Stagnaro Charter Boats

I really enjoyed my experience with Santa Cruz Whale Watch. They were very helpful and informative and they knew exactly where to go to see the whales, I would highly recommended this company to anyone.

Despite the fog the captain knew where the whales had been feeding and zig zagged in the area until landing us in a large group of humpbacks feeding on krill. It turned out to be a great experience as the whales were swimming under the boat, surfacing by the boat and in the area for about 45 min. I have been on numerous trips but this was one of the best. The captain was very adept at keeping the whales in our sights despite the thick fog. Excellent trip. Brett and Nancy

I had a great time.Everyone has to take a trip like this

I gave my granddaughter and her husband the trip as a gift. My granddaughter had gone whale watching several times in Santa Barbara. It was her husband's first trip. They had the greatest time. They said they saw about 20 whales. Humpbacks and blues. They even saw a baby whale. They told me the crew was very knowledgeable, friendly and extremely helpful. They want to go again!

This was one of the most amazing whale watching trips I have experienced. I look forward to returning for another experience!!

We were on an trip through whole California and joined this trip while we were on our way from Pismo Beach to San Francisco. We hoped to see some whales, but we didn't expect to see so many! It was awesome! Additionaly there were dolphins and sealions directly next to the boad. We couldn't imagine that they would come that close. The team was really friendly and everything was in time. We would like to recommend this trip to everybody who is interested to see the natural behavior of this animals. :-)

The ride out to where the whales were was long (over an hour), but it is to be expected after we learned that we had to get 8-12 mi. off shore. We saw 2 blue whales, (which are very rare) and 2 humpback whales. On the way back, as a surprise, a group of dolphins began following the boat. The only complaint was the weather and the fact that we apparently get a little seasick....but who has control over that? :) Overall, definitely worth the trip and the money. You won't be disappointed.

The writeup stated that the trip was approximately 3 hours long, perhaps a little longer if necessary to see whales. I understand that the captain had no control over where the whales were, but our trip was close to 5 hours. We did see some spectacular whales, however it was so choppy and the trip was so long that most people were starting to get pretty miserable. Out of the 60 people on board, at least 15-20 got sick, making the boat quite unplesant. Again, I realize that some of this is beyond the control of the organizers so I don't know what the answer is. One person in my party was supposed to pick up her grandson at 5:00 and was frantically trying to make other arrangement via cell phone on the boat. Perhaps make it clearer that the trip could run really long.

The crew was very professional, hospitable and accomodating and the boat was comfortable and clean. Personally, I would highly recommend wearing a patch to prevent sea sickness as I did not, thinking I did not need to worry about it (having even lived on a boat for two years, recently!) I went out on a sunny, pleasant day when the swells were minimal and still got sick (and was not alone). Aside from that 'inconvenience', it was a great experience, well worth the $$, saw blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins, sea lions & albatross.

We headed out on a foggy afternoon; it did clear to sunny skies, but was initially cold, so glad to have worn jeans and jacket (had shorts, too, just in case, but didn't need them). Wish I had something to cover my ears on the long windy, cold boat ride out--almost 2 hours! Crew warns to hold on to rails and side--AN ABSOLUTE MUST! It gets really choppy and balance is an issue. Saw a few stumble and fall. If you're prone to motion sickness, take something for it! You'll need it! Otherwise, enjoy the carnival ride motion--it's fantastic! I found no need for binoculars; couldn't stand still enough, even when the boat was stopped, to make good use--my little hand held camera was pretty useless, too, because of the constant rocking of the boat. The views of the blue whales were phenomenal--like a big submarine! We got close and with one whale, were lucky enough to see the whale tale (which we understand does not always happen with Blue Whales). We also had an opportunity to view Humpbacks along side of Blues--the Blues dwarfing the Humpbacks! FYI- It took about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to get to the spot and then probably an hour of viewing and then 1 hour back. Count on 4+ hours when you're feeding the meters.

We had a great experience, the crew was friendly and helpful and we got to see gray whales, humpbacks and dolphins, so a great trip overall. The sea was very rough and about 75% of the passengers got extremely sea sick (including my mom) and threw up over the side of the boat. Some missed a little bit and it would have been nice if the crew had taken a hose and cleaned it up during the trip. Another improvement we would like to suggest is that the seating on the boat is not very comfortable and there is also not enough of it. There are only two small benches, each on the side of the boat, that hold 3 people and then a few benches in the back that seat about 10 more. All the other seating is inside which with high seas, there is no way anybody would want to sit inside. The boat was full with appr. 50 guests, so that meant standing for about 4.5 hours! Not very comfortable.

I feel it was time and money well-spent. Suggestions: Take your own food/drink and take your garbage off the boat with you; Dress in layers; remember, shore weather is not necessarily sea weather; Don't expect to see out-takes from National Geographic or Discovery, nature is in charge; Take ear plugs; engine noise can be deafening; Enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Plan to go again.

Although the day was quite foggy, the trip turned out to be quite amazing. We saw a blue whale and a humpback whale that we followed. Both the naturist and boat captain were very knowledgeable providing us with helpful and interesting information. Overall the trip was a great time and the whales were amazingly cooperative!!

First I must say that it was amazing seeing blue whales and I appreciate our captain's tenacity in finding them, despite prolonging the trip by an hour.We traveled for a long time to find them. Saw them probably for a total of less than 6 minutes and then headed back for an hour and forty-five minues. (The whales came up for a minute or two and then down for 10.) I hadn't really known what to expect and figure that's the way it typically goes. Some outfits offer "relief band" rentals to relieve sea-sickness. These folks didn't and my daughter was pretty miserable.

I know that every trip is different, but to see humpback whales that close to the ship, almost playingly following it, is something I'll never forget. We were also surrounded by a group of 500-1000 dolphins at one time during the trip. The boat itself wasn't too big, but it wasn't crowded, so we had plenty of room to witness the awesomeness that is nature.