Whale Watching San Francisco

Whale watching San Francisco, best tours, San Francisco attractions in the Bay and fun things to do San Francisco is what this page is all about.

On December 11, 2009, to celebrate my husband's birthday we went whale watching in San Francisco. We went with San Francisco Whale Tours because we had purchased a Groupon ticket for 50% for $35. It was one of those fun things that we have never done even though we have lived in the Bay Area 20+ years! I never even knew there was whale watching in San Francisco.

Captain Joe Nazar Giving His Brief Briefing

Our Onboard Naturalist

We got up early and met the group at Pier 39 San Francisco. There were about 35 of us or so and we were met by Laura - the naturalist for the day - and Captain Joe Nazar. They were both very nice and the naturalist gave us an overview of the birds and animals we would be seeing that day. It looked like most of the group had purchased their tickets from Groupon just like we did.

Cruising Out To The Farallon Islands

After stopping for some gas for a few minutes we headed out to the Farallon Islands. They are located 27 miles off-shore from San Francisco. The Farallon Islands are one of 14 U.S. national marine sanctuaries.

We cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge and headed for the wide open Pacific Ocean. As soon as we got past the Golden Gate Bridge you could tell that we weren't in protected waters anymore but in the unprotected ocean.

Farallon Islands

It probably took about an hour and a half to get out to the Farallon Islands. There is a research center which is staffed for 6 months out of the year.

Looking For Gray Whales

It was a very cold and wintry day and the Farallons were surrounded by fog and clouds. About 20 minutes before we arrived at them the captain informed us to be on the lookout for whales. The first one to spot a whale would receive a free t-shirt. Just a few minutes after the captains annoucement one guy yelled "whale!" He had seen the spray coming from a whale's blow whole. Now I was even more fully engaged in spotting the next one! (even if I wasn't going to get a t-shirt!)

Side note: if you take this trip and think that you won't get seasick - take Dramamine or something - even IF you don't think you will get sick! About half of the boat was sharing their breakfast with the ocean. I wasn't paying much attention because it just makes me sick to watch people throw up and I didn't want to get sick. I had already taken my seasick pills! So - just be cautious and take them anyway.

We cruised around the Farallons looking for whales. The captain was very patient and committed to helping us all see a whale. I kept looking and looking and finally saw the top third of a whale. It was a dark brownish gray and had barnacles on him. The captain told us that it was the season for gray whales. He said that they dive down to about 90 feet which was the depth we were at at the time and eat crabs and crustaceans that are on the bottom of the ocean.

I felt very excited to see a whale and wanted to see another one. My husband must have blinked or been looking the other way because he didn't see it at all. I think about a third of the boat saw the same whale I did. A few saw from dolphins on the way out. There were a lot of birds flying out there alone on the ocean. We also saw a lot of crab pots from local fishermen.

The boat was very clean and beautiful. It was called the "Kitty Kat" and was well maintained, powerful and fast. It is an eco-friendly catamaran and has a cabin that is enclosed and restrooms. It's a perfect ship for whalte watching San Francisco.

Two Frozen Girls Too Sick To Move!

My recommendation: if I took this whale watching San Francisco tour again I would go on a sunny, bright day. It was very cold on the way back. We had 6 foot swells when we were trying to find whales out by the Farllons and if I hadn't taken my Dramamine I would have been very sick. There were two girls who just kept getting doused with water at the back of the boat. I asked their friend why didn't they move and they said they were too sick too move. They looked like miserable, frozen, wet ice cubes! I had about 4 layers on but I was still cold.

The captain and naturalist were great and very nice to all the passengers. They were both very knowledeable and willing to answer whatever questions we had. I highly recommend San Francisco Whale Tours. I would take this trip again in a heartbeat! Whale watching San Francisco was really fun. If you want to spend some time with nature I would recommend going whale watching in San Francisco - it's a great way to spend the day!