Stagnaro Charter Boats

Excellent day, weather and more importantly, the crew and the on-board naturalist. Mid-way through the tour we found ourselves among a pod of feeding humpback whales and were able to observe these great mammals up close, without impeding their feeding. As a bonus, we were also able to come across 3 blue whales, one of which provided the classic tail shot as it descended to the deep to feed. Very personable captain, and an excellent 4 hour tour I highly recommend.

Will definitely use Stagnaro on future whale watching trips. Staff was courteous and very knowledgeable.

the crew was very nice and helpful and from a whale watching standpoint it was great as we were lucky and saw a lot of humpbacks and even blue .. but I think the boat was really crowded. it was really impossible with kids to get to the good watching spots as big and not very friendly adults where holding the handrail as if their life depended on it. and only b/c the whales where kinda circling the vessel we could still have a glimpse. then coming back nobody let us seat anywhere inside or in a protected area and we got drenched. and I was with a sleepy 3 years old and nobody cared. I think if they were less people on the boat it would have been much better. like 10 less would have make a difference. so if you want to give a better overall experience, I would recommend selling maybe less tickets / trip. other than that it was GREAT :)

The boat was a good size, not too big and not too small. We were lucky to have seen lots of humpbacks and two blue whales. The only down side was not having an upper deck to view the whales - there were times when the whales were on the opposite side of the boat that I was on, and I could not see them because all the people standing on the rail on that side blocked my view. Having an upper deck on which one could stand and look down at the whales would alleviate that problem. But the captain seemed committed to staying out a little longer and going a little farther to ensure that we saw more whales. The naturalist and crew on board were also very friendly.

We were so blessed to see so very many whales - hole-blowing, surface-feeding, tale-slapping, breaching - at times it was a virtual 3-ring circus. The day was capped off when we motored a distance to see - at some length of time - a feeding blue whale. Our guide was a retired school teacher who obviously not only loved her job but provided a wealth of valubale information. And all this on my 62nd birthday!

A gorgeous day on the Monterey Bay. Many close-up humpback whale sightings. One blue whale up close. Lots of tails rising, slapping the water, mouths opening to feed at the surface. Boat wasn't too crowded. Knowledgeable, attentive staff. Very professional. A total thrill.

This was my second whale watching tour with Santa Cruz whale watch. Both times I had just an amazing experience. The crew was most helpful and informative and we just had such a fun experience. We saw many humpback whales and I have got to see my first blue whale. I would highly recommend this tour boat to anyone considering going out for a fun and utterly amazing day on the beautiful Monterey Bay.

Staff was knowledgeable and helpful. They showed pictures of the whales we were seeing and provided details about them. They were available for questions and gave us much good information. The Bay was full of humpbacks that day, many of them breaching, and we were able to see 2, maybe 3, blue whales and to see how huge and fast they are. We also saw some large jellyfish and a very large sun fish. The weather was perfect and the trip was completely enjoyable.

The staff was very friendly, especially the naturalist on board. She was very knowledgable and made the trip even more interesting. We had a great time and saw a lot of whales - mostly humpback and one elusive blue. My only tips would be (although this should probably be common sense) to add info on the site recommending guests take dramamine (which I did), although they are warned when they arrive at the boat. Inevitably, there are always those that don't listen and end up sick the whole time. Also, info on how to dress appropriately (also common sense), but even when weather is warm on land, it can be quite colder at sea with the wind and fog and all. I saw several people underdressed and they looked freezing. I wore a t-shirt and windbreaker with jeans and boots, but this was not enough - I should've known better and wore a sweatshirt too. In fact, my hands were so numb, I should have also worn gloves - and a beanie. Anyway, I think guests would be more comfortable if they were warned to dress warmly with layers. Not everyone knows better. Other than that, everything was great.

I strongly recommend NOT approaching the whales so close but stopping and waiting even if that means a longer trip.....I think this is the protocol??? Also the office staff was rude to say the least, we could not print the tickets/info and called to say so, but was not told to come 45 minutes earlier (7:00) . When I mentioned this I was told, "it's stated on the print out" ...which I could not print. Wharf to wharf made it hard to get there as well Great trip other than that.

We saw both Blue and Humpback whales. The captain had the ability to watch and move the boat to where the whales were. He took the time to give us great views of the whales. It was a great trip!

There were lots of whales to see when we went. Our guides were wonderful, offering us lots of information and explaining what we saw. It is an experience not to miss!

The cruise was very enjoyable and we did see whales, though not as close-up as I had hoped. The only downside of the trip was the extremely rough sea, which caused many of those on board to become sick. It was so rough that we had to hold onto each other just to move from one side of the boat to the other. Also, exhaust fumes were overwhemling at times. I do feel that the captain made every effort to cruise out far enough to find where the whales were, and to turn the boat appropriately so that we could see them off the side.

Jennifer was wonderful - knowledgable, kind, fun and we saw lots of humbacks and got a look at a mola-mola... Cool!

Good crew, good boat.