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Monterey Bay Whale Watch
Pelagic Seabird Trips in 2024


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Seabird Trips on Selected Dates in 2024

Monterey Bay Whale Watch features pelagic birding trips on selected days throughout the year, enabling you to experience the seabirds of the Monterey Bay in their respective seasons.

Just offshore of Monterey, California lies a 6000-foot deep submarine canyon running right down the middle of the Monterey Bay. Similar in size to the Grand Canyon of the American Southwest, this geologic feature creates cold-water upwellings, rich in nutrients that foster a remarkable diversity of seabirds and cetaceans. The combination of these elements within a semi-protected bay makes Monterey a worldwide destination for pelagic birding. Just a few miles from shore one can observe pelagic seabirds that travel across both the hemisphere and the ocean to feed in the bountiful waters of Monterey Bay. We see a variety of seabirds including shearwaters, cormorants, pelicans, grebes, phalaropes, gulls, and albatross.

To provide quality viewing of wildlife, we do not fill the boat to maximum capacity for these trips.

More Trip Details:

Our vessel, the 55-foot Point Sur Clipper, is used solely for natural history outings and has a capacity for 48 although we do not fill the boat to full capacity for these outings. There are no bait tanks to block access and no leftover fishy smells from fishing charters.

A variety of snack foods and drinks will be available. However, you should bring a lunch and any other food you want. Please be prepared for any type of weather while out on the water.

Although these trips concentrate on seabirds, we also see a variety of whales, dolphins, sea otters and other marine life. The trips also offer spectacular views of California's Central Coast.

Sea conditions can be variable; seasickness medicine (Bonine or Dramamine 2) is highly recommended in case we encounter rough seas.

All trips start at 7:30 a.m. (boarding at 7 a.m.) Prices are $160 for 8-hour trips and $199 for 12-hour trips (same price for adults and children).
Note that a 6% Booking Processing fee is added to all purchases.

Seabird trips are scheduled on the following dates in 2024.

Sunday August 18 (8 hr)
Sunday August 25 (8 hr)
Monday August 26 (8 hr)
Sunday September 15 (8 hr)
Sunday September 22 (8 hr)
Sunday September 29 (12 hr)
Sunday October 6 (8 hr)
Sunday October 13 (12 hr)
Sunday October 20 (8 hr)
Sunday October 27 (8 hr)


To reserve, click on a red 'Book now' button or call our office at 831-375-4658.

Book online now!


Bird photos taken by Daniel Bianchetta on our trips.
Red-necked Phalaropes, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Red-necked Phalaropes

Elegant Tern, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Elegant Tern

Blue Heron, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Blue Heron

CommonMurre, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Common Murre



 
Laysan Albatross, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Laysan Albatross

Southern Sea Otters Mom and Pup, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Black Turnstone and Brandt's Cormorant

Fork-tailed Storm Petrel, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Fork-tailed Storm Petrel

Black-footed Albatross, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Black-footed Albatross


 

A few of the marine mammals
seen on our trips:

Killer Whale by Pt Sur Clipper
Killer Whale by Pt Sur Clipper

Humpback Whale tail, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale tail

Long-beaked Common Dolphins, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Long-beaked Common Dolphins

Harbor Seal, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Harbor Seal

Breaching Risso's Dolphin, photo by Daniel Bianchetta Breaching Risso's Dolphin

Lunge-feeding Humpback Whales, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Lunge feeding Humpback Whales

Sea Otter eating a crab, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Sea Otter eating a crab

Pacific White-sided Dolphins, photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Pacific White-sided Dolphins



All photos © Daniel Bianchetta

 

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Monterey Bay Whale Watch logo (2K)
 
Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC
84 Fisherman's Wharf
Monterey, CA 93940
 
Phone 831-375-4658  
E-mail whaletrips@gowhales.com
Copyright © 1997-2024 Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC. All rights reserved.

Photos copyright © Daniel Bianchetta

Last updated January 13, 2024