk before the boat departs the dock would be very appreciated and appropriate, including an overview of what we might see. The crew was happy to speak if you initiated the conversation, however, this might be intimidating and seen as stand-offish by some people.
* The captain narrated for a lot of the trip, and I think he probably had some interesting things to say. However, the speaker system is very garbled (you cannot hear it if you are in the back of the boat).
Again, great trip overall. With some work on customer service and speaker systems, this outfitter would be perfect! |
|
|
Santuary is the only way to go
|
| Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM |
cvgroover |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| We have been going whale watching in Monterey for many years now and my wife and I always return to Sanctuary Cruises for our whale watching adventures. Why would you leave from Monterey when the boats are overly crowded with tourists and the parking is tough to come by? Moss Landing is quiet, peaceful, and much more accessible....and most importantly? Our cruises with Santuary have ALWAYS provided us with incredible views of sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales. On our last visit we were able to spend over 30 minutes watching a pack of orcas!! What a treat!! |
|
|
Saw Many humpback whales.
|
| Sat, Aug 25, 07 10:30 AM |
gailgg |
Female |
60-69 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We saw humpback whales in the first 10 minutes. Saw them throughout the trip. We all enjoyed it, all 3 generations. |
|
|
Absolutely fantastic!!
|
| Sat, Aug 25, 07 10:30 AM |
marystoll |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| We were only 10 minutes into our cruise when we spotted our first humpback. Our captain cut the engine and we watched in awe as the whale came closer and closer to our boat before finally diving just a few feet away from us showing the beautiful fluke. We went on to see several more humpbacks, many of them in pairs. Also spotted an elephant seal, dozens of sea lions, seals, otters, pelicans....it was a fabulous experience. Unforgettable!! The captain and crew were friendly, attentive, and shared their knowledge with us. We learned so much and now have a much better understanding and appreciation for our friends in the sea. Thank you for this inspirational and beautiful experience....Mary S. |
|
|
Wonderful :)
|
| Fri, Aug 24, 07 10:30 AM |
sparkleypops |
Female |
20-29 |
International Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| Experienced much more than we bargained for! the crew were very knowledgeable and friendly. Saw 3 humpback whales, 2 were mother and calf, which we were told is not a very common sight. We were also lucky enough to spot a rare sight of a pod of around 300+ dolphins made up of 3 different species of dolphin. This was an amazing sight and well worth the $40 alone. I would recommend the trip to anyone, however to keep in mind that we were just lucky to see what we saw, and this might not happen every time! |
|
Wonderful experience, but over-priced
|
| Wed, Aug 22, 07 10:30 AM |
drissman |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| Nice long tour of the bay, and we saw three humpback whales. The tour was supposed to include a naturalist, but there wasn't one. However, the pilot was very knowledgable, and he and the deckhand were very nice (both young). The boat was clean and neat. There wasn't any coffee or hot water for tea - both containers were empty. Overall, I'd recommend it, but it is definitely over-priced. |
|
|
thank you
|
| Wed, Aug 22, 07 10:30 AM |
kissncontrol |
Female |
30-39 |
Combination |
Family Without Children |
| we saw about 17 whales! it was fabulous |
|
|
Not much action this time, but a good trip.
|
| Tue, Aug 21, 07 10:30 AM |
floatframe |
Male |
Under 20 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| Early on in the trip we sited and followed a humpback. After leaving him we were unable to find more, possibly due to the unusual heavy fog that lasted almost to the end of the cruise. We did see the original humpback again, and we were treated to a beautiful breach. The crew was very knowledgeable and friendly and engaged us consistently. The boat was comfortable and was not too crowded. Definitely recommended for all interested in seeing whales firsthand. |
