Monterey Bay Whale Watch is a great company for this experience. Located on the Monterey Pier, this company has several ships that carry people out into the bay. The ships are staffed with naturalists that help you learn about what you are seeing. They will keep an eye out for any critters that break the surface and let everyone know.

Go inside of their shop where you can purchase tickets, souvenirs, and even see what the company has spotted so far, they even update their website as to what was spotted that day; sometimes they will even posts videos! They update their white board so that you can see what other visitors have seen on their journey. After your tickets are bought, walk down the stairs and wait on the platform until the ship is ready for everyone to climb on. Once on board, find your spot and get ready for anything that Mother Nature may bring!

Less than ten miles from shore, we heard our captain say over the intercom, “blue whale” which an amazing start to our day. These are the largest animals in the world, and they are beautiful! Not only were we treated to this, but we saw an incredible feeding behavior where the whale flipped upside down and charge the krill with their mouths open. It was sudden, and stunning to see!

After the blue whale, we had decided to explore some other part of the bay, we moved on and found several “clowns of the sea”. These large humpback whales stayed with us for quite a while. They were moving from the front of the ship to the back. After some time, the humpbacks decided to rest, and were bobbing on top of the water. It was crazy close to the ship that when they exhaled, we could smell their fishy breath; a very unique treat indeed.

Our journey around the bay to see what other amazing animals were to be seen soon continued. Although we were sad to leave our whale friends, it is important that we do not interfere with their normal activity for long. Our time on the remainder of the trip was spent looking for the other animals that call the Bay their home. We spotted a couple of seals among the waves, and at one point it was even announced that there was a shark fin slicing through the water. However, our search for more creatures was done for the day.

We pulled back into the dock, and chatted about the creatures we had seen, and flipped through pictures to recap what we had seen. It was really amazing to see.

*Please note that these are wild animals. They are not trained, and the animals show up when they decide. Monterey is very unique in that they spot whales year around. However, their behavior and interaction with human visitors will always vary.*

Tours range from 4 hours for $39 for children and $49 for adults to all day trips (12 hours) that cost $155 a person. Cameras are a MUST for this trip! Make sure to bring a coat or jacket because it can be cool and the weather on the ocean changes often. On board the ship, snacks and drinks can be purchased and there is an inside area if it gets to chilly.

After each trip, the Monterey Bay Whale Watch white board inside the shop will be updated with the creatures that had been seen that day, as well as on their website. So, in case you forgot to snap a picture of what you had all seen on your journey, the website will have photos posted along with many other tour sightings. They have incredible pictures or even video updates posted for people to view.

For more about them, you can visit their site HERE.