This was an absolutely fantastic trip. The people at Discovery are the friendliest, most accommodating and helpful group we could have asked for; from checkin to safety briefing to on the boat to off the boat.
The boat, while not huge or fancy, was clean and offered plenty of seating space. The wind was low but the swell pretty big on the day we went and the boat handled it very nicely, thanks to the skill of the captain and his crew. It is a smaller boat, though, so if you're susceptible to motion sickness, remember your Dramamine. They boat provided coffee, hot tea and hot chocolate, complimentary, and it was very well received by the guests.
I was initially worried that the smaller boat would be less awesome than the much larger boats at the pier but, after finding the whales, we could see the bigger boats had people lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder from stern to bow vying for a space to see the amazing creatures. All the while, we were standing comfortably, hot chocolate in hand, with plenty of room and some amazing views. One whale surfaced directly under the boat, not 5 feet from where we stood; close enough to literally smell it's whale breath. ICK, but awesome!!
The 3-man crew on our boat was outstanding and very enthusiastic. You can really tell they enjoy their job and are passionate about the wildlife. No hesitation to ask how we were feeling or to answer any questions we had. When we had none, they added some great and colorful facts and commentary throughout the trip.
The return trip was super relaxing with everyone reveling in the moment; chatting and smiling.
All in all, we saw (from what the crew told us) a minimum of 10 individual humpback whales and hundreds of sea lions. The whales cruised the surface, dived with flukes in the air, lunged out of the water feeding and fully breached, launching out of the water several times off in the distance.
I would 100% take this trip again. Don't forget to tip the crew for their outstanding service and passion.