Top 14 Monterey Whale Watching Tours

1.Monterey Bay: Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,300 reviews · 3 - 4 hours · from $75Our pick

Review of Monterey Bay whale watching with Discovery Whale Watch, including wildlife, seasons, boat tips, cost, timing, and what to expect.

“We had a fantastic afternoon. Too many whales to see all at once! A hoard of sea lions cavorting with them. Perfect weather. The boat was comfortable and the crew was helpful and knowledgeable. Enjoyed chatting with Isiah, who helped us understand what we were seeing. The trip greatly exceeded our expectations. Just wonderful.”

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2.Monterey: Monterey Bay Dolphin and Whale Watching Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,645 reviews · 3 hours · from $62Best value

See whales, dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds on a three-hour Monterey Bay cruise with an English-speaking guide and small-boat views.

“A fantastic 3 hours with an excellent guide (Kevin?). Boat felt safe, spent about 45 mins with a humpback cow and her calf, a few minutes with dolphin playing near boat and a great trip around to Carmel and back. Very informative on all things marine and bird related. Highly recommend.”

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3.4 Hour Whale Watching Tour From Monterey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,045 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $85Top rated

Review of Monterey’s 3.5-hour whale watching cruise, with whale sightings, crew advice, pricing, seasickness tips, and booking details.

“Had such a great experience on this tour. Spent around 1.5 hours watching humpback whales feed as well as some sea lions. The crew were mega helpful and informative. Explaining the geography of the bay and the reasons the whales were present. Apparently the sea can get a little choppy in October/when winter starts to set in which is what we experienced so take some travel sickness tablets before getting to the dock if you are prone to feeling motion sickness.”

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4.Monterey Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 732 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $70

Review of Monterey whale watching: boat comfort, wildlife, sea conditions, VIP seating, timing, price, and practical booking advice.

“Princess Monterey Whale Watching. Awesome tour, very educational,super friendly staff . We had an excellent time seeing Whales,sea lions and cormorran birds .”

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5.Monterey: Sunset Whale Watching Cruise with A Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 519 reviews · 3 hours · from $75

Review of Monterey’s 3-hour sunset whale-watching cruise, with guide, wildlife sightings, practical tips, pricing, weather advice, and FAQs.

“An excellent day - great sightings of whales, porpoises, and sea lions.”

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6.Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 497 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $62

Review of Monterey whale watching with Chris’ Fishing Trips, covering boats, wildlife, seasickness, value, parking, and booking tips.

“Captain and Deckhand were great. Friendly staff and saw plenty of hump back whales and orcas . Highly recommend”

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7.Monterey: Whale Watching Tour with A Marine Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 348 reviews · 2h 30m · from $70

Review of Monterey’s 150-minute whale-watching cruise, with practical tips on wildlife, seating, price, timing, parking, and what to expect.

“Was wonderful saw a couple whales and baby calves lots of seals and sea birds thoroughly enjoyed the trip”

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8.Monterey Bay Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 316 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $69

Review of Monterey Bay whale watching from Moss Landing, with whale sightings, boat details, costs, tips, drawbacks, and booking advice.

“Worth the small trip from Monterey! 2:30 hours on the boat with a great commentary. The team does care about the environment and has knowledge about the whales and their habitat.”

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9.3-Hour Whale Watching Tour from Monterey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 240 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $75

Review of Monterey’s 3-hour whale watching tour, with wildlife odds, boat conditions, price value, timing, tips, and booking advice.

“Great guides and wonderful experience!! Onboarding and offboarding the boat was smooth. Learned a lot about the Gray Whale. The crew did their best to find whale!”

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10.Afternoon Whale Watch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 186 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $75

Review of Discovery Whale Watch in Monterey, a small-boat trip with marine biologists, year-round wildlife, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Seeing whales on this small boat was perfect! Isaiah and Matt were great hosts and provided informational commentary. Outstanding experience. Saw several whales! Would highly recommend!”

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11.Monterey: Whale Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 179 reviews · 2h 30m · from $71

Review of Sea Goddess Whale Watching from Moss Landing, with whale sightings, marine life, practical tips, access notes, and value at $71.

“Great experience saw lots of whales and seal lions … daughters were very sea sick and they usually aren’t , so something to keep in mind … the staff on board were excellent, kept us informed of where to view and even came to speak to passengers on board to see if anyone had any questions. Definitely worth the money for the experience”

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12.Sunset Whale Watch Tour in Monterey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $75

See Monterey Bay whales, dolphins, sea lions, and sunset on a three-hour Discovery Whale Watch cruise with coffee and expert crew.

“Captain JJ, Andrew and Corey were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They really made this a wonderful experience. They helped to ensure that everyone was able to see the whales and gave excellent information about their habitat and habits. Our sunset tour was cancelled due to bad weather but the transfer to an alternative was simple and dealt with courteously. A full refund was offered but we really wanted the tour and were really glad we did. We saw lots of whales and had a really great time. Take sickness tablets! Several people were unwell!”

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13.Monterey: Private Whale Watching/Sailing Tour for 6

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3 reviews · 3h 30m

Review of Monterey’s private whale-watching sail for six, with wildlife, snacks, drinks, meeting tips, pricing, and honest booking advice.

“Captain Tiki was a wealth of knowledge and so accommodating with our 3 sons. We saw whales, sea lions, a sun fish, and otter! So much fun :)”

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14.Monterey Private 3 – 4 Hour Whale Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.)

Review of Sail Monterey’s private whale watching cruise, with pricing, wildlife, Cannery Row views, timing, group size, and booking tips.

“The unique aspect of this tour was the fact that we were in a smaller boat that was sailing. Much quieter and more intimate than in the big whale watch boats crowded with people. We saw whales and dolphins and some cool birds.”

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