Stagnaro Charter Boats

The boat was well equipped and the crew was nice and efficient. There was plenty of room and the crew explained all about the boat, the area and the types of wildlife we might see. We saw sea otters, sea lions and dolphins. Then unfortunately a fog bank rolled in which reduced visibility for spotting whales. And I have to say the boatride through the fog was romantic and fun! Will do it again sometime in hopes of seeing whales!

This was a very enjoyable trip with our entire family, from grandparents, college students, parents, and elementary-aged child. We enjoyed the relaxing journey out to the viewing area, as well as the friendly easy-going staff. There were no large whales the day we ventured out but we were thrilled to see Rizzo and North Wright whales that were gregarious, playful, and surfed the bow. All in all we had a fabulous time enjoying the view, wildlife, and naturalist's observations. The only recommendation I would provide is that the instructions on the website be more clear about parking. I wish I had known about the permit available for visitors. It should be included in the price, I feel. Plus a map on the website would be extremely helpful. Thanks for the day!

This trip was almost a bust. Humpback season is just about over and the grays haven't showed up yet. I knew there was a good chance we wouldn't see anything. Then on the way back in we spotted some killer whales( this is pretty rare). We were able to hang out and watch them for about 20 or 30 minutes. They came very close to the boat., 20 feet or so. Very cool. The crew was very nice and informative. One tip, make sure you take your sea sickness meds. It was pretty rough out there for a while. With the medicine on board I was fine. A couple of the passengers weren't so lucky. Also, I wouldn't take any young children. My five year old enjoyed it but I think younger kids might have a hard time.

Seriously amazing! Stagnero's was friendly, knowledgeable, and out to provide and unforgettable experience. And they did.

We had a delightful time in spite of only seeing a mother and calf and perhaps two other humpbacks. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable, so we will definitely try it again!

Great experience seeing the whales and friendly staff. I wish there was more room on the front of the boat where everyone seemed to be crowded and I kept going from left to right to get a glimpse and picture...

This was well guided and organised and we had the bonus of seeing some blue whales as well as lots of humped backed whales plus some dolphins on the trip.

It's hard to put into words how awesome this trip was. The crew was fantastic. The naturalist on our boat was wonderful. She was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. My family learned more about sea life on that trip than anywhere else we had been. Not only did we see whales up close but we also had three varieties of dolphins following the boat. What a great experience it was for, not only my grandchildren but also my children and myself. I would highly recommend the Whale Watching Trip on Monterey Bay to anyone and everyone. I plan on taking my family again.

never after this trip will you want to go view fish and animals in captivity. The ocean is full of life and is beautiful to watch out in the open. make sure to have layers of clothing as well as clothing to change into afterwards. pop those motion sickness pill, and you will be just fine. they have a great marine biologist on board to talk about different interesting facts and answers all the questions you or you children might have about nature. We absolutely loved our trip.

The crew (Ken/Captain, Casey/Mate and Maureen/Naturalist) were amazing, informative and careful. It was a very rough day and sea (at least to me) and they were calm and Ken steered the boat cautiously and warned us when were heading into the swells. It was my first time whale watching (but not my last) and it was the trip of a lifetime. Top ten on my list of experiences and I've travel globally for nearly 25 years. I couldn't recommend it more. In terms of advice for other people...this isn't really a trip for kids under the age of 10. At least not during rough seas. There were many kids who were sick and others that just stayed inside the entire time.

We had a great time on our whale watching tour. Our captain was very dedicated to finding whales, which we eventually did. We saw two blue whales because he kept up the search despite the fact that they are hard to follow. The second-in-command was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his job and spent a lot of time answering our questions. These guys were great!

The ride is pretty beautiful.But we are disappointed because we didn't even see the single whale.We are not sure whether this is the right season or not.I advice people to know the best time for whale watching.Good thing is that we got chance to view onemore time for free.Hope next time will have luck for us. thanks, RAP

Well, bottom line is we saw a ton of whales we were close and it was amazing, no guantees with wild animals, but the drivers knew where to go! I enjoyed the information sharing and humor of the driver and deck hand. It was a fantastic experience!

This was our third time out on the Monterey Bay for whale watching -- and this was our second time out with Stagnaro. We had a group of people in town for our wedding and we had the best luck with weather, calm seas, and lots of marine life -- From sea otters, to jellyfish, orca, a blue whale in the distance, and some humpbacks! The orca and humpbacks were so close to the boat. The staff on the boat were knowledgeable and friendly. We really had a great time.

Highly recommend the whale watchimg trip on Monterey Bay.