Whale Watching Trip on Monterey Bay

Three friends enjoyed our day. We did not get sea sick. we saw whales. The folks involved were enthusiastic. Perfect day.

The Stagnero employees were extremely polite and knowledgable. The boat was well maintained and The tour was amazing. We saw dolphins swimming with grey whales. Excellent time, and well worth the price. I would definitely recommend this trip for adaults, however it might be a bit long and bumpy for small children.

we saw many whales thought the trip was exciting and the caption was good at finding the whales

This company promises a safe and informative trip. First, while passengers were exhorted to arrive 30 min early (the directions to the boat slip were not where the boat was actually docked) the same was not true for the boat which cruised in late from a morning fishing trip and then had to be cleaned and sluiced down before we were allowed on board, starting our trip off late. The boat was way overcrowded. There were only a few seats outside and they were still wet. Inside there were only chairs for about 20. Not really a problem unless you were fine with standing in the freezing cold with high winds for 4 hours straight. After going out in these conditions for a couple of hours, we finally spotted 3 gray whales but had a difficult time tracking them and a few porpoise. The narrator captain was limited as to what he could say. Of course,Stagnaro's, the charter company, could not predict the wildlife, but they could control a strong advisory for motion sickness medication on their site. People were getting sick right and left due to the heaving seas. The company also advertised that it was fine for people to bring their own food. and many did so, but there was no place to eat it, even if one was not seasick. They could also control who was allowed to sail. There were several babies and many young children under ten who moved around the boat without parents and were constantly in danger of falling overboard in high seas and winds. The crew made little attempt to move among the passengers or control people and even told people to move from one side of the boat to another to see. Probably not an issue for the crew who were used to the ocean and winds but very difficult for most as the boat pitched and yawed from the seas and the winds. I would not recommend this company for anyone.

My boyfriend and I are both local, and we've been meaning to take a whale watching trip for a long time. We had a fantastic time - the people at Santa Cruz Whale Watching are professional, knowledgeable and fun. They had to take us pretty far out to find the whales (which is typical for the time of year we went), but once the spouts were sighted we were able to follow alongside three grey whales for close to 45 minutes. It was absolutely magical. We also sighted a pod of dolphins and several otters. Going on this trip will change the way you think about the ocean. I would recommend this tour to anyone and everyone.

We have great weather but the ocean was a bit choppy. We saw 3 grey whales and a pod of Risso's Dolphins. It was a great trip. Definitely recommend taking the Dramamine before!

I took my 5 yr old son out Whale Watching - had a great day out - even though we didn't see any whales! The crew are very friendly and it was just fun to take the boat out for a few hours. On top of that they do provide a free pass to come back if you do not get to see any wildlife. I'll be back again without a doubt.

The crew was very helpful and informative. I love the boat with it's cabin and snacks with drinks!!! I got the feeling they really loved their jobs and whale watching and were having fun the whole time. We found the whales, got all the information we needed and the fact that it was a beautiful day only made it better. I will be doing this again when my girlfriend's parents come to town.

Naturalist Maureen was wonderfully informative, available and enthusiastic. I did not anticipate the sea nausea. Be prepared.

we were a large group celebrating a birthday event with all ages attending. the boat more than accomedated us all. the crew was extremlly professional and very attentative as well as informative. The pre launch instructions were clear and precise and the importance of safty message was clearly emplained. I had a great time, the whales also did there job by giving a nice show. the captain of the ship really knows his stuff! He knew precisly where to take us and spotting occured right away. none of that wasting time!. I would strongly recommend this trip to others.