Glass Bottom Boat Tour

We originally wanted to do the sea wolf undersea expedition, but it was sold out so we decided on taking this glass bottom boat tour. It definitely exceeded my expectations!
We saw many fish through the glass bottom, but honestly after a while it gets boring of seeing the same fish and you can get a little dizzy of just looking down. After a couple of minutes of admiring and taking pictures of the fish, I decided to look outside of the boat and wow, it was so beautiful and calming! I loved it and I wish it would have been longer!
It is definitely a nice activity to do at least once while you’re on the island. It’s only 45 mins and $ 18 per adult.

Took the family, I actually been on this boat now three or four times over the last 30 – 35 years! It’s the same olé boat! Could use a new one, the glass bottom frames are old and dirty but you can still see through and get a glimpse of the fish, like the other Unilocaler stated not much of a variety of fish! Seen one you’ve seen them all! I will say if you have kids than go for it, we have six grandchildren and they really enjoyed it! See the pics of the fish frenzy, the captain throws out fish food and they go wild!

plenty of large well fed fish a few colorful, tour is over fairly shallow water so you don’t see really big kelp forest but it is worthwhile

Seriously what a waste. Barely saw anything. They said we would see a shark and they threw a plastic shark at us. So lame. Don’t waste your time or money on this.

Compared to what else you get on the island for around $ 15 it’s pretty cool. Captain is knowledgable about the fish you get to see and marine environment. Look for BOGO offers on the web

I got this tour as part of a combo package with the inside adventure tour for $ 44/​person without tax for adults. The idea sounds fun and I’ve never done anything like it, so I wanted to try it out.
The captain made two stops around Lover’s Cove for the tour. We bought fish food to attract the fish and get a better look at them. The food was $ 5 a tube, but the captain gave us three tubes for $ 10 because it was the end of the day anyway. The fish food is good if you want to get an up-​close look of the fish. We did get to see a lot of fish, but not much variety. Probably only saw a few types of the several listed on the boat. As the captain said, this isn’t Disneyland where their fish are on a string, so you won’t get to see as much variety. Understandable. We did get to see some sea lions though, so that was great. Unfortunately they scared off a lot of the fish, haha. The tour guide was friendly and accommodating, so that was a plus.
This tour’s better suited for children and not so much for young adults because it can be boring, though I suppose some adults may enjoy this.

Not as cool as it sounds. You get to look through the bottom of the boat, but what you mainly going to see are giant seaweed and little dinky fishes.

My parents never took me to anything like this when I was young. Their reason: it’ll be very BORING.
Of course — I thought I knew better. I got the chance over the weekend to check this out with a few friends (we’re early 20’s). They were doing a deal where two people went for the price of one, which basically came out to $ 11 a person.
The trip, was sold out. The boat fits about 35 people: 45% were children under 12, 55% were accompanying parents, and 5% was us. The entire trip is 45 minutes long, and we made 2 stops in nearby Lover’s Cove. The Captain sprinkles food for the fish at each location, so we got to see fat fish, at my guess 15lbs each under the glass. There were helpful placards that described the types of fish you might be able to see. I think we saw a total of 2 of the 30 types listed. So if it’s variety you want, I don’t recommend this. You’re better off going snorkeling!
I’d like to say this wasn’t a boring trip. BUT, it was boring (keep in mind though, I am in my 20s… and my favorite thing about fish is when it’s FRESH and on my PLATE :) Yuumm) The kids on the trip seemed to enjoy it though.

Grandkids really enjoyed this tour on the glass bottom boat. Lots of fish and kelp… For $ 5.00 per person it was well worth this fun boat ride, if you don’t expect to much. We booked 3 tours for 4 people for $ 60.00 before boarding the boat ride to the island.
Captain Mike did a great job…

You see a lot of fish and a lot of kelp. They try to sell you fish food, but it’s not too necessary since the captain uses fish food to drag the fish along anyways. The view is alright but most the fish arent too colorful anyways

It’s okay. Probably best for parents and children. You see fish and kelp; it’s what they promise and it’s delivered. There is nothing terribly exciting about it, but it’s fun to get out on the boat and see some fish.

the boat itself is kinda cool and they have signs around for different fish in the area. You can buy fish food to chum with but there’s not much point. The same 3 kinds of fish linger around the boat expecting to get food. Nothing real exotic or exciting. The boat barely leaves the harbor and putters around a little before returning. Not worth the money!

For $ 17 a pop you can sit on a boat and look through the bottom which is a thick glass window.
Kids seem to love this boat, but I being not a kid just liked the glass bottom.
My favorite fish was the orange guy who kind of looks like he wants to cuss at the boat.

It is not the most exciting tour and there isn’t a huge variety of fish, but the Glass Bottom Boat is a good way to kill an hour while on Catalina. It is great for kids and fairly inexpensive.

There is absolutely nothing to see but kelp and black fish. I guess this is an interesting ride of a boat but honeslty I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone because its not worth it!

How can you possibly even come over to Catalina Island and NOT take a Glass Bottom Boat ride? This is what the place is famous for and a proper tourist should hang their heads in shame, if they pass up the opportunity to get squished on some hard seats and gape at colorful fish that swarm for the bread that is thrown out to them when the boat hits Lover’s Cove.
Yes it is schlocky and hammy but kids love it. At least mine always did. If you are not planning on going snorkeling, this will be the closest you get to seeing the bright orange garibaldi and perhaps an octopus or some darting fish. The colorful fish and marine plants that thrive among the kelp forests are dazzling. At night, group charters are available to those who wish to see a whole new cast of amazing marine creatures like spiny lobsters, moray eels and horn sharks.
During the busy summer months, these tours depart almost hourly from the Green Pier. If I were to recommend one tour to take while over for a visit, this is an automatic no-​brainer choice. Sometimes you can buy a couple of different tours in a package and get discounts or check with your hotel for tickets-​they can sometimes hook you up with a good deal too.

I took this boat ride not kowing what to expect. The boat wasn’t that big and everyone was crammed in nicely. The tour consists of everyone sitting around glass windows that let you peer into the water.
The captain drives out over some sea weed bundles which look creepy. You spot plenty of fish and the pamphlet tells you a little about the fish you are seeing. They feed the fish and you see tons of fish following the boat waiting to be fed.
It’s all really pretty. I took some pictures and video of it. Sadly the experience wasn’t that great due to a very annoying 4 yr old who yelled/​cried the entire time.
I’d do this tour again. They also have a night tour in which you get to see different fish/​creatures. I didn’t do that tour but I’ll totally try it the next time I’m out there.