SF Bay Whale Watching

The staff was the best part of the tour, very friendly, pleasant and knowledgeable. We booked the Gulf of Farallones Whale Watching Excusion and our vessel was the happy days. The boat felt small and was extremely uncomfortable, there is very limited seating inside and it was particularly cold out even with layers of clothing on so some people awkwardly stood inside because there was no place to sit. I honestly feel like they should emphasize a likely possibility of becoming seasick on their website when booking the trip. Out of the 39 people on the boat I saw at least 12 people vomit repeatedly, including myself (only once though thankfully) because of motion sickness and that does not include if more people in the front of the boat became ill because I was mainly at the back of the boat and/​or inside. I took Dramamine after throwing up and that sort of helped but it seemed kind of excessive for that many people to become ill. A couple of people continuously threw up in the trashcan inside the cabin even though an employee asked them to do it over the rail into the ocean to avoid creating a putrid smell for the rest of us sitting down. And the bathroom became clogged a couple of times as well. We saw one whale for a fleeting second and one more whale for a bit longer which I understand is not their fault but just kind of didn’t feel worth getting sick over. We did encounter a swarm of very cute sea lions. I should mention I have been on boats to alcatraz or around the SF bay and have never been seasick but this was the smallest vessel out of all of those excursions. Ultimately, I would not recommend or return to this particular whale tour.

My boyfriend and I had traveled a couple of hours and planned a month in advance and paid for hotel stay only to have the excursion (¹¹⁄₁₅) canceled the morning of. I understand that weather was the reason for the cancelation but I felt the company didn’t make any efforts to show any sincerity towards the inconvenience this caused many of their disappointed customers. This trip was a present for my birthday. So disappointed.

So here’s the real deal with this tour. Let me start with the positives and I’ll get too why I didn’t give it a full 5. The crew are incredibly friendly and eager to find you wildlife to see. The biologist on board is super informative and pleasant to listen too (she narrates as you watch the animals and talks throuout on and off). We were lucky because hour one we saw quite a few whales, one of which came really close to the boat! From there we went to the Farralon island which were to be honest a little boring, last minute our captain got word of a super
Pod of dolphins and the crew took us an additional 7 miles out to see them. Well, well worth it, the Dolphins were playful and swam right up to the boat jumping out of the water and amusing us all. It was an amazing sight to see. From there we went back to the Farralon islands and hung out there for what seemed like a long time really looking at nothing. Then the long ride back. So here are my negatives and warnings for future prospectors. The trip is LONG and it says 6 hours but it was more like 8. The boat is ridiculously uncomfortable, pretty much just wooden benches and boxes to sit on. No substantial food or drink is served so be prepared for a potentially 8 hour excursion and plan your food accordingly. The trip is honestly too long. Don’t get me wrong it was amazing, but by hour 5 and 6 your starting to get over it. There’s a TON of down time. All in all we probly saw about 1.5 hours worth of animals (if u add it all up) and the rest of the time is just sitting on an uncomfortable boat for hours. So here are my tips. Dress warm. Bring plenty of food. Bring cushions for the seats. Bring Dramamine (we were ok but a few ppl got sea sick and they seemed pretty miserable) and be prepared for a lot of downtime. However, too leave off on a good note I must reiterate again how amazing it was to see the dolphins and how much we appreciated the crew going out the extra 7 miles so we could see the dolphin pod. They also have a guarantee where if you don’t see any whales your next trip is free so that’s a nice security to have. I do recommend over all, it was beautiful– just be prepared!!! :)

We just got back from the 12÷28÷14 tour… And had a great time… We also got some amazing shots of gray whales … Luckily we had a long zoom lens on our DSLR so catching these moments were amazing but if you rely on your camera phone or basic camera then just enjoy the ride and sights abs long distance shots… The crew was amazing… Carol is a wealth of knowledge… Tons of bay porpoises on or way back… Unfortunately a dead juvenile mola mola… Tons of whales and tons of birds… As for seals… Sea lions and elephant seals were didn’t see them till we got home and looked at our camera pics and realized they are all on Farallon Islands just banking away… It was very clear abs sunny day.. extremely cold… Swells were not bad at all… Left at low tide and came back on high tide… Many aboard got sea sickness. I recommend bringing hard candy to suck on… Ginger candy is what is recommended but we did fine with blow pops and candy.. don’t eat too heavy… Bring crackers and sprite andhonestly. Dress in layers… Bring water proof jacket and gloves… And honestly just enjoy and take it all in… Sediment doing this again… Thank you Kitty Kat crew and Carol the marine scientist… You guys rocked

This trip was wonderful!!! The captain, first mate and guide are incredibly fun and knowledgeable.
We saw 32 different species of wild life including humpback whales, porpoises, and 5 varieties of sea lions and seals.
We spent the entire, beautiful day at sea and loved every minute of it!

I think the key to enjoying this tour is to be well prepared. I also think that the crew knows that most people aren’t going to be, and the crew tries to make up for that. Yes, it can be cold out there. However, they make that really clear on their website. Secondly, it’s the Pacific Ocean. It’s cold! I wore layers and good shoes. I was fine and I have Raynauds, which makes me very sensitive to cold. Yes, people get sea sick. And the crew spends a lot of time running around checking on each person sick or not, seeing if they are alright and handing out so much ginger candy. They do whatever they can to help you out if you need it. Now, the large sea sick inducing swells and cold weather aside — this was great! The naturalist on board was incredibly knowledgeable. I was very impressed by how much she knew about everything there was and wasn’t to see. I think her name was Ashley. I appreciated her knowledge and information about what we were seeing. The first mate was competent and caring. We saw a ton of sea birds (which I am a huge fan of), including suddenly being in the middle of 30 – 50 pelicans and other birds diving into the ocean all at once. We did see a humpback or two. Not super close but I agree with their philosophy in giving the animals their space. We saw a school of young mola molas, which was really fun. I saw a sea nettle and other jelly fish. Somehow, Ashley spotted elephant and harbor seals, which was pretty cool. We had several sightings of harbor porpoises. We even saw a sea otter, which is rare in SF. Would I have liked to see more animals? Of course! But mother nature isn’t always on my agenda. Worth it!

The key to this experience is to have NO expectations and to stay home if you get sea sick. I had a fabulous time on this tour! We only saw 2 whales but being out on the bay and seeing the Farrllon Islands was a first for me and I’ve lived in Sonoma County practically my whole life. The Captain of the boat was confidant and concerned about safety and our comfort. There were plenty of people getting sick which was sad because you can’t just get off the boat or anything. I took a dramamine and had a watch like device (loaned from a friend) that gave me some kind of tingly shock on my wrist to keep from getting sea sick. Didn’t feel one bit sick. So people, if you are prone to sea sickness, and even if you’re not, take some personal responsibility and do something ahead of time, those poor people were miserable.
Ok, the absolute highlight of our trip was our «Whale Whisperer» Heather. She was our tour guide and is a student (I don’t remember where she said she goes to school) but she should actually be a professor or a scientist, this woman was amazing! The detailed information she gave us was phenomenal! Her knowledge about the SF Bay is amazing and extremely interesting. I could’t wait for the words to come out of her mouth, oh and her enthusiasm for what we were seeing! She pointed out everything and my son (27 year old) and I loved it! She answered questions with incredible knowledge and spilled the information in easy to understand words, so even the kids could understand what she was talking about. She’s studying plastics in the Bay and my hat is off to her for her work and love and concern for our ocean.
We were actually having a hard time finding any whales and our captain was devoted to seeing some, so Heather brought out a conch shell and sent out a call for the whales to come, she went to each side of the boat and called for them… and sure enough within minutes we saw one! Can’t say enough about this incredible woman, what a gift of life!
Note, this is an all day trip, you should NOT plan anything for the remainder of the day. Apparently there was a gentleman who had a flight out of SFO at 5:00 and was panicked that he wasn’t going to make his flight. They say we’ll be back around 2:00, but because we didn’t see whales, the captain kept looking until we spotted some (Thank you!). I don’t know if this man made his flight or not, but he was pretty adamant that we needed to get back so he could.
I strongly suggest that you be flexible, have zero expectations and remember that we are at the mercy of the luck gods (and whale whisperer shell) you might see a whale in the first hour or you might stay out an additional hour to see one, but to be on the ocean with the sea breeze in your face (it was cold) and an incredible personal Wikipedia named Heather, looking for whales and seeing really cool birds and porpoises, is an excellent day for me! I will do this trip again if it goes on groupon or living social. I loved it! Thank you!

How good excursion went bad;(
First — great tour guide/​biologist with great attitude and knowledge (5 stars for her).
Second — the boat is too small/​wrong type making rotational moves resulting to ¼ — ¹⁄₃ people getting people severely seasick in the first hour, including my wife (minus 10 stars). Horrible trip experience for the remaining 6 hours ruining every one else’s enthusiasm.
Third — we saw good wildlife’ hump backs, seals, birds, mola molas, sharks (plus 4 stars).

First of all I’d like to say that this is not a zoo it’s the Pacific Ocean! All the people who complain that they didn’t see enough animals, that is not the company’s fault. It’s the luck if the draw. Also, it’s the open ocean, it can be rough. Don’t go if you get sea sick!
Ok, I’ve always wanted to go to the farrallons and was so excited as we passed through the golden gate. This trip did not disappoint! We saw tons of seals, dolphins, birds. We had an amazing view of the islands. The crew was great and really sweet.
Now, why did I only give three stars…
1. For the price of the tickets, they should provide food and drinks. I’ve been on many different sea tours all over the world. Even the tours in Maui cost half as much as this one and includes lunch and drinks. I found that bring your own lunch for this price insulting.
2. We were supposed to be back at 2pm. I’m a planner and had other activities planned for that afternoon. I think due to the reviews that people didn’t see whales we went chasing the allusive whale for three extra hours!!! We got back to the pier at 5pm! This really was too long, everyone was so over the experience.
3. It’s nice they have a naturalist on board to answer questions. But Carol was annoying. She talked constantly and repeated herself over and over. I found out that the Golden Gate Bridge is a very famous bridge! Say what! She said this 15x as we went under. She also repeatedly said the wrong facts then had to look up in her book and correct herself. 8 hours of listening to her voice non stop was painful. We were all taking naps on the excruciating long ride back and she came and woke us up several times to ask us if we wanted to see the model (toy) whale she had. There needs to be balance of information and enjoying the experience.
I really enjoyed the experience but these glaring points overshadowed the day. I would highly recommend this company make a few changes.

Don’t waste your money. I bought a 2 for 1 Groupon for this tour and it still was not worth the money. I have been on several whale watching cruises from Maine to Alaska and this was the worst. Yes we saw 1 whale way off in the distance and it only came up once, but most of the boat was too seasick to enjoy or even bother to get up to go see. I don’t usually get seasick but I always take OTC meds (this time too) and even I was not feeling 100% The back of the boat was full of people throwing up, I felt sorry for them.
The tour did a good job in letting you know in advance how to prepare for the weather, take their suggestions to heart and you will be fine temperature wise. As far as seeing wildlife goes, they love to list on their board everything seen on the cruise but look closely… it’s mostly birds. Basically this is an overpriced boat ride out to sea with a bunch of sick people. The captain actually got on the loud speaker and in a round about way told people they wouldn’t have gotten sick if they listened to thei tour’s suggestion to take meds… well captain… many of them did but still got sick. You should have a stronger warning on your site to suggest people get a prescription level medication for this trip.

Please DO take some pills befor e you go on a trip.
I used to take a lot of trips growing up on my uncle’s boat and never ever got seasick, so I was pretty sure I’d be just fine. But that was not the case.
First to go was my husband (half of the boat was already vomiting, sorry), I just looked at him and saw he wasn’t well. I asked the biologist for smth and she gave me ginger candy. It seemed to help him a little. At least, he didn’t end up being stuck for 15 mins in the WC like me. It’s a terrible feeling, right after I was done in WC, I was fine for 20 mins and then it started again. Mama Mia!
I just decided to get inside (even though it feels worse there) and try to fall asleep… and I did until the moment Captain screamed as we were sinking that there was a whale! I wasn’t completely awaken and ran into the captain’s cabin, they politely kicked me out from there. I returned back and saw a whale’s back through the window. They said it was a blue whale. Then, we were waiting to see more whales for about 20 – 30 mins, but we didn’t. The captain coudn’t stop talking how lucky we were to meet a blue whale, that it was a good luck and so on. Honestly, I got annoyed. I was not happy to glance at whale’s back after making this several-​hour exosting trip. I understand, it’s nature: whales will not jump around and juggle just because we came. I’m just saying that you have to be lucky to see them. Don’t count on much. I understand, it’s nature: whales will not jump around and juggle just because we came. I’m just saying that you have to be lucky to see them. Don’t count on much. Then, we headed back. Way back was good and fast.
Put aside seasickness…
I can’t say, I’d enjoyed the trip. The fun part ends when you pass the GG Bridge and light house. Then, it’s a plain trip with nothing to see, but some random birds (which I have no interest in, you can observe them from any Bay coast) and sea lions (you’ll see them from very far away, better go to Pier 39).
The main dissapointment came when Captain announced we were not going to Farallon Islands due to weather conditions. I was so hoping to get there just to see them with my own eyes, that’s why I took this specific tour, not some other whale watching adventure! It had a special meaning for me…
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the crew. Everybody was super nice and knowing what they were doing. Captain was sympathizing all of us — sick people — the whole trip. Biologist lady was doing her best to help. The boat was nice and clean.
It’s just that the whole thing was not worth even my only day off, not talking about the money. I’m not new to this kind of activity (I go places and seek for new stuff all the time), so maybe that’s why I didn’t find it interesting? Idk.
It might work for somebody, though. Give it a try. Just be aware.
P. S. There were a few kids on the boat and ALL of them got terribly seasick. Dear parents don’t torture your children, get some pills if you decided to go.

Take heed people, when the website says this is not a cruise around the bay, believe it. It is an extreme adventure and as I looked around the group at 730 am waiting to board the boat I was amazed to see people totally unprepared. It’s like 60 degrees out and windy at 730 am and you’re wearing a sweatshirt!!! Apparently reading the information provided to you on the site wasn’t a high priority and as it turns out, it will cost you greatly.
The captain, marine biologist and mariner on board were GREAT. Honestly, I can’t say enough for how they handled the whole trip. I say this because It was a trying trip. It was veeerrryyyyy windy, there was steep swell, a lot of splash and wet.
I’d say ²⁄₃ of the people on board became violently seasick. We’re talking projectile vomiting, mass moaning… I felt like I was on a boat with the plague at one point. Whether it was passing out ginger to soothe stomachs or keeping an upbeat attitude, that crew was doing their absolute best to help out this situation.
The handful of us that were not sick, seemed to be enjoying ourselves the best we could under the circumstances. We saw 3 humpbacks, like 100 yards away, with the choppy seas I saw one breech barely. We saw Orcas right next to the boat. There were a number of birds, but I don’t like bossy birds so I wasn’t up on that information.
Though there’s no guarantee that you will see anything, that was the one thing that would of made this a 5 star experience, an abundance of sea life and maybe like a whale tale flops on the boat. and really that’s not the tour’s fault.
My advice for when you go: BRING MORE GEAR AND DRAMAMINE THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED

This trip is amazingly totally spectacular. We saw both blue and humpback whales. The humpbacks breached and did fin slaps and the blue whales did sounding dives so that you could see their tails! even when all you could see was their spouts and backs, it was wonderful to think that you were within 100 yards of the biggest creatures on the planet. I spotted a sea lion right next to the boat on the way out, and I also spotted the last spouting blue whale on the way back. When you spot a whale you actually yell THAR SHE BLOWS!
The captain and Heather (the marine naturalist) were both very informative, enthusiastic, helpful, and very kind to anyone experiencing sea-​related woes.
And of course it’s very important to take your seasick meds, even if you think you don’t need it. It can be a choppy ride at times and even I felt a bit wiggly around the gills for a little bit, though I usually have an ironclad gut. The Captain and Heather both said they’ve had it happen, too. It can happen to anyone! Also dress even more warmly than you would think, and make certain you have a waterproof outer layer (jacket at least).
Insider tip — there are seats on the edges of the boat and seats around an inner «square» where the life vests are kept. I’d recommend that you grab a seat on the back of the inner «square,» not on the edges. Sure, you can’t see as well but you’ll stay drier and the boat stops whenever there’s whales, anyway, giving everyone a chance to get to see them.
Even though there were a few «cons» we all thought it was an amazing trip! I’ll never forget it, and I’d definitely go again!

This could have been a wonderful experience, unfortunately it was rather miserable and I am pretty sure I will never do anything like it ever again. But since it wasn’t really the company’s fault, it was really hard to determine a rating.
So we got our tickets from LivingSocial. It was a sweet deal and I was super excited. I felt well prepared, since the company gave good instructions via email (take Dramamine, wear layers, bring food and drink, bring waterproof jackets etc.)
We got to the ticket booth on Pier 39 at 7:30 (the tour started at 8) and waited for a bit, then the biologist who accompanied our trip to the Farallones came and checked everybody in and took us to the boat, the «Kitty Kat». The captain greeted us on board and gave safety instructions. He also told us that usually about 1% of the people on board will get sea sick. We looked around, there were roughly 40+ people on board, so we felt quite safe :-)
So, after everything was said, we left the harbor, passed the Golden Gate and headed into deep sea territory. It was nice and sunny, but quite bumpy (if you read this before you take this tour, make sure to bring a cushion, maybe also a blanket to sit on, because there are no cushioned seats, just plain, hard wood outside).
One hour in my husband got violently sick. He was the first one on the boat and everybody felt sorry for him, handed us tissues, water etc. (later I learned that the other passengers thought «yessss… the 1% ratio has been fulfilled. I am safe» haha!). After another hour or so, nobody really cared anymore. Because I would say about 50% of the passengers on the boat threw up at least once. You could call this ride a six hour puke-​fest. It was, as I said above, MISERABLE! At times there wasn’t even enough room at the back railing for all the sick people to hang over. I kid you not!
And when finally the captain called out that he had see two whales, I really didn’t care anymore. I went to the side of the boat where they were supposed to swim, but I only saw some water fountains and I guess it could have been anything. Whale, schmale… Then I got back to the back railing and threw up again.
OK, back to the good parts: the biologist was great, she knew EVERYTHING and was very helpful. The captain and the other crew member were also very nice and very respectful of the wildlife. The boat was clean and well maintained.
So if after you read this, you still want to go, do it. But know that
a.) you really have no guarantee to see whales and b.) the chance of getting sick is pretty high. I do not believe, that Dramamine or any other over the counter medicine is sufficient for this kind of trip. Get your doctor to prescribe you Scopolamine patch, that should hopefully do the trick.

This was great. I bought the groupon on a whim I went on an eco tour of the Bay, and as a native I still had a lot to learn! The staff was informative and very friendly. We saw seals pop their heads up, sea lions and lots of birds.
This trip made me want to take their whale watching tour.
Please note it is FREEZING no matter when you go. There are also big swells, so if you get motion sickness prepare for that.
You can also bring lunch and a hot thermos which is awesome.

We had a great time on this tour 37 miles beyond the Golden Gate! I actually enjoyed even the bouncy ride out in the «Kitty Kat» (especially because I had taken my Dramamine). It was neat to see the big swells of the open sea. Along the way we saw a few sea lions, porpoises and birds, but once we got WAAY out there our guides spotted a humpback blowing half a mile away. The captain explained that we are not going to make the whales feel chased in any way, so we kept a respectful distance, monitoring the whales with sonar. But the whale came in closer to us and finally she started breaching! My hub said he stopped counting after 6 jumps. I wonder if she knew we wanted to say hello? It’s really something to be so near to an intelligence like that!
I felt that the crew was very professional and put the comfort of the wildlife first. Remember the crew has no control over what creatures you may encounter. While it is not necessary to tip, my husband and I put $ 30 in the box at the end. I think it shows class to tip generously!
It is FLIPPIN’ COLD out there! Read their website to help you prepare. Next time I will bring Rain pants to help me stay even warmer. Hat & gloves for sure! We were glad we had our thermos of tea and sandwiches. They have another tour that is just around the bay. I think for your money going all the way out is the way to go.

My friend and I purchased a groupon for this Whale Watching tour. I wouldnt say i was displeased or disapointed but I give this a low rating because i think it is very important to be prepared and fully know what you are in for if you sign up for this.
I dont feel like i was mislead and i did read a bunch of other reviews before I went so i do think i was prepared but at the same time even though i was ready for the experience i still just dont think it was worth my time and uncomfort and money (this is expensive!).
First off it is FREEZING like literally FREEZING out there… i was well dressed in lots of warm clothes so i was ok but be prepared… people aren’t kidding when they say how cold it is. ski jacket, ski mask, hat, hand warmers, boots, long undewear. WEAR IT ALL… (I am from Wisconsin and i though it was cold i’m not one of these Cali people who can’t handle weather)
Secondly, the water is ROUGH i took dramamine an hour in advance and had ginger gum ect. so i was ready for rough waters and i didnt get sick at all nor did i see anyone on the boat get sick, but again be prepared this can/​will happen if your not prepared.
So all that said if you do like a day of being freezing cold and having to prep urself to potentially get sick and all for the promise of seeing MAYBE a humpback whale for tops of 15 min. while you spend 8 hours miserable then by all means go for it. If your more practical i suggest just waiting to whale watch until you go to Mexico or Hawaii where conditions would be far more pleasant and enjoy other thigns in San Francisco/​Bay area and NOT this.

My cousin and I went on this tour on Labor Day and it was great! The crew was so friendly and really made our trip enjoyable. It is clear they love what they do and they are very knowledgable. We saw a ton of birds, porpoises, sea lions and toward the end finally saw 3 whales! The captain took the boat toward the whales as soon as we spotted them to make sure everyone had a great view. Beware of one unavoidable annoyance– when you near the farallon island flies will literally engulf the boat and cover you! It’s unavoidable and annoying but the crew killed them as best they could. Definitely recommend a ride on «the kitty kat» for a good day at sea.

This review is for the SF Bay Whale Watching Wildlife Eco-​tour at
. There are other companies who do whale watching tours, but this review is for my experience with the aforementioned company.
Anyways, what I have to say is save your money! This is definitely not worth your money. You’ll have a better time admiring the seals at Pier 39 (when they are there). I bought a pair of tickets for my dad to enjoy for Father’s Day and they came back quite unhappy about the trip. This trip is titled «SF Bay Whale Watching,» but what they fail to tell you is that you «see» the «whales» from like a mile away. Yes, the distance between the whales and boat needs to be kept to protect the whales, but the fact is you cannot see anything! And by the time you use your binoculars, the whales are gone. While it not the company’s fault for either, I feel like the company name and their website are misleading you to think you will see lots and lots of wildlife on the «whale watching» tour of the Bay. My dad did not see much wildlife at all and he was pretty disappointed with the trip. Also, the boat on the water is very rocky and many people spent their time barfing up their breakfast so this trip is definitely not for people who like to keep their food down.
When it comes down to it, this is just a boat ride around the Bay with a naturalist telling you about animals on a rocky boat. Save your money and your time and don’t regret your purchase like I do.

We went out last Sunday and had a great day with quite a few sightings of humpback and blue whales and Risso’s dolphins. The boat is very well maintained and CLEAN and I felt quite safe, the crew know what they are doing.
I went prepared with Dramamine, ginger candy, peppermints and motion ease but luckily we didn’t need it, my husband ended up sharing it with a few other seasick souls.
Tips: It’s frickin freezing out there, read their website and follow their tips and directions!!! We took a BIG thermos with hot water for cup of soup and coffee… and glad I did! I also took those hand warmers to put inside my gloves.
The only negative I have is that the naturalist, although she had a loud voice, we still couldn’t hear what she was saying over the noise of the boat, it would be great if they had a PA system for her like the captain has. ANd would have been nice to be a bit closer to the whales.
This company is organized, their staff is knowledgeable and courteous. Wonderful days outing and I do recommend it.