We enjoyed our private charter so much. Captain Mike was awesome. Very client-centered service. We…read moresaw whales immediately and fairly often throughout the excursion. He was happy to angle the boat for optimal photo opportunities. Skip bringing binoculars. It's too hard to use them and easy enough to spot whales with the naked eye. Getting a good photo or video at the exact moment of a breach takes skill and patience. I'll skip holding the phone waiting for that perfect picture/video and just soak it in next time. All four of us expected to possibly get queasy, one is even known to get sea sickness but the smaller boat is so agile the Captain was really able to keep it on a smooth line. No one got sick or felt out of balance. Sitting up front in the cabin here and there was nice because the co captain seat has shock absorbers. I imagine if someone were worried about feeling off kilter they could sit there and be very comfortable. Don't be afraid to ask Captain Mike anything. He's very approachable and wants the charter to be whatever makes the guests happy. Thank you Captain Mike and Miss Vic Charters!! It was an epic experience. We all would do it again.

The boat has a perfect setup for whale watching. I went with my wife and two sons. We saw sea lions…read moreand a bunch of whales. Captaon wife even let my 4 year old son drive the boat. Great weather and a great trip!

Unforgettable experience! We encountered over 20 humpback whales in 2 hours - 5 of them coming…read morewithin 5-10' of our boat.

Captain Christian leads a fun and knowledgeable tour. He found an exciting pod of whales and he was…read moreso excited he lingered among them much to our delight. He said it was the best day of the year; over 50 whales. They were breaching, fluke slapping, spouts all over the place. Drenched in whale breath! The best tour ever.

It's not fancy, more like "authentic"! I used to sail with my Dad as a kid and sailing with Rich…read morefelt like getting a personal tour with a friend. Our family had a great time!

Very happy we chose Bodega Bay Sailing. Rich is a great guy with a lot of knowledge about the area…read moreand about sailing. We had a great time and would definitely go out on the boat with Rich again. Highly recommend!

I had a fantastic time with the lovely couple, Josh and Sarah! I got the chance to really get a…read morehands on how to put on a bait, pulling in the cages and getting the crabs out and putting them on the bucket. And to top that! Everybody got their limit! I can't wait to be back to get those delicious crabs

Yesterday I jumped in with Josh and Cody, I did have a a blast!…read more 3 strippers 2 legal size halibuts 2 shorties 3 more than didn't hook up well, the lead broke or the knot failed Great views! Super friendly and excellent customer service! I widely recommend them, Looking forward to going out fishing with them soon. Thanks

We rented a single and 2-person kayak for a couple of hours and thoroughly enjoyed this first-time…read moreexperience.

Every year for my son's birthday, we head over to Bodega Bay. We always rent kayaks and paddle…read morearound the bay. The staff are always friendly and make sure you have an incredible experience. We see seals and birds. Then we paddle to Spud point to get lunch. We look forward to it every year.

Best charter boat that I've ever been on out of Bodega. We booked a crab trip and had no trouble…read morecatching our limits. Do yourself a favor and have them clean and steam your crabs when you get to the dock - it makes a world of difference. I'll definitely be going out with them again and also book them for a whale watching trip to take my wife out on.

Owner forgot about our arrangements. But called, apologized and made it right. Thank you for…read moreeasing the day we said farewell to a loved one.

Kicked off Boat Because of Overbooking??…read more I left a message on a Friday looking for last minute availability for Salmon fishing on the Surf Scooter out of Bodega Bay. I received a call from the Rick, the Captain, stating there was one spot available for the next day, Saturday. I showed up to the boat at 04:30 as directed and checked in (they crossed my name off their list), rented a pole and reel, and paid for the day and all the supplies/equipment on a credit card. One of the deckhands took my pole to the bow of the boat and secured it into the holder. After I went to the briefing is when things went badly for my first time in 45 years Salmon fishing trip. Rick called my name and I identified myself. Rick confirmed I was the one he spoke to the day before and I said yes. He advised me there was not enough room on the boat for me and I needed to leave. I was completely surprised and caught off guard and didn't even know what to say. I was confused how this could happen between our calls the day before and arriving at the boat on time and going through the check-in, purchasing and payment process, and attending the briefing. Without really saying anything I gathered my stuff and left the boat. I was called by Rick about 5 hours later and he was trying to reschedule me, however he couldn't give me any specific dates and I told him I was headed out on work trip. He talked about possibly dates in August if the fishing numbers weren't hit. Something didn't feel right about how things happened so I said I was confused how I could be booked on Friday and after going through the check-in, licensed verified, renting & purchasing the supplies/equipment and paying with my credit card on the boat, assigned a location on the bow, and then attending the briefing, that I would then be informed there was no longer room for me and I need to leave. I decided to try to see his position in all of this so I asked him what happened. He told me he was just "coming out of a fog" and he really didn't know and hadn't looked into it. He made a point to say during briefing that people don't have the ability to book online because he wants to speak to every person himself before booking. He sounded to be a very controlling Captain, with right, necessity, and his choice as the captain of the boat, but I don't understand how anything could happen on that boat without him knowing based upon his own words and how he presents himself. He clearly very much knows who and how many are booked on his boat as he takes credit card numbers and documents everyone's names for a trip. At this point in the conversation, I was not feeling very comfortable rebooking because if he truly doesn't know how this booking snafu could have happened in the first place, who is to say it wouldn't happen again? On the flip side if he clearly and knowingly overbooked, why would I rebook with a business that clearly doesn't care the costs and the preparation it takes to drive to Bodega Bay and be on a boat for an all-day fishing trip that starts at 04:30am. I did review the fishing report for the Surf Scooter for the day I was kicked off the boat and it stated there were 19 anglers. Interestingly, the same boat shows previous days within the last week with up to 21 anglers. I don't know if I am comparing apples to apples, but I am really questioning what happened at this point. Was it because, although I fish a lot, I haven't fished Salmon in 45 years so they didn't want someone newer, or what? I am left to believe there was more to this story then Rick told me. I can't help but question that he knew he was overbooked but wanted the business in the future and had my credit card charged and just wanted to rebook me for another day sometime in the future. In full transparency, when I asked for him to credit me back for the purchase, he did not argue and he did, while at the same time tried to just rebook me instead since "I had already paid" and just needed to book a trip for a date he didn't have.

Wake up early in one of the mornings a few months ago to fishing at Bodega Bay. It is a great place…read morewith a great boat. The captain of the boat is very fun, extremely good, and very experienced. The boat is pretty big and it can hold a maximum capacity of 40+ people. We have only 20s people on the boat. We have a lot of free area on the deck. The captain knows the area very well and he is steering the boat and stop right at the spots where he knows there is a lot of fishes. We all have our limits before noontime. The boat stopped several times on the way back to the pier to pick up the crab cages we dropped off earlier and wow! All the cages were filled with crabs. We are so happy to have our limited of the crabs too. I loved the results. We had the best seafood dinner experience at the evening! Lol!

I booked six weeks out in advance for Salmon season. The captain has a new boat, the Ghoat II and…read moreit was fantastic. We caught our limit on King Salmon. The Captain keeps an eye out for everyone's safety and does a good job making sure all customers follow proper procedures when fishing. The deckhand was also very knowledgeable and helpful. He did a lot of work getting everyone to have a great day. I recommend this place for the memorable experience, safety and expertise. You will be back for more.

Our family booked them in hopes of seeing whales. We got to see dolphins, a gray whale, seals and…read moremany species of birds. Four went with Billy and our group of four went with Aaron. He was knowledgeable on wildlife, pointing out phalarope, common murr and a tern. The kids had a great time. We packed some snacks but I appreciated that he shared his snacks and drinks too. I highly recommend Aaron. In the future, it'd be helpful to know exactly where the boats are docked and where to park. Maybe add a map on the web site. We're tourists. Not locals.

This was such a fun family experience. Just getting under the sun and doing something fun. This…read moreride is easy to do. We were lucky to have one of the volunteers too with us. We had so many fun discussions around railroads. Recommend trying it out !

My daughter and I had a wonderful time on the rail bike excursion! Between the scenic ride and the…read moredelicious boxed lunch by the river, it was a Sunday very well spent with great friends. The staff was incredibly kind, helpful, and the true definition of hospitality. On our return from the rail bikes, I accidentally locked my keys in my car while it was still running with the A/C on. We were the last group there, and the two gentlemen working that day went above and beyond. They stayed an hour after closing while my daughter and I waited for a tow truck to unlock my vehicle. They even offered to let me use their own AAA membership to help with the situation. Not once did either of them seem frustrated or inconvenienced, despite having to stay well past closing. Their patience, generosity, and genuine care meant so much to us. Thank you both for turning a stressful situation into a positive experience. We truly appreciate everything you did and highly recommend this rail bike adventure!