Captain Christian is the absolute best...super welcoming and friendly.....I would highly recommend…read morechartering with Bella on the Bay. He accommodated my family and paid extra attention to my elderly mother. Thank you for the awesome experience Captain, looking forward to more bookings in the future.

Captain Christian was the best! Contacted him a couple months before our trip to make reservations,…read morehe was quick to respond, very friendly. A week or so before our trip to Monterey our agenda has changed and we needed to switch our reservation to another day. A quick call to Captain Christian and he was able to accommodate our request. Very informative about his boat, the ocean and Monterey. Look forward to our next trip out here and will definitely be making reservations with Captain Christian.

The captain and naturalist were top-notch. I felt quite safe onboard and learned a lot about both…read morethe (many!) humpbacks and (hundreds!) of common dolphin that we observed. Unfortunately, the weather (swells) kept us from going everywhere that would normally be available and the trip was uncomfortably wet and cold. There wasn't enough room to shelter from the drenching spray and cold winds. The captain warned us well in advance of what was coming, so at least those of us in the back of the boat could somewhat prepare. Most of the trip was physically uncomfortable for me. It's worth it to note that I am age 60+, which could have contributed my situation. I think it was the weather that kept Sheridan (naturalist) from noticing everyone's condition (she had to hold on, just like the rest of us), Despite Dramamine and the other precautions I took to avoid getting sick, the conditions, and being so close to the whales that I was treated to "whale breath," I succumbed to seasickness. Eventually, Sheridan came over to me, gave me bags & towels and checked on me regularly thereafter. My traveling companions were much more seaworthy than I was. If I had been traveling alone, I think I would have rescheduled for calmer seas. This option is available. Overall, I loved seeing the whales and dolphins, felt safe onboard, and learned about the marvelous animals. Lesson learned for me: only go out in calm seas.

Monterey bay whale watch is worth the time and money . We were able to see whales , 2 different…read morekind of dolphins, sea lions and otter . The marine biologist who was with us on the entire journey was very informative I forgot her name but she was at her best . They even provide se sickness tablets and ginger candy as well .

Beautiful scenery, excellent knowledgeable guides , knowledgeable of all the sea life…read moreExtra clear visibility, super clean boat , everyone receives a life vest. Excellent for familys . The Shake family always make sure your comfortable in all aspects. 5 stars for Angelo Shake thank you for making our 2026 4th of july memorable for life God BLESSS!

I spontaneously bought tickets for the 30 minute tour they offer on a Saturday. It was inexpensive…read moreso I wasn't expecting much but I figured it would be fun. They really exceeded my expectations! They were perfectly on time, super friendly, professional, and very knowledgeable. It was a great guided tour and we went farther out than I expected. We saw a lot and learned a lot of information from our guide. It felt like much longer than 30 minutes but in the best way. Our trip had two other groups with us so it wasn't crowded at all. Be sure to tip your guide after if you enjoy it, the other two groups did not and it was disappointing. Overall it was such a great experience and a great memory!

We did the 1.30pm tour today and it went for 3 hours. At 1 hour in we reached an area just past the…read moredrop off where Isaiah mentioned whales tend to hang out, and what to look for. My daughters (age 9&7) were thrilled to see splashes ahead and looked hard to find a whale and very excited to see a mom and calf humpback whale right after that. We also got lucky and saw a blue whale. Isaiah gave some info about blue whales and they took it all in. I was a bit worried about how it would go as my oldest daughter has autism but she felt comfortable enough to take herself off to a quieter space (indoors) when needed. It was also a small enough group that it didn't feel overwhelming for her. Overall we had a great time!

Great experience, we really enjoyed the naturalist on board answering all our questions and…read morepointing things out. They do a really good job of getting everyone on the "right" side to see whales. We saw several humpbacks breaching, and a ton of bird and dolphin activity. Really was a step beyond other whale watching trips to be able to see so many whales slowly feeding, you could even hear them breathing! Going back for a 2nd trip later this week to do it all again!

Great tour guide. She was so knowledgeable and entertaining. The whole crew was very professional.read more

Lovely time with coworkers- went for a bigger boat this time. Great time, naturalist was…read moreinformative and the crew was very attentive. We saw lots of humpback whales feeding and diving- all around a great trip. I appreciate that the photo package was free- little bonus and helps you stay in the moment.

I"ve booked with Sail Monterey several times in the last few years, and it's always a great…read moreexperience when sailing with them. Last month we chartered an afternoon sail for 5 of us and had a perfect day with Captain Tiki. More recently, we chartered the catamaran for 16 family members to do an afternoon memorial cruise and Captain Vince really helped make the day memorable for us. Highly recommend them!

We loved everything - absolutely everything - about our private sailing trip with Captain Paul…read more What a special and memorable way to experience Monterey!! It was worth the small extra cost to go private, have the boat for just our family, and get to know Paul. My kids and I talked about this sail as one of the highlights of our weeklong trip! We saw a beautiful sunset, got to stop for pictures, and had fun talking and laughing and learning about sailing from Captain Paul. Paul is knowledgeable, down-to-earth, a comfortable and confident captain, and just a pleasure to spend a sail with. He has a great laugh and sense of humor. He even was good-natured when I spoiled my Izze sparking drink all over the boat! We will 100% take another trip with Sail Monterey next time we visit the area!!!

This is, by far, the BEST whale watching on the bay! Don and Captain Kate are knowledgeable and…read moreenthusiastic hosts every time!

It was a gray cool morning, and all 6 of us were bundled up, as if we were going into a snowstorm…read more That was a wise decision. Ten minutes after leaving Moss Landing we encountered 4 humpback whales foraging, 10 minutes later 2 more, and half a mile away more blows. In 3 hours we encountered at close range probably 40 humpbacks. We were able to get fluke photos of 18 different whales and using Happy Whale identify 17 known individuals and at least one whale not in the Happy Whale database. Fabulous morning on the water with Captain Kate Spencer.

Five Stars! My kids…read moreand I had an absolutely fantastic whale-watching trip with Sanctuary Cruises. Captain Joey made the entire experience incredible. His knowledge of the sea life, the Monterey Bay whale habitat, and everything we were seeing from the whales to the sea lions hunting made the trip so much more than just a boat ride. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does, and that enthusiasm made the experience even better. We had an amazing time and will absolutely be back. Thank you, Captain Joey and Sanctuary Cruises, for such a memorable day!

Sanctuary Cruises was *thee* best whale watching experience! Easy booking process, and very…read moreaccommodating staff (we were running late due to the lovely Bay Area traffic coming from SF, and they actually called to make sure we were coming and would make it for departure!). Both the guide and captain were so nice, and knowledgeable! I understand that our cruise wasn't usual, as there was so much activity - however we saw SO many whales. We could see no less than 3 at a time, and many were within 10-30 feet of the boat! An amazing time, both my 6-year old and I were thoroughly impressed :)

Best privately own business in Monterey. I have been on dozens of trips with them throughout the…read moreyears. Hands down the best. Every time, we have seen whales, enjoyed Risso dolphins, and had our questions a answered. I'm an old lady now, I went Monday. They helped me onto the boat. It was the #1 experience. I say that after being on dozens of times. with them and other companies. I highly recommend going. Oh and you get to be on the boat with people ALL over the world. The look on their faces, first time seeing a whale, priceless. 3 hour trip. WORTH every dollar.

2nd trip with this crew and it's my fave! Friendly and not over powering with to much talk. Being…read moretold where to look and left to just enjoy the sounds of the sea, splashes an excitement from others is the only thing I wanna hear while the whales are in our presence. 10/10!! On this boat you can hear the other boats just talking and talking and talking. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's such a special moment haha The crew is great, the captain can DRIVE as I felt like part of the deadliest catch crew yesterday and our skipper was present and accommodating! Please TIP the CREW!! Orca trip 4/16 at 9am. Thank you guys, I'll see you soon

We just finished up a sail with Gene. It was amazing. He was so informative and knowledgeable about…read moresailing, the wildlife and the Monterey area (among so many other things)! And bonus to being out on open water was all the whales that happened to be eating in the area. I definitely recommend to anyone!

I booked Carrera Sailing for a private charter in Monterey on Valentine's Day where I proposed to…read moremy now fiance. With such a special event I spent a lot of time researching and was actually debating on booking with Carrera Sailing vs a few other private charters. I can confidently say that I made the right decision. What separated Carrera Sailing from the competition for me was Gene himself and his attention to detail. He is not a large company that churns through customers as quickly as possible. He focuses on quality and providing great customer service. From the start, he was very transparent to me regarding the wind and weather conditions and provided recommendations for the dates we were in town. You could also tell that Gene had decades of experience from the entertaining stories and experiences he shared during the trip. He knows every aspect of sailing and even custom manufactures carbon fiber additions to his boat. Overall, the experience was absolutely perfect and we will definitely be back.