Stagnaro Charter Boats

We saw both Blue and Humpback whales. The captain had the ability to watch and move the boat to where the whales were. He took the time to give us great views of the whales. It was a great trip!

This company promises a safe and informative trip. First, while passengers were exhorted to arrive 30 min early (the directions to the boat slip were not where the boat was actually docked) the same was not true for the boat which cruised in late from a morning fishing trip and then had to be cleaned and sluiced down before we were allowed on board, starting our trip off late. The boat was way overcrowded. There were only a few seats outside and they were still wet. Inside there were only chairs for about 20. Not really a problem unless you were fine with standing in the freezing cold with high winds for 4 hours straight. After going out in these conditions for a couple of hours, we finally spotted 3 gray whales but had a difficult time tracking them and a few porpoise. The narrator captain was limited as to what he could say. Of course,Stagnaro's, the charter company, could not predict the wildlife, but they could control a strong advisory for motion sickness medication on their site. People were getting sick right and left due to the heaving seas. The company also advertised that it was fine for people to bring their own food. and many did so, but there was no place to eat it, even if one was not seasick. They could also control who was allowed to sail. There were several babies and many young children under ten who moved around the boat without parents and were constantly in danger of falling overboard in high seas and winds. The crew made little attempt to move among the passengers or control people and even told people to move from one side of the boat to another to see. Probably not an issue for the crew who were used to the ocean and winds but very difficult for most as the boat pitched and yawed from the seas and the winds. I would not recommend this company for anyone.

We definitely like this tour. Not only did they find whales, they also looked out for dolphins, otters, seals, and sea lions. It was great that right out of port, a small pod of bottlenose dolphins found the boat immediately and started riding the bow wave. I would go with this tour if you're looking for more than just whales.

The boat was a good size, not too big and not too small. We were lucky to have seen lots of humpbacks and two blue whales. The only down side was not having an upper deck to view the whales - there were times when the whales were on the opposite side of the boat that I was on, and I could not see them because all the people standing on the rail on that side blocked my view. Having an upper deck on which one could stand and look down at the whales would alleviate that problem. But the captain seemed committed to staying out a little longer and going a little farther to ensure that we saw more whales. The naturalist and crew on board were also very friendly.

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.

Great trip, great crew. A+.

My family loved every minute of our trip. Seeing the humpback whales breaching and tail lobbing was amazing and then to actually see two blue whales was just incredible! The crew was very informative and friendly. We highly recommend this adventure and can't wait to do it again.

We had a great time. We saw so much and the staff were very friendly and informative. there were a lot of whales too.

Excellent whale watching trip! We left a few minutes late, because of slow check-in line, but made up for it at the end. Stopped at the sea otters, then one mile buoy for the sea lions, then headed out for the whales. It didn't take long before the humpback whales were breaching and slapping their fins in the water right in front of us. Then we headed out to see the blue whales...didn't get much of a view since they stayed under water so long. The crew was very informative and just as excited by the prospect of seeing blue whales as we were. The on-board refreshments were good and reasonably priced. One warning: they tell you to bring $4 in quarters for the parking meter - bring at least $5. I put in enough for 5 hours and had ten minutes left by the time we got back.

This trip was amazing! We were SO lucky, we saw so many blue and humpback whales!! We were blown away. The boat felt a bit crowded at first but it was ok. Don't forget your seasickness pills as it can get rough!! ENJOY!

Awesome humpback tour. Everything went smoothly from beginning to end. The guides were knowledgeable and friendly and the crew led us to to a great whale viewing area. The whales got so close we got sprayed. Exceeded my expectations!

The trip started with a safety breifing. Had a lot of luck on the ride and saw 3 different kinds of big aquatic mammals, and the weather was perfect. The atmosphere on the boat is relaxed, and the option to buy a can of beer at a very decent price is a big plus. Overall a great experience!

This may be a better option for Bay Area residents who want to maximize time on the water since the drive to Santa Cruz is much shorter than the one to Monterrey, especially since both come to the same area to view the whales. We had a good time - the crew was very professional and the information provided was relevant and well articulated. I'll take future guests to this event! Enjoy.

I write my revieuw in dutch: We hebben genoten; Om zo van dichtbij de walvissen in de oceaan te zien was geweldig! Wat voel je je dan klein wanneer je die enorme beesten ziet. De kapitein en zijn crew gaan op een respectvolle manier om met de mensen aan boord maar ook met de walvissen! Ze geven een uitgebreide uitleg over wat je ziet! Wij zouden graag nog eens met ze mee gaan.

This was a fantastic trip for us. Our original tour date was re-scheduled from the day before due to high winds. We experienced no problems with the rescheduling at all. I was hopeful to catch a glimpse of the whales, but in fact we saw 6 humpback whales in 3 different groups, along with a large pod of Rossi's dolphins. The on-board naturalist was full of information, and the captain was wonderful at narrating and maneuvering the boat to travel alongside the whales. We were also taken around the harbor to get a great view of sea lions, harbor seals, and a sea otter. All in all this experience was so much more than I could have hoped for!