Sanctuary Cruises

Our experience with Sanctuary Cruises was outstanding! We were in Santa Cruz for a family reunion and had a large group including a wheel chair, so we chartered the whole boat. This ended up being cheaper than buying tickets for all on a scheduled trip and gave us greater flexibility and allowed for us to have space for the wheel chair. Unfortunately we were in Santa Cruz during a stormy period and the whales decided to go farther out to sea to wait out the storms, so we only saw 1 solitary whale. Despite this, Chase was excellent to work with. He communicated consistently with me and rescheduled in order to try to get us out despite the storms. He was clear about there being rough seas and a scant possibility of seeing whales but was willing to give it a shot if we wanted. We had a super fun boat ride and really enjoyed our experience out on the water. We were very excited about the back of the 1 random whale we saw for 5 seconds and we slowed to try to follow it, but unfortunately the seas were too rough. Through it all, Chase communicated well, taught us a lot and did his best to make it a great experience. He offered us a chance to try another day, but unfortunately our schedule didn't allow for that. If I am ever in the area again I would definitely go out with Sanctuary Cruises again!

Absolutely incredible! Went out at 11:30am one day and decided to join the next day at 8am because it was such a great trip. The crew is fantastic and gets you the best experience possible. The first day we saw a baby breach right next to us and the second day we had a group of 9 whales feeding together including a few mom and calf pairs. I definitely recommend!

Whale watching with sanctuary has been the best summer experience ever! We’ve been there 3 times and each time we got to see very active humpbacks jumping, breaching, or lunge feeding! The crew is a dream local team. Chase is a marine biologist and wildlife photographer, and he knows the best angles to take photos or videos of these amazing mammals; Captain Joey is very experienced, and he knows whales so well that he can always get us to see the most cooperative and active ones! Unlike big tours that have many passengers and can be quite standardized, Sanctuary offers intimate and unique experiences. This has been an amazing summer and we will definitely come back whenever we can! For photographers, Sanctuary offers customized workshops in the fall with limited seating. Don’t miss it!

We went out with Sanctuary Cruises on a late morning whale watching tour in mid-July 2025, and it was absolutely unforgettable. The tour lasted almost four hours and was worth every minute. Our guide, Chase, was fantastic—super knowledgeable, passionate about marine life, and made the entire experience engaging from start to finish. We were lucky enough to see around 15 humpback whales, including a mother and her calf, which was such a special moment. We also saw about 10 Risso’s dolphins cruising through the water. The boat was comfortable and not overcrowded, which made it easy to move around and get great views from every angle. Snacks available for purchase on board plus a bathroom. This was hands-down one of the highlights of our trip to Monterey Bay. If you’re considering a whale watching tour, Sanctuary Cruises is the way to go. We’ll definitely be back!

I attended the cruise on July 4th (11:30 am). The conditions were a (little) rough but manageable. The crew was easy-going, entertaining and customer oriented. I learned a lot about whales. But most important they know the area and got us to pretty good spots. We spent 3h on the water and saw lots of whale activity. All in all it was a very nice experience.