Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

MONTEREY BAY KILLER WHALE SEARCH TRIP

Quick Details

Adult

Ages 13+

$ 170

Your Best Chance to View Orcas in the Wild

A unique opportunity to look for Killer Whales with the leading California Killer Whale experts.

Killer whales can be seen any time of year although they are unpredictable. We generally see them more often in April and May. Also another peak time is late summer/fall.

Join Monterey Bay Whale Watch on an 8+ hour trip as we search for killer whales (also known as orcas) during April and May, during the gray whale mom/calf migration. We will also be encountering other species of whales and dolphins during these trips! Trips include light snacks and drinks and there is a restroom on board.

Again in spring 2026 at Monterey Bay Whale Watch, we are featuring all-day trips with Marine Biologist and Captain Nancy Black (and her dogs as co-captains)! Joining Nancy on many of these trips are members of the California Killer Whale Project (CKWP), Alisa Schulman-Janiger and Colleen Talty. Team members of CKWP have studied these Orcas off the California coast for more than 35 years, and know all the individuals and their family histories! There is no one in the Monterey Bay area who knows these Orcas better! On each of these trips we collect data which we analyze for family history, predation studies, and publications. Please check out the CKWP nonprofit website to learn more.

We hope you will join Monterey Bay Whale Watch on an extended quest for Killer Whales and other whale and dolphin species. Although there are no guarantees on Killer Whales as they have a large range, and are top predators that come and go throughout the area. However, they do frequent Monterey Bay more often than any other area along the coast during Spring. Although April and May are the peak sighting months for Killer Whales in Monterey Bay, they may be encountered at any time of the year. We typically sight Killer Whales about 2-7 times per week during this Spring period, as sightings vary annually. Humpback Whales are regularly encountered during this period, and possibly other whale species, as well as several dolphin species and a variety of other marine life.

These trips are of special interest to whale enthusiasts and photographers who want to spend extra time with whales, with more opportunities to observe a variety of their behaviors. This extended time at sea gives you the ultimate whale watch: to cover more area and search for a variety of species, with plenty of time to observe and photograph the animals we find. To provide quality viewing of the wildlife, we do not fill the boat to maximum capacity for these trips.