My wife and I forked out for a 3-4hr whale watching boat trip in Monterey bay, for our family.
The bay was calm, and we saw as many as 9 hump-back whales, in two pods, sea lions and pelicans, for around 3 hrs. It was fan-tas-tic. They all came right up close to our boat, so that everyone on board had a close-up view. Well worth every penny.