Stagnaro Charter Boats

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.

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.

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 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.

I've been on several whale watching trips in Hawaii, but this was a first for my 2 grandsons, ages 7 and 10, and my first in Santa Cruz. It was by far the best whale sightings I have experienced. The captain took us north along the coastline paralleling 2 large grey whales that surfaced and provided a "fluke show" several times. The boat was immaculate, the crew and naturalists were courteous and very informative and the whales and dolphins gave us quite a show. We also learned about and saw several sea otters resting in the kelp beds. We stayed out on the bow area of the boat for the entire tour but there is a small indoor cabin which we checked out, but preferred to be outside where we wouldn't miss anything. This was a wonderful experience for my grandsons and I to enjoy together and I highly recommend this trip.

I wish my 12 & 14 yr olds had been with us! The crew can't guarantee a whale sighting but boy! You can tell how excited and happy they are when the whales cooperate! Obviously this crew really wants the best experience possible and seize every opportunity to teach and share the excitement!! Wonderful narrator/teacher!!

The humpbacks were amazing. We spent most of the time watching lunge feeding. Our Captain and crew were informative and helpful. The naturalist was also great. We saw many pairs of mother's and calves. The weather was perfect. We had such a good day with lits of great photo opportunities. It was a rare experience and such a privilege to be in the presence of these magnificent animals.

Besides the fact of being sick on board and the choppy waves (I do not have a stomach made of steel) the sightings were spectacular and brilliant. It's definitely worth it if you can do well on the open waters :D

Whale watching has long been an item on my "bucket list" and have looked forward to going since moving to California from Michigan. I am still in awe of all that I experienced...seeing Gray Whales, Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, and Sea Otters. The crew was extremely friendly and informative. I would recommend this to anyone and it will certainly be something I do again and again!

We were visiting from Vermont and made a special trip to Santa Cruz to go on the whale watch. It was fabulous. The crew was wonderful. The boat was comfortable. The whales were spectacular. Definitely the highlight of our trip.

We had a good trip. This is the ninth time I've been whale watching and the first with this company. We got a little lost and the company was very helpful with directions by phone and making sure we made it on time. The boat was a little smaller than I'm used to but the extra movement made for a fun ride. We went during a weekday morning so the boat wasn't very crowded and it was easy to get seats and a nice view. The snack bar was good, basically what you would expect out on a boat for a very fair price. We didn't find any whales in the usual places but the Captain took the boat all the way across the bay to make sure we found whales and had a good trip. We saw three humpback whales playing on the surface and the Captain did a good job positioning the boat for a good view. My only slighty negative comment is that the naturalist tended to repeat the same comments and gave pretty basic information. All together, a very nice trip and one I would be happy to repeat.

This was high on my bucket list and we had an amazing day! The staff were super friendly and knowledgable and we saw both humpbacks and an orca on our trip! Would highly recommend, great value and a must for anyone in the area! Will do this again when next in Santa Cruz!!