Stagnaro Charter Boats

Fascinating trip with great views of Orcas, dolphins, albatrosses and lots of other sea birds. Guides were very knowledgeable about all we saw. Instructions given out before hand were very helpful. Long trip but well worth it!

MY WIFE SURPRISED ME THIS YEAR WITH A TRIP TO SANTA CRUZ/ MONTEREY BAY FOR A WHALE WATCHING CRUISE. WE LEFT EARLY FROM OUR HOME IN PACIFICA, CA. , WHERE WHALES CAN SOMETIMES BE SEEN FROM THE SHORE OR COASTAL BLUFFS THAT SURROUND OUR CITY. IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL DRIVE TO THE SANTA CRUISE SOUTH HARBOR, AND WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT, WHAT STARTED OUT TO BE AN OVERCAST DAY IN SANTA CRUZ, TURNED OUT TO BE SUNNY ONCE WE HEADED OUT TO THE OUTER PERIMETER OF THE BAY. JUST AS WE ARRIVED AT THE UNDERWATER NAVIGATING AREA OF THE WHALES, WE ENCOUNTERED 3 OTHER CRAFT ENJOYING THE SIGHT OF SEVERAL (MAYBE SIX IN ALL) ORKA WHALES, FEASTING ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ELEPHANT SEAL OR LARGE SEA LION. THE ORKAS PUT ON A GREAT SHOW, AND SEEMED DELIGHTED TO ENTERTAIN THE CROWD. ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SIGHT ANY HUMPBACK OR GRAY WHALES, I WAS PLEASED THAT WE, AT LEAST HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE NATURE AT IT'S MOST BASIC LEVEL. OVERALL WE WERE PLEASED WITH THE CREWS ORIENTATION OF WHAT WE COULD EXPECT AND THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH SEA SICKNESS.. EVERY BIT WORTH THE FOUR HOUR CRUISE...I RECOMMEND IT FOR ANY ONE WHO LOVES THE OPEN SEA!!!

It was just wonderful trip, I still couldn't believe that I really was a witness of this outstanding performance. I have a dreamed a years to see orcas, and I finally saw them, and that was more than I could imagine. Thank you.

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.

We went on this excursion with little expectations and had an awesome time! Our crew was very knowledgable about all the marine life. We saw pelicans, marine birds, sea otters, sea lions,2 types of dolphins and 2 humpback whales. It was amazing. When we were almost back at the harbor the crew spotted more dolphins and sped up so the dolphins would follow us and swim under the bough. They could of just docked the boat but they didn't and they extended our trip by 20 minutes. I had a great time! I would highly recommend them!

Stagnero's has a VERY high percentage of whale sightings, so we were pretty sure we'd be lucky......NOT! :( We got "skunked", but still got a "whale" of a deal!! They gave us coupons, good for 90 days for another trip! We were very impressed....they are EXTREMELY nice & did help us spot some seals, otters, and sunfish (BIG ONES!) It was disappointing not to see any whales, but it's not like they can push buttons & the whales pop up! LOL!......Still, a very nice day out in the beautiful ocean!

Watching wildlife in the wild is an awesome experience, which came true thanks to the Whale watching trip by Stagnaro Charter Boats. A good crew. My only complaint is that there were too many people on board and sometimes it was difficult to find an appropriate place. The trip in general was enthralling.

We saw a baby and mama humpback whale,sea lions,dolphins,and two sun fish. We loved it and will definitely go again. My advice is that everyone read the instructions so you can have a great time. Luckily, we did so everything went smoothly and we had enough layers of clothing on. We loved the educational part of the tour too. If you are a barfer then prepare or try a different tour because it did get wild out there. We loved it but we don't get sea sick. Overall, excellent, fun, and beautiful experience.

We went out to celebrate our daughters 7th birthday. It was incredible. Great crew,nice boat and,lots of sea animals a great memory!

We already saw 2 whales after only 30min on the boat. We followed this 2 whales for approx. 2hr - too long - from my point of view. Otherwise the trip was OK.

This was a recommended idea from the Chaminade Resort staff as a replacement for activity that fell through. What a great recommendation! The ship and crew were friendly and very knowledgeable of the area and the sea life. The ship was clean and well kept and not overloaded with passengers. My husband and I enjoyed the adventure very much. I would go again!

However, I wished the boat would have went further into the bay-perhaps to see more whales.

I was thrilled to be able to experience seeing humpback whales up close and personal. We saw about 6 whales and even got to see them flip their tails about 3 times!! These guys clearly know their business and where to find the whales. Very nice boat as well.

They made sure we saw all that we wanted to see.

I do not recommend it. Because of traffic jam we were late on the trip for 30 minutes. When I entered the office,. administrator was not able to give us any substitute trip for that day or any other activity. I was not able to refund my money for being late. While booking this activity there was no warning that in case of objective reasons for not coming to trip on time they do not refund. THIS IS VERY DISSAPOINTING FOR 21 CENTURY.