Whale Watching Trip on Monterey Bay

We went on the trip at 11am on Saturday 16th September 2012. The day started foggy and a bit chilly, but we had taken the advice of wearing layers and everyone on the boat had some kind of anorak/ coat which was needed by the time we were in open water. Check in was easy at the Stagnaro's office and we bought a parking permit for $5. We arrived at 10 am, for an 11 O'clock sailing and were glad we did, as there were a few people waiting to buy tickets/ exchange vouchers. After a two minute drive from the office we arrived at the harbor and waited with the other travelers. Parking is in metered bays only - not Permit holders bays. We got it wrong but the Stagnaros staff checked with everyone before they sailed so we wouldn't get a parking ticket! The boat leaves on time, so don't be late. The team in charge of the boat were great. The guide, an ex teacher with a real sense of adventure and humour, talked us through the boat rules and regs and then she and the captain helped us to spot the animals/ whales and let us know where they were and when they were resurfacing for the best photos. We spent about an hour getting to the area where the whales were and it was a bit choppy and cold, so take the advice given and take an anti motion sickness tab, some who didn't regretted it !! We bought ours from the local Walgreens, but they sold them on the boat too, they also had anti sickness wristbands for hire if you don't like pills. You can sit inside or outside so it was comfortable for everyone. We did a bit of both. :) The weather cleared around 12.30 and that is when we saw the whales, they were close enough to the boat that we could get some really good pictures, take a camera if you can as those using phones to take pictures were a bit disappointed at what they could capture. Seeing the animals close up, in their natural habitat was awesome, and we had three separate opportunities ( or the same whale following the boat, hard to tell) Another top tip is don't forget the sun screen. We had anoraks on to keep the wind out and both ended up with sun/wind burn on our faces as were out on the water for four hours. It is overcast and chilly, but the UV still get you! Overall a great trip, with a really friendly crew.

At last I am able to check off "whale watching" from my bucket list... Joyously there were several whales (possibly the same whale), just watching him glide through the waters was heaven for me. Would recommend this trip, the only precaution : ) wear the patch avoid the chance of getting sea sick! Susan East Bay

The crew were friendly and did their upmost to find whales, which we did!. I recommend this trip but remember to take a sweater or jacket even on s sunny day, also think about travel sickness tablets, although the crew had these available, nice touch I thought

I loved my trip on Velocity even though we didn't see as many whales as I would have liked. The boat is beautiful and the crew were friendly and knowledgible.

We had a perfect day and saw a whale surface multiple times. Staff was very informative and friendly.

At the start it looked like it was going to be a bust, but the captain heard of a sighting and extended the tour to be able to get to where the whales were at. It turned out to be great. Then on the way back saw a blue whale.

Stagnaro charter boats delivered excellent service. The Captain and Crew on the Velocity went the exta mile literaly by traveling 19 Miles to catch up with the Whales. We also seen Dolphins on the way out and seen more Whales on the way back.The crew was exceptional with the customers that got Seasick.I would recommend this company for a great day on the water.

We were out on the boat for 4 hours, in the wind and the sun, crew were lovely and boat is very nice but due to shppy conditions we didn't see a single whale. Shame, it wasn't through lack of trying. If you definitly want to see whales try a different boat. We did see sea otters and a sunfish though.

I actually thought it was lovely - I just wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it before, or isn't sure how they are on boats - because I was so darn sick. Don't think, unfortunately, that there's any way around this.

We had a blast on the trip we took. The staff was helpful and informative. Our children loved seeing all the animals. Great experience. We hope to come back sometime.