Monterey Bay Whale Watching -

A couple of weeks ago we decided to beat the heat and head to the coast. Christy and the boys have been wanting to go whale watching. We wanted to wait until the kids were back in school, and a majority of tourists headed back home. I decided to surprise them and head out to find some whales!

We booked our spots with the Sea Goddess Whale Watching company which offers discounts through Groupon and Living Social! The tour lasts for 2-3 hours and they guarantee you will see whales and/or dolphins. The crew is super friendly and very knowledgeable.

There are a few whale watching tours in the Monterey area but we decided on Sea Goddess for a few reasons. The first thing is that the Sea Goddess is the largest passenger boat in the Moss Landing area. This offers plenty of room to walk around the boat and it is much more stable in the water. The second reason is that the Sea Goddess heads right out of Moss Landing which is directly into the oncoming waves. This is a great thing because you only have to deal with some up and down movement over the waves, not as much side to side motion. The third reason is they have some great reviews!

After whale watching we grabbed some lunch in Monterey and spent the afternoon tide pooling. It was a great day!

Did you see any sea life?

We totally did! We saw a bunch of humpback whales, A giant smack of jellyfish, a mola mola, harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, and a variety of sea birds. The trip did not disappoint!

Whale breath smells AMAZING! (Sarcasm Intensifies)

The captain did a wonderful job of getting us respectfully close to the animals. The crew of naturalists provided great information and made this trip a wonderful learning experience.

What should I bring?

If you go whale watching, or just a trip over to the coast, there are a few important things to remember.

Always take multiple layers of clothing. The weather can change pretty quickly, and it gets colder out on the water.

Make sure you take a camera with a good zoom! If you don’t have a nice camera consider renting one!

No Camera? That is ok too! Make sure to take some binoculars to spot distant wildlife.

Prone to motion sickness? Take some precautions to head off the nausea before you get on the boat. Pro Tip: If you are prone to motion sickness hang out near the back of the boat and focus on the horizon to allow your brain to adjust.

Take a snack! Sea Goddess allows you to bring food on board. Be sure to take care of your garbage! If you go on the morning cruise like we did you can grab some donuts and coffee (provided) after you check in.