Stagnaro Charter Boats

Just one of many exciting trips with Stagnaro Charter Boats. Today was awesome. We saw a Gray whale with her calf, hundreds of white sided dolphins, Hump Back whales that crossed our bow within 20 feet and a large pod of Orcas (killer whales)that appeared to be as curious about us as we were about them. Plenty of room inside, where it's warm and hot food, snacks and beverages are available for purchase, if you are reluctant to spend all of your trip outside. I love the bow rail, even on cold days, but the less windy area, at the stern, has benches and plenty of rail space to get a first look or take pictures. Excellent naturalist on board to explain, in detail, what you are observing and to answer your questions. Take your out of town visitors for a very special treat. I did and my guest said she would never forget this awesome experience.

This was the 2nd time I had taken this excursion and I will take it again. However, the first time I went, the boat left @ 1:00. This time the boat left @ 10:00, which I found to be too early. First of all, myself and I'm sure most people have at least an hour or more to drive, so I did not like having to leave that early in the morning. Second, the sun did not have time to burn off the fog, so we did not see sunshine until we were returning to the dock! Other than that, the boat and crew are the best. Very knowledgable and accommodating. On our way out we saw a sea otter and some sea lions. Once out in open water we saw some white-sided dolphins and more sea lions. Capt Ken made sure we saw a whale, but it wasn't quite what we were hoping for. One lone humpback, that appeared for 3 or 4 one minute intervals with 5 minute dives in between. Saw a few good tail veiws, but overall kind of boring. Oh well, one just never knows what nature will offer on any given day. We'll try again later in the summer.

I have recently moved to the bay area and had been wanting to do this. Since the cold, rainy season has been unseasonably warm and dry I decided to book it. That being said, I had no clue about the migration, or anything else, of the whales. I did not know what kind, if any whales, I would see. The crew on our boat, Velocity, was extremely informative about this. We followed a pod of 4 Gray whales for over an hour! We were told by our boat captain, Ken, that it was somewhat unusual for them to stay at the surface. He said they were feeding and that it was also unusual for them to be feeding on their trek south. While the whales were not very playful, they were truly enjoyable to watch. We were told the Humpback whales are more entertaining as far as jumping out of the water and showing their tails. Apparently you can see whales pretty much year round in Monterey Bay, but there are different kinds of whales at different times and of course they are more plentiful at different times as well. The friend I went with, and I, plan to watch the sighting report and as soon as they start seeing Humpbacks we are going again! Loved it!

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 :)

Not sure if words can describe the wonderful sensation of seeing the beautiful whales and other sea life! Grandchildren ages 7 and 10, son, his girlfriend, son in law all agreed the cruise was spectacular! A truly marvelous experience. We will be baaaack!!! The captain and crew made every effort to sight whales and give explanations. They were helpful and appreciated. Of course, the 15 or so whales that we saw, performed beautifully. Thanks to everyone on board! Patricia H.

everybody on board were helpful and friendly. They took the time to find whales and hang out in the area so we could get the best view of them. Can't wait to go again!

Awesome wildlife sightings. We saw two bottlenose dolphins right out of harbor (they swam under the boat with us). Next, we saw a pod of 30 or 40 risso's dolphins. And to end the show, we saw two humpback whales. One of them swam up right next to us and gave us the eye! The only thing I'd say is the boat had a few too many people. The captain did try to turn the boat so that each side got to see, but it was a bit frustrating knowing that I was missing the action because I couldn't make it to the other side/see past the tall people. Also, the registration process was long and inefficient (have to get there 45 minutes early to wait in line). Overall though, a good trip, and it was the only place in Santa Cruz that did online booking. Next time I might try to plan ahead for one of the smaller charter boats.

Well planned professional trip with naturalist on board ... we had great views of the whales and apart from the cool weather it was all good. Wear warm clothes. This is highly recommended. Good value for money and shows Monterey Bay wildlife to its best.

Our daughter and her husband were visiting from Pennsylvania. They, my husband and I were absolutely thrilled when these huge mammals spouted and breached. All the passengers clung to the rails and excitedly pointed when they saw a breach. The captain was really on the ball pointing out where to look and telling us information about the kind of whales we were seeing and their habits. There was also a knowledgeable and pleasant docent helping us as she walked through the group. I was glad the ship had a large cabin into which we could come if we got cold and have a snack from the galley

Fantastic experience. We were able to see mutliple humpbacks and blues as well as many other marine life. The captain and his crew were friendly and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this trip!

I've been on 3 trips with Stagnaro's now and have had 3 great trips. The last trip I went on, the whales couldn't be found, but we still got to see otter, seal, dolphins, porpoise, and sunfish. They drove all over the bay looking, and on top of that, since we didn't see a whale, we were given a free raincheck to try again in the next 3 months. On previous trips I've seen humpbacks, blues, and orcas. On one occasion we had a humpback rub against the boat, and do some general showing off. These people are great and do their best to provide an enjoyable whale watching trip. Oh! Dress warm. I have yet to be overdressed once on the water.

This was the best of the three whale watching tours I've taken. The whales were far off, but the crew extended the trip to make for good watching! Everyone was very friendly, and the trip was quite the success. Great place!

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.

Our guides were fun and interesting. They took us right to the whales, and the animals were very interactive this day, feeding at the surface. Whales came very close to the boat and we got some great pictures. Do take advantage of the motion sickness medicine that you can buy on board -- a couple of people got sick and it was a sad thing to see because everybody else was having a great time!

The trip itself was great where we saw many humpback whales as well as blue whales. However, as the boat stopped near the whales, the water was very rough, and a few people in the group got quite seasick. Overall it was nice seeing all the whales, but just wish the boat could be a little bigger.