Sanctuary Cruises - Year-Round Whale Watching and Special Charters
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Imagine the feeling.
Friendly humpback spyhops while Sam Boone watches from our boat.
Taken 7/2010 aboard Sanctuary.

We have quite possibly the best whale watching ever on the Monterey Bay,
and we are the best whale watching company on the bay. Join us to experience blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins and more.

We see humpback and blue whales well into late fall.
We have dolphins (including orcas, largest of the dolphins) year-round.
We see gray whales & dolphins all winter. So if you can't get out now,
don't worry. Go later when it's not so crazy.
Maybe you won't see as many animals, but it's still very cool to be out there. And one whale can be the thrill of a lifetime.

Hi there!
We're Heidi & Steph, people who are passionate about whales and the only creators & owners of a whale watching company we know of to have put themselves between whalers' bullets and whales.

We created
Sanctuary Cruises because of our great love of marine life and the belief that when people are introduced to these creatures in a respectful way, they'll also appreciate them and then they'll help protect their world.

We offer good, long whale & dolphin watching cruises year-round, plus we provide charters 7 days a week, including wonderful memorial services.

THE NO SARDINE CAN PROMISE: We're the only company that limits passengers on our whale cruises to 75% of our boat's Coast Guard-rated maximum on our sparkling clean boat Sanctuary, so you have room to enjoy yourselves.

Our friendly and personable crew of captains who are talented naturalists in their own right, and marine biologists and naturalists, introduce you to the fascinating sea life found in the Monterey Bay.

You'll see and learn about how these creatures are all connected to the web of life in this watery world.

We also are the only company that allows pregnant women and infants, goes to great lengths to accommodate people in wheelchairs, and we take extra care to make sure everyone has a great cruise. You're going to love us.

TRIP SCHEDULE UPDATED 7/29 EVENING

Morning Cruises at 10 run about 4 hours. Prices are $48 adults/$38 kids 12 and under. Trips at 10 are our most popular and availability can be limited (see below). This is the best weather window most days; take this trip if you can.

Afternoon Cruises at 2:30 run 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Prices are $48 adults/$38 kids 12 and under. If winds build, afternoon trips stand the best chance of being scrubbed. Conditions can change fast; there is the chance of your coming to the harbor only to be turned away (keep your phone turned on!), but most afternoon trips recently have been a go.

Friday Morning July 30th at 10 AM: No Availability
Friday Afternoon July 30th at 2:30 PM: No Availability

Saturday Morning July 31st at 10 AM: No Availability
Saturday Afternoon July 21st at 2:30 PM: No Availability

Sunday Morning August 1 at 10 AM: No Availability
Sunday Afternoon August 1 at 2:30 PM: No Availability

Monday Morning August 2 at 10 AM: No Availability
Monday Afternoon August 2 at 2:30: No Availability

Tuesday Morning August 3 at 10 AM: No Availability
Tuesday Afternoon August 3 at 2:30 PM: Very Good Availability

Wednesday Morning August 4 at 10 AM: No Availability
Wednesday Afternoon August 4 at 2:30: Good Availability

Thursday Morning August 5 at 10 AM: Good Availability
Thursday Afternoon August 5 at 2:30 PM: Good Availability

Friday Morning August 6 at 10 AM: No Availability
Friday Afternoon August 6 at 2:30 PM: Good Availability

Saturday Morning August 7 at 10 AM: No Availability
Saturday Afternoon August 7 at 2:30 PM: Good Availability

Sunday Morning August 8 at 10 AM: No Availability
Sunday Afternoon August 8 at 2:30 PM: Good Availability

Monday Morning August 9 at 10 AM: Good Availability
Monday Afternoon August 9 at 2:30: Good Availability

Tuesday August 10 at 10 AM: Good Availability
Tuesday August 10 at 2:30: Good Availability

Wednesday August 11 at 10: Good Availability
Wednesday August 11 at 2:30: Good Availability

Thursday August 12 at 10: Very Good Availability
Thursday August 12 at 2:30 Very good Availability

All future trips have good availability for the trip at 10. We will add trips at 2:30 only if the morning trips start to fill.

Note your FIRST and SECOND trip preference in the box at the bottom of the reservation form and we will get back to you. If you don't, your reservation goes to the bottom of the list while we play email tag. We have to be fair to all and the properly filled out form gets priority. Phone calls don't jump ahead of online reservations. 

If you can't get out there right now, don't panic. We'll see these species well into fall,
but maybe not in the current numbers. See you out there! Heidi, Steph & the Crew

PLEASE MAKE SECURE RESERVATIONS
ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE

"This experience was so far and above our trip the other day [with another company]
that they are difficult to compare."
Karen Burgess/Santa Cruz, CA

Explore: Whales and Dolphins by Season and How We Work to learn when your favorites are here and how we operate around marine mammals.
Here's a clue: It's their world and we're the visitors.

Here is how  Sanctuary Cruises is different:
We respect our passengers and make sure they're cohorts in adventure.
We have a long history protecting whales and never crowd them.
Sanctuary is sparkling clean, comfortable & she smells great.
We rent Relief Bands, wonderful electronic devices to prevent seasickness.
We have always run non-smoking cruises (there is no escaping smoke on a boat).
Kids get to take a turn at the wheel (conditions permitting).
National Geographic featured us in a documentary which recreated our Mother's Day 2004 whale watching cruise ("Whale Attack"; see some of it here).
Read the incredible comments from our customers (below and on Talk To Us)
to learn more about what sets us apart.

See more reviews below and on Talk to Us.

Sanctuary Cruises

Click here to watch orcas at our boat recently.
Click here for links to articles & videos.


Our naturalist Kate Cummings took this picture of a humback lob-tailing Tuesday, July 27th. Gives you goose bumps!

This is a blue whale below with Moss Landing in the background; taken 7/2010.
A calming trend has resulted in delightful afternoon cruises.

This was the friendliest friendly humpback our naturalist Kate has ever experienced.

Above & Below: Friendly humpback whale at our boat Sanctuary 7/2010

The shot below by our captain, Jim Davis, is of a mother humpback AND her calf,
in a double breach!
"We went out with the Sanctuary crew and had the whale-watching experience of a lifetime."
Inge Bond/San Jose, CA

If you're new to whale watching on the Monterey Bay, comparing companies you'll find a 2.5 hour trip out of Monterey for $39.95. Our trip is close to twice as long, plus parking in Moss Landing is cheap or free and you park right next to our dock. Wharf parking in Monterey is expensive and there is a long walk to the dock.
But most of all, nobody does it like we do. Nobody.
  

7/20/2010: "We traveled today with Captain Jim and Kate. My friend and I have been out twice in less than a week due to the amazing conditions out there and although I live in Santa Cruz, I have never been whale watching.

Our first trip was out of our own harbor [Santa Cruz] and it was lovely. Saw blue and humpback whales, but my friend really wanted to go out of Moss Landing and on your boat , so we signed up for today.

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Truly simply sublime. Kate and Jim were excellent stewards of your business, our bay and advocates for the creatures we were fortunate enough to see. This experience was so far above our trip the other day that they are difficult to compare. I will go again on Sanctuary without question, and recommend without hesitation.

We walked over to Phil's [restaurant] after the trip (because how can you not go to Phil's when you are that close? Seriously.) and I told Dawna the truth. I honestly did not believe we could see anything like that in our bay. Literally out our front doors. I thought the whale watching charters in our area were total tourist traps. I could not have been more wrong and am sorry that it took me so long to discover it. I know it is hard to top something as special as what we saw today, but there are more species to see and more behavior to try and see and I am game to give it a go.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to rediscover what I already knew. I am blessed to live here and am in awe of what we have right outside our doors." Karen Burgess/Santa Cruz, CA

"I chose your company because of your attitude
toward the whales and other marine animals.
The other companies' ads were just that, advertising for their trips.
Yours added the empathy you have toward the creatures."
From our customer satisfaction survey 6/11/2010. This survey resulted in an astounding
number of reviews, ALL positive, many lyrical, and every one heartfelt.
Number 1 reason they chose us: Our respect for marine life.
#2 reason: "You make us feel like family."

"OMG! What a wonderful day out there today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two Blue whales, after being harassed by these goofs in a small white boat (we got the name, and numbers off it - thanks to my hubby with his trusty camera zoom) turned and came right to us and swam from bow to stern right next to our boat!You could have reached out to touch one of them and they gave us magnificent views of their blowholes - like looking right down into them, and then graced us with their flukes. What a gift they gave us - like they were truly grateful for us not bothering them and showing us that they totally understood the difference between us and the other boat! I could have died and gone to heaven right then and there.

[Jim ran this trip and he positioned Sanctuary right in front of the boat that was harassing the whales and kindly informed them over the PA of their poor behavior, which the passengers cheered him on for later].

We had Dall's porpoises bow surfing with us - they saw out boat and headed right toward us to have some fun. We saw Risso's dolphins .

Thanks so much for everything you do - and I do mean EVERYTHING, especially after reading your last newsletter - yikes! [that Captain's Log is at the bottom of this page and quite a story!] Wishing you Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Karen Schwartz/Seymour marine Discovery Center Docent/Santa Cruz, CA

Most of the pictures below are by our naturalist Kate from recent cruises.
First, a blue whale, the biggest creature on earth ever.

The tail stock (base of the body before flukes) of a blue whale is as thick as a mature redwood,
but from this angle, it almost looks dainty.

This is a better representation of the tail stock. It never ceases to amaze us how fluid these enormous bodies are.

There is only one way to see whales this close: on their terms.
See the Giant Kelp strewn across the humpback's head below?

"We were amazingly close because Steph knew where they'd go, and let them come to us. Truly a lifetime highlight!" David Lemon/San Jose, CA

Humpback whale and passengers/Photo by Mike McNulty

Fight for the Whales: Please let President Obama know you support the continued ban on commercial whaling by going to the Natural Resouces Defense Council's web site and signing this petition. It just takes a minute and if you don't speak out for the whales, who will? Thanks!
Check out the newsletter at the bottom of this page. If you'd like to receive them, sign up here.

FACEBOOK FANS: 
Click here to become a fan of Sanctuary Cruises, share pictures,
write about your cruises with us and more on Facebook.

Want to see what else Steph & Heidi have been up to? 
Follow this link: Trinity River Adventure Inn

At the bottom of this page you'll see our most recent Captain's Log. To receive our newsletter, sign up farther down this page where it says "Sign up for our newsletters." (Clever, huh?)

First timers? Explore: Where We Are, How to Dress, What to Bring
We're located in Moss Landing, halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey, just 2 blocks off Highway 1; full directions may be found on Info/Directions.
Click here to read an article from the San Francisco Chronicle about our trips

Check out our Video & Articles Page to see YouTube videos from our cruises
and other articles on or by us.

Responsible whale watching is very important to us. How about you?
Read this article written by Heidi for the Monterey Herald


Humpback whale feeding by our boat Sanctuary
Notice the baleen that grows from the upper gum and is used to strain food from water.
On another shot below, you see the krill streaming out of the mouths; it's barn red, like old blood.
Can you imagine being on today's trip and seeing all this? It's the Monterey Bay at its finest.


7/15/2010 From the Captain's Log:
People Who Want to See Whales 
& the Perfect Storm for Reservations

This Captain's Log doesn't have a lot about whales; it's more about people who want to see whales.
It also tells the story about getting hit by a tidal wave of business. Consider it a human interest story with marine mammal origins.

Ever hear of a restaurant that gets a great review and is so overwhelmed by demand, through a series of mishaps, it goes out of business? It takes some world class juggling to keep all of the balls in the air, and those balls have minds of their own.

But first, let's talk about some of the pictures from recent cruises. This photo was taken on our boat by Mike McNulty, who conjectured the orca may have been warning us to stay back as the pod circled a female elephant seal. The killer whales swooped back and forth under our motionless boat and passengers were entranced.

Mike was a naturalist on whale watching boats in the early days back east. He said this was his best trip ever, which is saying a lot, because he has vast Monterey Bay experience.

Go to our Orca Gallery to see more great orca shots, including the rest of Mike's series from this day.

Imagine going on a whale watching cruise and getting the photograph of a lifetime. Now multiply that by 50 or 60 out of perhaps 200 pictures taken with your digital camera. That's a great example of what our passengers are experiencing and two of them have posted their shots online. You'll marvel at these.

The first link is to the photo page for Patrick Hess.

Patrick wrote: "My wife and I spontaneously decided to book a cruise. It was one of the best quick-decisions I've made in a while. We had a wonderful cruise and a tremendous day of watching whales all around the boat for hours. I don't think I've seen that many whale tails since Porsche stopped producing the 930series. [I LOVE this line!!!] Thank you, again, for a wonderful time." Here is the link to Patrick's photos.

Next we have Bob from Santa Cruz:
"This is a great whale watching company. They delivered as advertised and we stayed out longer than normal because there were so many whales to see." Here is Bob's Photo Link.
More recent reviews highlight the heart of why we operate as we do:
From Tom in Berkeley:
"We had a wonderful cruise with Sanctuary today in the true sense of that word. Awe and wonder. Lots of blues and humpbacks feeding, diving, rolling all around our boat... The Sanctuary folks really love, respect and understand whales; they've put their lives on the line to protect them and it shows. They are very good at finding them and giving us good looks at them without chasing and harassing the whales which other tours apparently sometimes do. They've got a good feel for where to go where the whales will come near on their own accord. They generally only take on 30 or fewer passengers instead of the 39 the Coast Guard would allow them in order to keep the experience comfortable and more intimate."

Margaret, who is CFO of Testarossa Winery said:
"My husband and I have been out with Sanctuary Cruises about a dozen times over the years.
I am something of a whale freak. We choose Sanctuary as our favorite way to go whale watching for the following reasons:
1) Moss Landing is very close to the canyon and you get out in deep water quickly
2) they go out longer than any other whale watching cruise, so you are more likely to see whales
3) they are all about the whales and marine life - they aren't a fishing boat trying to make up for lost revenues or a sail boat that can't get out far enough.
You can't control every factor when you sign up for a whale watch, but when everything comes together - boy you sure can feel like you've won thelottery.
We won the whale watching lottery on Saturday... It was an overcast, but very calm day
on the bay with great visibility. We had captain Steph and naturalists Dorris and Michael.

On the way out to find blue whales we encountered a pod of killer whales that were hunting an elephant seal, and they came right up to our boat to let us know how excited they were. It was insane... And of course, we also saw a couple humpback whales just hanging out.

Normally that is exciting enough. But when we saw the immense blow of two blue whales traveling around together, it was awesome. They are massive - maybe almost twice as long as the boat. They are the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet. That is enough to make you feel very humble.

If you are going out, you should choose Sanctuary - they simply are the best people to show you what our beautiful marine sanctuary is all about."


People Who Want to See Whales

Part One: Let's say you own a whale watching company that you sold a few years ago. The buyer trashed it, you took it back after a prolonged legal battle, and you made the tough decision to revive the business that had lain dormant 9 months after being largely ignored by the goof you sold to. Your beloved boat looked like hell, so you lovingly nursed her back to sparkling health, including new paint, engines and a lot more.

You also own Trinity River Adventure Inn, a hopping business on the Trinity River 6 hours to the north. You and your partner are really good at covering all bases and doing a great job at most things you undertake.

The Trinity company is in its busiest month of the year with cabins rented back to back. You're running your river trips with the raft and kayaks. The Sanctuary Cruises crew is doing fine and things are looking good all-round.

Then the captain available the most of the 3 ships off to Alaska with 3 days' notice. Your senior naturalist heads out on a must-have vacation for a week.

And the world discovers the whales of Monterey Bay are here as usual most summers and falls, but in fat numbers, especially the blue whales.

Suddenly everyone wants to see a blue whale NOW. Not just your old fans, not just the lovers of sea life and nature, the thoughtful ones who take the time to read a few pages on your web site, then send in an online reservation. But also the ones who figure there is no reason to read a well-crafted web site's home page when there is a phone number and they can call (cell phones have eliminated much of the world's reasoning abilities). They're the ones who expect whales to do tricks at sea as they do in Marine World.

Your partner, let's call him Steph, has gone to Moss Landing to work with your new captain and the marine biologist who has signed on in Kate's absence. You are handling the Trinity operation, including greeting guests, river runs, tending both companies' web sites, handling reservations and phone calls; watering the properties in 100 degree heat. Caring for the animals. Suddenly all hell breaks loose.

The morning trips fill for days ahead, so you add afternoon cruises. Those book, so you add Dawn Patrols. The phone rings constantly. You're out of food and subsist on Triscuits and what's left of the hummus. Cold canned chili dumped over what's left of the salad greens and broken tortilla chips constituted a very late dinner.

The cats are looking owly. For some reason they don't think a half empty bowl of their fancy kibble, available only in Redding, an hour away, is also a half full bowl. Their organic, wildly expensive canned food? Won't touch the crap (their term, not yours; you paid for it!). The beloved cat who was on chemo all winter is thin. He has shown an affection for sour cream, so you give him his own tub on the floor as you rush by. Can Animal Protective Services be far behind once the cats figure out how to dial 911?

The dogs are no better. Their food supply is fine. They can swim in the river and scrooch on the shady lawn, but what about their morning hikes with you? Every time you even look toward the door, they're scrambling that way, elated to finally be heading out. But no hike. Not today, or yesterday, or the day before that.

You can't take 15 minutes in an entire day from 0600 to near midnight for yourself. Life has narrowed down to PHONES/EMAILS/COMPUTER WORK. The plants gasp as though it may be their last out there in the searing heat, but you're too absorbed to think about them.

An email wafts in from a distant, retired family member who requests action on your part. This could be handled at any time and there is no rush, but the relative would like it SOON. The email ends with: "Loving life, everything's great." You wonder if there is a penalty involving prison for killing someone. If you could be in a quiet prison where you could finish your book, that would work.

Many of the reservations you get online have conflicts requiring more emails.

"That trip is booked; would you like the afternoon?"

"There are 3 spots left on that trip, so we can't take your party of 6. How about the next trip?"

"No, it is not OK to reserve for 2 and bring 3 more."

"Yes, we need a credit card number to hold your spots, even if you plan to pay cash."

"The Coast Guard does not approve life jackets for infants, so we do not have them, only toddler sizes. How's bubble wrap and duct tape sound?"

Each phone call and email adds to the many balls you have in the air, making it ever tougher to keep each cruise straight. You can't overbook and disappoint people who chose Sanctuary Cruises because you don't fill the boat, but only book to 75% of her capacity. Even with Call Waiting, you can only answer one other caller while the first is on hold (another ball in the air). You finally finish one call and when you attempt to phone the sender of an online reservation who is not in email range any more, you hear the BEEP-BEEP-BEEP telling you there are voice mail messages to retrieve.

Halfway through a string of 6 messages, the phone rings again, so you hang up on voice mail and have a variation of this call way too often:

"Ummm...[long pause; maybe this is a member of the Slow Talkers of America Bob & Ray used to talk about] hi...you do the whale rides? [whale watching, yes] OK... [another long pause]...so I'm on your, um, web site... I guess. When's a good time to go? [now] Oh...now. I see. [long pause] What's out there, anyway? [you're thinking the big headline across the top of the home page of your web site that says "BLUE WHALES, HUMPBACKS, ORCAS & MORE!" might be a clue, but you say blue whales, humpback whales, killer whales, dolphins...]. Another pause, then, "When can we see 50 blue whales?"

Okay. By now, we know you aren't in this hell and I am. I drink a little. A couple of beers on a river trip, sometimes some wine. I have been known to whip up a pitcher of margaritas, but I share it. The only reason I haven't gotten sloppy drunk and stayed that way the past week is because there's simply no time.

With each reservation, I've streamlined my procedures. Open the reservation request, check the cruise time, reply to the sender if it's not available, send a confirmation if it is. Confirmations go out with a one page attachment detailing directions, meeting place, how to dress, how to avoid seasickness and a lot more. I wrote each note with the confirmation from scratch, then created a document I left on the desktop with the basic structure. Hit Ctrl C to copy, Ctrl V to paste; adjust name, dates, time and price. Review confirmation, attach the info sheet, hit Send.

Sometimes it takes 2-3 phone calls and several emails before this is complete. Then save the res in a file by date and last name (INVALUABLE for tracking down details later). Forget using the mouse; I hit Ctrl S for Save As, don't even look up, type date with underscores between day/month/year, then last name, hit return bar to save and close. Then highlight res email and drag it to the SC Reservations backup before moving onto the next job.

Several more calls roll in like a tidal wave. People can drown in a tidal wave. I may be one of those people. One is from a woman who received the confirmation email and attachment. She says the attachment absolutely won't open. She announces I am a genius for suggesting she double click on the attachment icon.

A man informs me there is NO WAY he could choose the day and month from the drop-down menus at the top of the reservation form, so he sent in a request for whale watching January 1. When I tell him the form works, as evidenced by several hundred successful reservations, he tells me I am mistaken and anyway, I should have known he wanted the next day's cruise. That would be the one that has been marked as NO AVAILABILITY on the web site for days.

By this time, if I don't go to the bathroom, I will wet my pants. I haven't seen the portable phone in days (the cats are Prime Suspects). Dash into the bathroom, phone rings, finish my business, dash back, answer the call which is immediately walked over by another call ringing through. Click on the receiver to put the first caller on hold to put #2 on hold but #2 is gone. You k#2 calls three times, through several more phone calls from others, hanging up after the first 2 rings each time before sticking it out to actually speak.

Do you get a discount on prison sentences for multiple murders?

Someone emails an article quoting one of our competitors saying they took 450 people out whale watching in two days. Jam-packed boats. The phone rings again: "We're only a family of 4; can't you squeeze us on the full trip?" No, but I know someone who will...

The computer bleeps to announce emails have just come in. 16 hours after I sat down at the desk, I turn off the computer and go to bed. It's 11:45. At 1:30, the phone rings: "Oh... I expected an answering machine. I saw your trailer. Are there really whales out there?"

PART TWO

Meanwhile, Steph has to deal with the overflow of passengers that resulted in my creation of second and third trips. He's training our new captain (and do we think we have struck gold with him!) and working with our marine biologist. He isn't just running cruises, he's teaching the crew how to do what we do: find the whales, enchant and educate people without being pedantic, operate responsibly around the animals and explain to all why this is such a huge deal. Magic must be involved, because it's out there. We feel it, we breathe it.

In addition to training, he's doing the Costco run for snack bar supplies. He's doing maintenance on Sanctuary, as well as trying to track down a rumble I detected running trips over the July 4th weekend (turned out to be minor and an easy fix but until you know, that packs a wallop to the solar plexus; this is our baby, after all)

.
Once he realizes Jim, our new captain, is a gem, he really can't relax. Jim has a vast amount of experience all around the world. He is enthusiastic, lively, sweet and gracious. But there is so much to tell him about how we operate before coming home that if anything, the stress on Steph doubles. Meanwhile our marine biologist has blossomed. She already knew an incredible amount, especially about the Monterey Bay, but she needed to learn our methods. I will write more about the crew next update.

To his great credit, Steph garnered a huge pile of stunning reviews such as the ones above. If all he had to do was run the trip, find and track marine mammals and tell about them in his wonderful manner, it would be a huge task. Figuring all of the rest of the balls he kept in the air, he may well qualify for the Barnum & Bailey Jugglers' Hall of Fame. And his reward?

The recycling and trash for the cabins are in sore need of dealing with. As soon as he returns with the truck, he changes his exalted Captain's cap for the Grounds & Maintenance cap and hits the road with the dogs, because they give dog cookies out at the dump and The Red House, where he often swings by for an Alp Accino, the Trinity Alp's version of a frozen mocha.
So the lesson for business owners who would like for their businesses to be super popular and busy is this:

"Be careful what you wish for... because you just might get it."

But we're through the crisis (though still very busy) and kept everyone happy, and that is what matters. The infrastructure is in place to process reservations faster. Kate will be back soon. Dorris is staying on. Jim and Tim have got the captain's duties under control. Steph's home and taking over some of the phone and computer work. I was able to scribble out this newsletter so I can get our fans off my back ("Heidi, love those newsletters, but haven't had a good long one lately"). We have river trips to run for guests up on the Trinity River. We can't take a phone on those trips (nor would we). Here is how we dress for these water trips:

Sublime.

We have a variety of cruises from 0700 Dawn Patrols to our regular 10 o'clock Trip to some 2:30 Afternoon Trips the coming week. All are posted on our web site's home page. Check them out, then send in an online reservation if you can. Be aware the afternoon trips can be weathered out; it happened today. Choose the 10 o'clock Trip if you can and go for the Dawn Patrol if not. If neither work for you, sign up for the 2:30 Trip and we will see what the weather gods have in store for your day. All of our afternoon trips flew until yesterday and today, so there is hope.

If you call, do your best to form lucid, concise sentences. We will do our best to respond in kind. If all else fails, come on up for a margarita.

This really is a fabulous time to go whale watching. You're going to want to steal Captain Jim, whose exotic origins are the stuff of childhood dreams. You also many want to swipe Dorris, our biologist. She's small enough, you could fit her in a pocket, but please don't. We want to keep her around.

Back to Jim: Steph told our passengers, "Finding a good captain is not easy. We had to go all the way to Turkey to find Jim." True enough, but it was Turkey via Catalina Island. See you out there, heidi

Humpback Whales Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA
Orcas Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA
Blue Whales Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA
Gray Whales Photos on Monterey Bay, CA
Sperm & Right Whales Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA
Dolphins-Risso's, Pacific White-sided, Common Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA
Otters, Sea Lions, Seals, Leatherback Turtles Photographed on Monterey Bay, CA