Overview
New departure added on Friday, October 21 to meet demand and take advantage of incredible wildlife sightings. Sign up here!
Our Farallon Islands whale watching season is underway, and we're having some of the best whale sightings we've ever had. Click here to browse dates and book your trip.
The Farallon Islands, just 27 miles off San Francisco, lie amid the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a food-rich marine ecosystem that attracts whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and seabirds each summer and fall to feed and to breed. Researchers have catalogued hundreds of individual humpback and blue whales as seasonal feeding residents. 36 species of marine mammals, including 18 species of whales and dolphins, and more than 250,000 nesting seabirds can be found here.
The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is the largest seabird rookery in the contiguous United States with nesting Tufted Puffins, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres and other species. Migratory seabirds such as Shearwaters, Jaegers, and Phalaropes are also attracted by these nutrient-rich waters. Island beaches are covered with sea lions, including massive Steller's sea lions, now on the Endangered Species List.
Each trip is led by an expert naturalist who assists with locating whales, identifying seabirds and other marine life, and who provide informative presentations throughout the trip on the islands and marine ecology of the area.
Photos & Videos
Trip Details
Our full-day (8-hour) whale watching cruises depart from San Francisco at 8:00 AM, and from Sausalito at 6:45 AM aboard the 56-foot Salty Lady, a Coast Guard certified vessel, on Saturdays and Sundays, and select Fridays, from mid-May through November. The trip price is $128 per person.
TRIP COST & DATES:
• $128 / person
• Groups of 6-9: $115 / person
• Groups of 10+: $100 / person
For departure dates and current availability, please check our booking calendar.
DEPARTURES:
San Francisco: Marina Yacht Harbor (7:30 AM) located at 3950 Scott Street, San Francisco (map). Parking is free, but space is limited. Check-in time is at 7:30 AM, the boat leaves promptly at 8:00 AM. You will return to this dock at approximately 4:00 PM. Note: Select trips depart from Sausalito only, please check the information carefully when making your booking.
OR
Sausalito: Clipper Yacht Harbor (6:30 AM), on Harbor Drive (map). Check-in time is at 6:30 AM, and the boat leaves promptly at 6:45 AM. Parking is free. You will return to this dock at approximately 5:00 PM.
DURATION:
Approximately 8 hours. In order to visit the whale "hotspots," including the Continental Shelf, and to have enough time to observe the wildlife at the islands, an 8-hour trip is required.
ITINERARY:
Under the Golden Gate Bridge and west to the Farallon Islands (27 miles offshore), looking for whales and wildlife along the way. At the islands we take time to observe wildlife which may include seabirds, seals and sea lions, whales, and occasional great white sharks, sea turtles,
Mola molas, and more. Weather permitting, we may also visit the Continental Shelf to search for deep water whales.
VESSEL:
Our Coast Guard certified vessel, the 56-foot
Salty Lady, has an observation deck, limited indoor seating, and gender-specific bathrooms. Our captains are experienced in nature cruises and committed to marine conservation.
PASSENGER MAXIMUM:
48
CLOTHING:
Warm, layered clothing with a waterproof outer layer is strongly recommended. Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are also advised.
PARKING:
Parking is free in San Francisco and Sausalito
FOOD & REFRESHMENTS:
Bring your own food and beverages; there are no concessions on board. Alcohol is discouraged, but not prohibited. Backpacks are fine, but please, no coolers due to space limitations.
SMOKING POLICY:
No smoking is allowed on Oceanic Society cruises.
AGE RESTRICTIONS:
Age minimum 10; an adult must accompany children under 15. Children must wear a life jacket at all times while aboard the vessel.
WEATHER:
Trips go rain or shine, but may be cancelled due to high winds and/or high seas. All passengers must call our weather hotline on the morning of departure for trip status.
For cancellation policy, refund and reschedule policy, and other important terms, read our detailed Terms and Conditions.
What We See
Throughout the season we have the opportunity to see humpback and blue whales and, less frequently, other whale species including gray whales, fin whales, and Bryde's whales. We also see California sea lions, harbor seals, northern fur seals, Steller sea lions, and harbor porpoises regularly throughout the season. Less frequently we encounter Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, Dall's porpoises, northern elephant seals, and Mola molas (ocean sunfish), and occasionally we encounter great white sharks and thresher sharks. We also see orcas (killer whales) and leatherback sea turtles on rare occasions.
Many seabird species are seen throughout the season. Bird activity at the islands is highest from May through early July, which is the breeding season, and general bird diversity is best from early August to late October, when many migratory seabirds are also present. For recorded recent whale & marine life sightings, call (415) 258-8220, or read our sightings reports below.
SPRING-SUMMER (MAY-AUG) SEABIRD SPECIES:
Western Grebes; Black-footed Albatrosses; Northern Fulmars; Pink-footed, Buller's, Sooty Shearwaters; Ashy Storm-Petrels; Brown Pelicans; Double-crested, Brandt's, Pelagic Cormorants; Black Oystercatchers; Red-necked, Red Phalaropes; Pomarine, Parasitic Jaegers; South Polar Skuas; Heermann's, Herring, Western, Sabine's Gulls; Caspian, Elegant, Common, Arctic, Forster's Terns; Common Murres; Pigeon Guillemots; Xantus's, Craveri's, Marbled (rare) Murrelets; Cassin's, Rhinoceros Auklets; Tufted Puffins.
FALL (SEP-NOV) SEABIRD SPECIES:
Red-throated, Pacific, and Common Loons; Eared, Western, and Clark's Grebes; Black-footed Albatrosses; Northern Fulmars; Pink-footed, Buller's, Sooty, and Black-vented Shearwaters; Ashy, and Wilson's (rare) Storm-Petrels; Brown Pelicans; Double-crested, Brandt's, and Pelagic Cormorants; Black, Surf, and White-winged Scoters; Black Oystercatchers; Red-necked, and Red Phalaropes; Ruddy Turnstones; Pomarine, and Parasitic Jaegars; South Polar Skuas; Bonaparte's, Heermann's, Mew, Ring-billed, California, Herring, Western, Glaucous-winged, and Sabine's Gulls; Caspian, Elegant, Arctic, and Forster's Terns; Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets; Peregrine Falcon.
Reviews
Unforgettable Experience ... I can definitely recommend this trip ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member
Best bargain in S.F! Wow - what a wonderful experience!! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member
Lived in the Bay Area for 10 years, boy have I missed a great experience before. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member
For an up close experience with the islands, consider spending a full-day with the Oceanic Society ... You will get to spend eight hours with guides who know the best places to spot whales, especially humpback and blue whales that are common in the area.
SF Gate
The Farallon Islands are just 27 miles from San Francisco and the ticket to this classic adventure is aboard the nonprofit Oceanic Society's Salty Lady, a 56-foot-long whale-watching boat equipped with friendly staff and a naturalist who's a virtual water-borne Wikipedia.
Weekend Sherpa
The Oceanic Society runs top-notch, naturalist-led, ocean-going weekend boat trips – sometimes to the Farallon Islands – during both whale-migration seasons.
Lonely Planet