Monterey Bay Whale Watching: Marine Wildlife Tour

Embark on a thrilling 3-hour whale-watching tour in Monterey Bay. Learn from marine biologists and naturalists about whales, dolphins, and other marine wildlife while enjoying the stunning natural beauty of the area.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 66 Fishermans Wharf - Meet at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey to begin your whale watching experience at 10am. Monterey Bay is considered to be a premier destination for whale watching year round as these animals are often spotted there. Your whale watching trip will be narrated by a marine biologist or naturalist, who will provide you educational…
What's Included
  • Experienced driver/guide
  • Engaging live commentary
  • Complimentary tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Food and drinks
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

Monterey Bay stands as the top location for year-round whale observing. Enjoy a daily 3-hour journey, accompanied by a commentary from a marine biologist or naturalist offering insightful and informative details about whales, dolphins, and numerous marine creatures. Alongside guiding you about the wildlife, your onboard specialists will discuss the…

Location
66 Fishermans Wharf
Fishermans Wharf
Parking Address: 101 Washington Street Monterey CA 93940 Find beginning of Fisherman's Wharf with Pink building/Blue Lighthouse (Harbor House). Walk past all the gift shops and turn right when you see a giant clock or the Crab house Restaurant. Will be on the right the BLUE Building.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(234 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Dianamo53
Mar 12, 2025
Perfect whale watching adventure! - Fantastic!! Gray whales accompanied the boat for at least 30 minutes, just 30-40 yards away. Our naturalist alerted us to sightings, as well as otters, seals and sea lions. The trip was a wonder and boat staff were extremely attentive to all passengers. Highly recommend this tour!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrsmersey
Feb 26, 2025
Must do experience when visiting Monterey. - We are visiting Monterey from Bristol, England and today we joined Isaiah, Matt and JJ on a thrilling whale watching expedition. The journey was a smooth one, on a very comfortable boat with all the amenities you could ask for, including free tea/coffee/cocoa. Captain JJ did a great job navigating us whilst at the same time letting us know if he could see anything up ahead. Isaiah and Matt were super friendly, I especially loved Isaiah’s sea shanty singing us in and out of the harbor. We saw a pod of Risso’s dolphins and some Californian Gray Whales and it was truly a magical experience to see these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. Isaiah and Matt did a great job of making sure they pointed out the animals when they could, and while we waited for them to resurface they provided interesting information about the animals. I would highly recommend Discovery Whale watching expedition if you’re visiting Monterey. I hope to return again someday!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicole_a
Feb 23, 2025
Great crew, especially... - Great crew, especially the fantastic naturalist. Learned a ton and she was available one-on-one to answer all of our questions. They worked hard to make sure we saw a whale (we saw a humpback off-season) and Risso's dolphins.
Review provided by Viator
U9316hustefand
Feb 22, 2025
Monterey Wahle Adventure - Wow wow wow, it was better so we expected. After our dolphin adventure in Florida, which was a total bust. Here is a well-organized tour. Of course you can book nature as little as the weather, but the crew knew exactly wines time will be and has not bounced with seeing 100% whales from the beginning. All questions were answered and children were taken on the journey to experience the magic of the oceans. Very great tour again and again Thank you.....
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christians874
Feb 3, 2025
great whale watching with an amazing crew - Being a whale nerd, I joined Discovery Whale Watch on a couple of trips last week……and I was simply amazed, both by the wildlife and the crew!! I have been whale watching in many places and many different countries, but these guys are simply awesome: starting with the team in the ticket office, who were providing an excellent service and made me feel very welcome from the very beginning (a massive shoutout to Amanda, of course 😊), and after a little safety briefing on the pier, I found myself on board. The crews were simply amazing: you could feel that the captains (Danny and J-J) are definitely experienced whale watching captains that made sure that everyone on board felt comfortable (despite a little swell on one of the trips), and they were also taking great care around the whales. We got great looks at gray whales, big groups of pacific white-sided dolphins, northern right whale dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and also a small pod of common dolphins,……not to mention all the sea lions, sea otters and various species of seabirds. The naturalists on board (Ryan and Isaiah) were really knowledgeable and great fun to listen to, and deckhand Kenny took great care of everyone – I simply had a really great time with all of them! All in all, definitely a great whale watching experience and a must do whenever you are in Monterey!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Airshowsafety
Jan 19, 2025
A great trip - This was a great trip with friendly helpful crew and a great guide. Vessel was comfortable and felt safe. Saw 3 whales and lots of great information given over the PA system. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danabr2437gy
Jan 12, 2025
Fun and fantastic tour. - We had a fantastic winter tour with Discovery. We went out on the smaller boat with the crew and had a great day on the water. Everyone was friendly, clear with instructions, friendly and fun…it was clear they enjoy what they do. Our naturalist had all kinds of information to share and she was great at keeping us all entertained and giving us new knowledge. We were incredibly lucky to see a large pod of Risso’s Dolphins and several Humpback whales that knew their assignment and were thoroughly majestic. Cute otters, loads of birds and a feisty sea lion rounded out our trip. It was a great adventure and we appreciate the crew for giving us a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alison
Jan 1, 2025
What a way to end the year - Fantastic trip. Well organised, awesome captain Andrew navigating us through the ocean, Isaiah and Sophie were there to provide us with useful information regarding what we saw and what lies beneath the ocean in Monterey, they answered all of our many questions. Cannot explain how well organised the trip was and the icing on the cake....... we saw two types of dolphins and two hump back whales breach more than once. An experience I will never forget. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber556477
Dec 20, 2024
Whale watching - The staff were very friendly, good safety instructions. Well organised - great day out. Issac was helpful and knowledgeable
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlesdk8388ne
Dec 17, 2024
Saw whales. - Liked the tour. The deck crew was friendly and informative. Booking on line through Trip Advisor was somewhat confusing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor