My 13 yr. old daughter and I did a 4 hour whale watching tour from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm on July 5, 2022. The day was a bit overcast, which is very common in Monterey. We checked in and listened to a brief safety talk and then boarded the boat. We also took the motion sickness pills they provided. We never got sick!
There were roughly 30 people or so on our boat. Another boat with Discovery Whale Watch just left the pier before our's with the same amount of people, so they are popular and busy. Each boat has a captain, a helper and a naturalist. The boat has a small "Head" or bathroom on board. You can also sit inside at the tables they have. Most people chose to sit outside. I prefer sitting outiside and feeling the wind and smelling the salt water in the air.
We left the marina and saw a few seals on the way out into the Bay. It wasn't long until we saw our first humpback whales. We saw multiple "Mother" hump back whales and their calves. They were quite active and coming up out of the water. We did see the mother do a "vertical breach" completely out of the water, which was very cool.
We saw a pod of Risso's Dolphins and a large Salmon Shark. After watching several mother whales and calves, we ventured further out into the bay towards the "Canyon". The naturalist on the boat was very experienced and explained what we were seeing. Unfortunately the visibility wasn't too good further out in the bay. We returned to the pier by the 1:00 pm ending time.
The whole experience was very cool. You will see saw lots of whales and calves and probably some dolphins and a shark or two. They said it's rare to see an Orca or "Killer Whale", but they do commonly see White Sharks in the Bay.
Due to federal law, the boats stay a clear distance from all whales and marine wildlife. However, occaisonally marine wildlife will come or appear close to the boat. Taking pictures with a regular cell phone camera is difficult and the pictures are not very good once you review them later.
Additionally, whales move fast in and out of the water, so you may be better off enjoying everything rather than trying to get the "perfect" picture unless you have an expensive camera and telephoto lens and lots of patience on as moving boat.
This experience is highly recommended for all ages and families. The crew is very professional and experienced, so you will be in good hands. Enjoy seeing the whales and anything else that you happen to see.