Fast Raft Marine Eco-Tours and Private Charter

Captain Kate is my new favorite person in the world. She is literally one of the most amazing human beings I’ve ever met. Her knowledge of and passion for the ocean was truly inspiring. She deeply respects all the marine life and takes care of our tangled creatures and has an incredible understanding of their behaviors and personalities. She knows most whales by name! We had a special day seeing tons of humpback whales breaching, a few blue whales, three pods of hundreds of dolphins each, and tons of sea lions and otters. The whole experience was pure magic. So thankful for her!

Great trip! Fun and informative crew. Definitely glad we did the smaller boat and will be sure to do it again.

We made the decision to try this company instead of the more tourist-​y boats with 100+ people. Couldn’t have been happier!
There were only six people on our boat, not including captain Luke. The boat is pretty small, but riding it was half the fun. We caught serious air multiple times. I wouldn’t recommend this trip to people who get sick on roller coasters or having bad knees/​backs etc. It’s not your grandma’s whale watching adventure.
At the beginning of our trip, we were surrounded by the other big whale watching boats who were right on top of the whales and crowding them, despite the 100 yard regulation. We eventually went much farther out than those boats and saw countless humpback whales (One small one breached near us!), sea lions and some dolphins. Along the way, Luke gave us a lot of interesting info about the wildlife. In addition, he mentioned that their company’s founder is on a BBC reality show called Big Blue Live.
To sum up, this company does not yet have many reviews on Unilocal,but it will only be a matter of time before they become popular and have all of their tour spots filled. Not a tour to be missed!

G R E A T.
We went out with captain Kate, to see the whales. The whole experience was great. A large boat (33ft), only 7 passengers. If something

Amazing experience. Lost count of how many whales we saw. At one point at least 7 of them surfaced right around the boat. They weren’t more than 10 feet away — it was spectacular. Near the end of our tour, we spent about 30 minutes watching a group of humpbacks lunge-​feeding over and over again. It was everything I had hoped to see.
The boat was perfect. The seats are very comfortable. Other people have said it is similar to riding a motorcycle or riding a horse. I have not done either, so I can’t speak to that, but what I did find was that the seats provided plenty of stability so that I could use two hands on my camera and still stay perfectly stable on the boat.
I am a big guy and had absolutely no problem with the seats or the life jackets. I would say that anyone up to about 320 lbs should be able to fit into the life jackets without an issue. The seats were pretty easy to get in and out of as well.
Captain Kate as well as the other person from the company that was on board were very knowledgeable. They are also serious amateur photographers, and tried to make sure that we were seeing the whales in the best light for photos.
I would absolutely go again, alas they are sold out on the next couple of weekends, but you’ll probably see me out there again in September!

This was an exceptional experience for my cousin who was visiting from NYC and me. Yes, it costs more than the larger whale watching boats, but the experience more than justified the price. What we liked:
What did we like?
1.Online reservation system was smooth and easy
2. Captain Kate was very knowledgeable, laid back and personable
3. As a marine biologist, Kate knew where the whales and dolphins were
4. The dolphins came over and were running with the boat. Amazing!
5. There were only 4 of us on the boat (6 max)
6. We stayed 100% dry
Would do it again in a heartbeat!

Did whale watching once before in Monterey Bay with one of those larger companies and their big boats. Three of the four of us got seasick. This time we opted for Fast Raft to have more open air, less pushing and shoving, and hopefully less sick.
It was awesome. Most importantly, none of us got sick. If anyone started to, in the slightest, she lept into action and it went away. The open air, closeness to the water, maneuverability was all worth the extra money. Also the drive out to Moss Landing was no deal at all as well.
Definitely go here if you want a personalized trip and get seasick.

Went on a 3 hour tour with Luke today… PHENOMENAL!!! Not only did we actually get tired of seeing whales because they were everywhere, he taught us so much about them and the other sea life in the bay. There were only 5 of us on the boat including Luke as compared to the lumbering giant whale watching boats that had 50+ people all around us. We were able to quickly change directions and get to where whales were spotted much more quickly. Also, the boat is FAST! After seeing every whale on earth we went for a little joy ride that would make even the most mature adult grin like a 8 year old boy! This was THE highlight of our trip to Monterey. If you want to whale watch, spend a few extra dollars and get a personalized experience and pray Luke is your driver!

My wife and I finally had a chance to spend an afternoon out on Monterey Bay with Captain Kate and the Fast Raft. What an awesome experience. As other Unilocalers have said, when looking to learn about the wildlife and ecosystem of the bay, I don’t believe there is a more enthusiastic guide or a more comfortable craft to be found for the excursion. That one star rating I gave early on was in response to booking issues, and should not be taken into consideration, as those issues appear to have been ironed out. Can’t wait for the next outing; highly recommended!

This must have been one of the best weeks I ever had. I joined Captain Kate for three days in a row and Every minute was worth it. We had two Oceanologist from Mexico on board and the combined knowledge of those three ocean professionals was just mind blowing. I’ve learned so much. They even had a hydrophone to record whale sounds and it was plain incredible to hear them singing. The boat is just perfect with only 6 people on it, so intimate and so much fun. Everybody was so nice and I really really really hope I will return. Thanks Kate, it meant a lot to me. Please book this trip for an unforgettable experience with some of the most graceful animals on the planet. I cant imagine a better way to do this. Its like being David Attenborough for a day (or three;)). Next stop: Mexico:)

The absolute BEST way to see the amazing sea and wildlife of Monterey Bay. Captain Kate is not only an exceptional captain of the vessel but clearly knows her stuff. I’ve been on at least 10 other whale watching expeditions and have never felt the thrill of being right on the water only yards from the whales, sea lions and sea otters.
The boat is quick, comfortable and with one of our party highly motion sensitive, was a smooth ride for such a small craft. We were able to get to the action fast (frankly the boat ride itself is worth the price of admission) and Capt. Kate was always on the lookout for the extraordinary. Being able to completely cut the motors allowed us to float next to (and sometimes within) the action. We saw at least 12 humpbacks in all configurations along with a ‘boil’ of hundreds of feeding sea lions and sea otters galore.
This may be a bit more expensive than other tours but I’ll never go on anyone else in Monterey Bay again… ever! Thanks for a truly extraordinary adventure and we can’t wait to join you again.

RUN don’t walk to take a tour on Kate Spencer’s zodiac boat!
In July 2014 we did a private charter tour with Kate and our family and the experience was incredible. Kate is versed in the local wildlife as a naturalist, but more importantly she knows how to tap into the action on Monterey Bay. Within a half hour of our ‘eco tour’ we were in the middle of the Bay cruising in between those lumbering, old whale watching boats and zipping from breaching whale to dolphin pod! Being right on the water in her boat, we had a first-​hand glimpse of jetting alone with the dolphin pod (community per Kate), hearing their calls, watching them dive, roll and swim alongside us for an hour. The tour was safe, extremely comfortable and an amazing way to get a front-​row seat to the wildlife on Monterey Bay.
Highly recommended!

Fast Raft is an outstanding way to see whales, dolphins and other marine life in Monterey Bay. The Captain and Crew were outstanding and really made the trip enjoyable.
I’ve been on 2 other whale watching tours in Monterey and this was the best for the experience and money spent. This boat tour is more expensive, but what you gain is much more.
The boat itself is quite quick, and despite it’s size very stable regardless of the swells. We were able to go into some shallower coves and places that the larger ships would not be able to view. This gave us an opportunity to take in some outstanding crashing waves and lessons about the coastline.
I’ll be going back, and think that humpback season will be spectacular. The boat is low and provides and excellent vantage point for pictures. With only 6 passengers (max) you are never having to worry if you will get some time at the rail for pictures.
Crew is knowledgeable about the whales and various seals and sea lions life, as well as birds and other creatures.
This is a good boat for families, although I’m not sure what the age requirements are. Each seat is equipped with a seat belt, and each passenger is required to wear a life vest. These are low profile, and you don’t even know you are wearing it. It will automatically deploy if you go overboard. I did not test the life vest. :)
The only issue I had was reaching the company. They are in the process of migrating their ticketing to Zerve. Once I received a call back the process was very smooth. They also monitor their facebook page, so you can message them there as well.

Awesome experience! highly recommended for thrill seekers and adventurous types.
I recently booked a 2 person, 1 hr mid-​Day sea-​esta tour from Captain Laurence Henry at Fast Raft. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the only two passengers to sign up for a tour that day, and very happy that Laurence had absolutely no hesitation about taking us on a tour without a full load of passengers (boat seats 6).
In fact, Captain Laurence was very outgoing and easy to talk to. He seemed generally enthusiastic about what he does and was a great tour guide; offering his insight into the local wildlife and even increasing the «experience» when we said we wouldn’t mind if he cranked his driving up to 11, so to speak.
The boat is a very nice piece of machinery as well, there is nothing else like it and definitely no other public venue to experience it fully. The tour itself was a combination of wildlife viewing and roller coaster. The seat suspension was great for the latter, when we drove head first into wave after wave and spun around in donuts leaning at near a 45 degree angle — the ride was unbelievably smooth.
A couple of suggestions for those interested in taking a tour. Sign up in advance, fast raft has only been running for about six months at the time of this review, but I think there is a good chance it will become more popular as more people learn about it. Also, depending on the weather it is probably a good idea to dress warm, gloves would be a huge plus on a cold day. Getting wet is not much of an issue, like I said we cranked it up a bit and we barely got a splash or two sitting in the front. I would definitely recommend dressing for wind chill. Lastly, the location of the office it not obvious, however there a plenty of signs to direct you and a decent map on the contact page of the website.
Edit — The ride is equivalent to a roller coaster, it may not be suitable for children.
tl;dr — If you are looking to make a big splash in the bay, there is nothing more exciting and unique than a fast raft tour, it was well worth the price if you have it to spend!

I had such an amazing time!
The boat is so comfortable and overall just a really neat experience. I’m definitely going to recommend this to anyone looking to get out on the water and explore the beautiful Monterey Peninsula coastline. I went out on a perfect sunny day and saw amazing views of Pebble Beach and Asilamar beach. We also saw many otters, seals, and even a whale! Also, Laurence was so nice and knew a lot about the area and wild life which was cool, i actually learned somethings about the area (after living here for 6 years).
Definitely go, have a great time, and enjoy Monterey =)