Wildlife Encounters on Monterey Bay private and semi-private tour

My son had an amazing time. I can’t wait to come back and take this tour myself! Lots to see and amazing photos and videos.

I absolutely loved the trip. James worked with me extensively to make sure I was able to go out and see the wildlife. I came to the area for work, and my timeframe was hard to work with. James still made sure to text me with any updates and worked with my schedule completely. I showed up to what was supposed to be a full boat, but ended up being the only person that day. He still took me out and I had an amazing time learning about his life and the ocean. I saw tons of whales, sea lions, dolphins, and he even took me to try to catch a peak at the sharks at the end of the trip. James was an amazing guide, and I saw over a dozen different whales just in an hour timeframe. He even gave my ideas for future trips that would be of interest to me that I did not even know about. Add on his funny stories and educational anecdotes, and you’ll have an amazing time no matter what the weather. Rest assured, I’ll be coming back and booking with him again.

I had the incredible experience of joining a tour with Wildlife Encounters, and I must say, I absolutely loved it! The feeling of being on a small boat, so close to the whales, was truly breathtaking. The agility of the smaller boat allowed us to swiftly approach whenever whales were spotted. Our tour guide, James, was exceptional. Right from the moment we stepped onto the boat, he ensured our safety. He shared fascinating details about each whale we encountered – their approximate age, length, and other intriguing facts. James' dedication and passion for his clients' experience were unparalleled. Having been on numerous whale watching tours before, I can confidently say that this one was genuinely one-of-a-kind.

This wildlife tour was a fantastic adventure for our family of 3. James is a very knowledgeable and experienced captain, who treated us like family. He was very flexible with our trip, contacting us the morning of our scheduled tour, and postponing so he could take us out on the best weather day. We found Risso and white-sided dolphins, and a number of humpback whales, as well as sealions and various birds. Everything about this trip was top-notch, and highly recommended! We will be taking this tour again when we are out in California.

James was so accommodating when my wife and I booked a private wildlife encounter. He worked with us every step of the way to make sure we had the experience we hoped for. Once we located some humpback whales, we were the only boat as far as you could see. He's very entertaining to talk with, extremely knowledgeable about wildlife, and makes it a very memorable experience.

This was absolutely amazing, a bucket list item for our whole family, and it did not disappoint. We got lucky and followed a mom and her very active toddler around the bay, while the “little one” jumped out of the water over and over! We probably saw 5-6 other whales and various birds, otters and sea lions. The small size of the boat allowed us to change direction and move faster than the big boats and definitely allowed us to see way more than we would on one of the larger tours. Thank you James!