Stagnaro Charter Boats

Although a lot had to do with the beautiful weather that day, we found the trip to be very rewarding. While we didn't see whales for the first 2-3 hours, the captain took us on an exciting ride from north of Santa Cruz almost to Moss Landing. The weather was sunny but windy so I don't think he wanted to go out very far, maybe a mile. We did see a gray whale and calf just off shore at Capitola and followed them for about 3/4 hour. . Both the naturalist on board (Maureen) and the captain were very informative about the area sea life and the whales - we learned a great deal.

We took the whale watching trip as a mixed group; two of us recently moved to the Santa Cruz area, the other two were visiting from Europe. Neither of us had been on a whale watching trip before. It proved to be a great experience! We saw some sea lions while leaving the sunshine close to the coast and some humpback whales when we came to open waters, and even some breaches (jumps) very close to the boat. In addition, we saw mothers with calves and a lot of blowing - no flukes though. But it was really worth it - you get really close to animals that otherwise only appear on Discovery Channel. :-) The crew knows a lot and explains everything very nicely. If you have the time and want to spend the money, take this trip and you will enjoy yourself. NB: If you tend to suffer from motion sickness, it would be wiser to take some medication against that. Otherwise you won't like the trip very much... We had a lot of big waves that made the boat fall down after lifting it up, so you really got into motion. It was really fun, almost like a roller coaster ride! So, a firm grip helps to stay onboard and enjoy your trip. :-)

We had a wonderful time. It was much colder than we thought it would be and we also got a little seasick. But over all this was a wonderful trip. We saw several whales. The crew was very informative and friendly. We will do this again.

Staff was very professional and could answer all our questions. Drinks and snacks were available and we saw a dolphin, sea lions, 2 grey whales and about 6 humpbacks and had the most amazing day! I would definately go again!

Nice Boat, Good narration by Naturalist, poor hygiene practices by the galley cook when handling food. Overall Good to Excellent

We were very lucky to see group of humpback whales feeding! I made dozens of photos and was really amazed. Sometimes I wish our boat may come closer but still I was really happy.

We really enjoyed the trip. A lot of companies don't allow young children, but this one does. My three year old had a blast! Even my one year old didn't want to stay in the cabin of the boat - she wanted to be out with everybody else watching the show. We didn't see many species, but three humpback whales put on a great display for us. Even the naturalist was excited about how close they got and how long they stayed. The crew was great and really made the kids feel welcome.

This was the first trip for my kids and they loved it! The crew is very knowledgeable, the boat is very nice and you feel totally safe! I would totally recommend this trip!

That was a lot of fun. The guide, Maureen, was great. I liked that she engaged each person/group and spent time talking about the whales, and other facts, and even had show and tell. I found the boat staff to be friendly and informative, and appreciated the commentary provided as we were seeing the whales.

This event was well supervised, informative and professional. With 65 people I was afraid it would be too crowded, however, we stayed outside the cabin and were thrilled to see the whales and got a few good pictures too! I'd do it again. Ed and Laurie

The whale watch cruise was well worth it. Great crew and we saw a lot of whales. If you are not used to being out on the water in a boat, especially on high rolling swells (waves) I highly recommend to take sea sickness pills or wear a patch. My family did not get sick and had a very enjoyable time. Would highly recommend this trip and would definitely go on another whale watch cruise with Stagnaro Charter Boats again.

This is our second whale watching trip in the Monterrey Bay and by far the best. We were so lucky that we got to see the whales up close, they approached us in the boat and swam around us for 40 mins taking a look. They got so close at one point that as they sprayed the water it soaked me. Very well organised trip and not too many people which made it enjoyable and everyone had a seat. I would recommend this trip to anyone.

I enjoyed the whale watching. We paid for parking passes, which we filled out by the Stagneros. Several guest groups received parking tickets despite having parking passes. We were reassured by the captain that it would be taken care of. I called to make sure this happened. I got no response. I DID get a ticket from Santa Cruz port though. This all added $45 to the cost of the trip. I am VERY unhappy with these people. If they had not sold me a "parking pass" I would have paid for parking and been fine. Would NOT recommend dealing with these people.

we would have liked to see moor of a display form the wales

We have been whalewatching several times but always in a larger boat where you dont have so much motion. But we did see several whales and dolphins. Nice.