Overview

Update: WE’RE BACK!!! Starting August 1^st Oceanic Society will resume our nearly 50-year tradition of running tours to the Farallon Islands!

Recent Sightings: Researchers observed approximately 50 blue whales (an all-time record) in a single session from the Farallones during the third week of June! Biologists are reporting a highly productive year for krill, bringing droves of humpback and blue whales to the Farallon feeding zone. These whales are expected to cycle in and out of this area from now through early November.

Whale Sighting Likelihood: August-October 98% | Based on Historical OS Data

COVID-19: Transmission reduction measures in place including county approved Site-Specific Protection Plan, limited capacity, employee trainings, face coverings, routine deep-cleanings and socially distant spacing at all times during the trip.

Departure Time: 10:30am-6:00pm | Every Saturday | August-October | Click Here to See Our Schedule & Book Now!

Trip Duration: 7.5 hours | (Looking for something shorter? | Check out our 2.5 hour Golden Gate Whale Cruise)

Trip Details: Cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge led by expert naturalists to the wild Farallon Islands.

Price: $600 per station pass (up to 2 whale watchers per station pass)

Stations: Our spacious 56-foot vessel has 16 two-person whale watching stations all spaced at least 6 feet apart. Each trip we will sell only 10 station passes, allowing you and a shelter-buddy to safely watch whales from your station and move to any vacant stations. Naturalists will help regulate movement. You must stay at the same station with your buddy at all times (bathroom exception).

Age Limit: 10 years or older

Departure Location: San Francisco Small Craft Harbor (3950 Scott Street | Near the Northwest corner of the Marina Green)

Parking: Free on site | For Parking Diagram & Additional Trip Details Click Here!

Any Questions?: Email chrisb@oceanicsociety.org and get a fast response!

The Whales Are Already Here!

Humpback whales arrive back in the Bay Area as early as March each year! Our 7.5-hour tours provide ample opportunity to circumnavigate the Farallon Islands with expert interpretation coming from our staff of top-notch naturalists. Oceanic Society is a conservation non-profit that pioneered whale watching in San Francisco in 1972. We measure our naturalists’ experience in decades, not years. They are simply the best available!

We Are COVID Prepared

This trip is designed with COVID safety in mind. We've taken measures that go above and beyond state and local regulations. Social distancing is present at every stage of the trip. All naturalists & boat crew have undergone COVID transmission reduction training and certification. Regular sanitization of common surfaces is ongoing during each trip and a full sanitization process occurs before every new batch of passengers.

Your Trip Supports Ocean Conservation

As we mentioned before, Oceanic Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. Your participation in our whale watch helps fund our global ocean conservation programs and local programs including whale entanglement response. Moreover, we use our whale watching cruises as an opportunity to collect photographic identification data on marine mammals, which we share with a network of researchers throughout the eastern Pacific. You can see our recently photographed whales on Happywhale. Learn more about Oceanic Society here.

Photos & Videos

VESSEL

Our Coast Guard certified vessel, the 56-foot Salty Lady, has an observation deck, limited indoor seating, and two bathrooms. Our captains are experienced in nature cruises and committed to marine conservation.

CLOTHING
Face covering is required. Warm, layered clothing with a waterproof outer layer is strongly recommended. Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are also advised.

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 16. 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 will be notified via email and text should we need to cancel.

For cancellation policy, refund and reschedule policy, and other important terms, read our detailed Terms and Conditions.

Reviews

A Life Experience, a must do for real nature lovers! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member

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

Recent Sightings

2019 Farallon Islands Whale Watching Season RecapIt started with a splash: May 5, 2019 On just the second trip of our 2019 Farallon Islands whale watching season, we had one of the best whale spectacles in recent memory. Oceanic Society naturalist Chris Pincetich recorded over a dozen humpbacks that day, but one whale stole the show, breaching repeatedly with a backdrop of Southeast Farallon Island. Fortunately for us,…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 26, 2017On this foggy August morning, our boat full of ocean enthusiasts headed out under the Golden Gate. The fog was so dense, there were times we couldn’t see the shoreline as we motored along. On the way out to the Farallon Islands, we spotted numerous ocean sunfish (Mola mola) of all sizes basking in what little sunlight there was this…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 13th, 2017 Our Farallon Islands whale watching trip on August 13 trip kicked off just around the corner from our Crissy field pickup with a unique view of some of San Francisco’s most beloved marine mammals, the Pier 39 California sea lions. Many locals and tourists alike have gotten the chance to see these…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: July 2017In July, our Farallon Islands whale watchers spotted 177 individual humpback whales, 14 blue whales and 8 gray whales over the course of 9 trips. This comes out to be around 20 humpback whales seen on average per trip! Other exciting sightings included Pacific white-sided dolphins, Mola mola (ocean sunfish), northern fur seals, Blue-footed Booby (very rare for our area), Northern…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: July 2, 2017We began our 8 a.m. trip by circumnavigating Alcatraz Island before passing under the Golden Gate Bridge. Shortly thereafter, we noticed blows off Point Bonita and continued toward this area. Passengers at the front of the boat were fortunate to see a humpback whale breach completely out of the water. It happened so quickly and unexpectedly that photographers missed the…Read More →

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Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: May 20, 2017Upon departure from the dock on our May 20th Farallon Islands whale watching trip, our captain spotted a lone humpback whale deep inside San Francisco Bay, near Sausalito, setting the stage for a great day! The morning fog restricted our visibility to just a few hundred yards, but we were still able to spot another humpback just west of the…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: November 11, 2016Warm sunshine surrounded us as we departed San Francisco Bay. Passengers enjoyed crisp views of the Golden Gate Bridge as we passed under the northern portion of the 1.7 mile span. However, as we cruised by Point Bonita, visibility began declining and within 20 minutes we were passing through dense fog on our way to the Farallon…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: October 1, 2016 Our Farallon Islands whale watching trip on Saturday, October 1 departed from Sausalito under calm conditions. Without the usual morning fog, visibility was excellent and we made our first sighting a few miles outside of San Francisco Bay. It was a single humpback whale that surfaced several times around the boat. The whale eventually moved on and spouted behind us,…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 10, 2016 Within an hour of leaving San Francisco Bay we had our first sighting on a trip that witnessed over 100 humpback whales. At 8:48am we came across a pair of humpbacks surfacing and feeding together. 15 minutes after we first spotted them, these whales began surfacing separately, close to each other but at different intervals. We were able to tell the two apart only…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 3, 2016As we boarded our whale watching vessel at San Francisco Harbor, Oceanic Society naturalist Chris Pincetich spotted a marine invertebrate called a sea hare clasped on a floating log just under the surface. After a brief description of this creature, our trip began in search of whales and the Farallon Islands. It soon became apparent that the weather conditions were below…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 13, 2016Our Farallon Islands whale watching trip on Saturday, August 13 departed from San Francisco under medium fog with light winds and calm seas. These conditions allowed us to make good time to the Farallon Islands and on the way we spotted a humpback whale traveling alone. After observing this individual surfacing and spouting for around 15 minutes, it arched its broad back and dove…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 6, 2016On our Farallon Islands whale watching trip on August 6, 2016, as we headed toward the islands we saw a number of splashes off the left front of the boat on the horizon. Upon closer examination we discovered it was a lone humpback slapping its pectoral fin on the water. This particularly gregarious humpback was only the beginning of what would turn into…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: July 29, 2016We didn’t wait long for our first whale sighting on our July 29 Farallon Islands whale watching trip. About 5 minutes in, we spotted a lone humpback whale near Alcatraz Island. It was a brief encounter and this individual appeared to move out of the area on a deep dive. However, as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge, we spotted…Read More →Gulf of the Farallones Whale Watch Sightings: July 8, 2016On Friday, July 8, we embarked on a shorter, 4-hour adventure into the Gulf of the Farallones to take advantage of the unusually high number of whales currently in the area. We’re happy to report that the whales are still there. Lunge feeding was on display early, and often, as we saw 8 humpbacks feeding in the first 60 minutes of…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: July 3, 2016On the weekend of the 4th of July, the humpback whales in the SF Bay Area were in celebration mode, as Oceanic Society whale watches saw more than 135 humpbacks in two days! Sunday, July 3rd’s trip got off to an excellent start as we encountered a lunge-feeding humpback about 30 minutes in. This individual continued to feed for over 15…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: June 25, 2016Our June 25 Farallon Islands whale watching expedition got off to a promising start when we encountered a group of bottlenose dolphins just outside of San Francisco Bay. During this sighting, we witnessed 12-15 dolphins traveling northwest toward Pt. Reyes. They periodically leapt up and out of the water and splashed through the sea at remarkable speeds. >> Click here to see all the photos…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: June 5, 2016 Sunday’s cruise left San Francisco Yacht Harbor through a low mist in very calm conditions. After a quick pass near Alcatraz, we made our way out of the bay toward the Farallon Islands. About 20 minutes in, we saw a blow and there was a humpback whale moving south between us and the Golden Gate bridge. >> Click here to see…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: May 28, 2016 Saturday, May 28th, kicked off our 2016 Farallon Islands whale watching season—and we didn’t have to wait long to see our first whale. Within 5 minutes of leaving port, we came across two adult humpback whales feeding on anchovies near the Golden Gate Bridge. After a deep dive, they surfaced about 300 feet from the boat with one surfacing in…Read More →Rare all-white dolphin seen on October 25, 2015 A rare, nearly all-white common dolphin was seen during Oceanic Society's Farallon Islands whale watching trip on Sunday, October 25, 2015. We were fortunate to have photojournalist and long-time Oceanic Society friend Jaymi Heimbuch (who will be leading our Southeast Alaska Cruise next July) on board to capture the image below. Salty Lady deckhand EJ Carlson also captured the following video…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: October 16 & 17, 2015The weather Saturday was calm, with only one section of fog that cleared later; our Farallon Islands whale watching trip headed straight to the Farallon Islands and found a total of 5 humpback whales, all traveling south. The group first saw 2 humpbacks with a third in the distance. The boat followed the humpbacks to the islands, seeing blows and…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: October 11, 2015Although it was a beautiful day at the dock with mixed fog and sunshine on Sunday, October 11, 2015, the marine forecast was uncertain with local winds of 15+ knots and a reported 25 knot winds at South East Farallon Islands (SEFI) and swell of 8-10 ft. The boat departed, circled Alcatraz and saw sea lions lounging at Pier 39.…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: October 3 & 4, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip originally encountered seas with NW winds of less than 5 knots and swells of 2-4 feet. The boat headed 15 miles NW of Point Bonita and zig zagged around, finding a total of 6 humpback whales during two encounters. 5 whales were located 10 miles NNW of Point Bonita and the sightings were a…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 26 & 27, 2015 Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip started out with a short tour past Pier 39 and around Alcatraz, then out the Golden Gate heading north. The skipper turned north before Pt. Bonita and found humpback whales feeding on the other side of the entrance, near the light. The whales were feeding, rolling and breaching, and the boat stayed for an…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 19 & 20, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip headed out with calm seas and a 2-3 foot swell. Passengers immediately saw 5 bottlenose dolphins outside the St. Francisco Yacht Club moving toward Alcatraz. There were 15 humpback whales along with harbor porpoises feeding just 6 miles west of Point Bonita. At the islands, they saw fur seals, California and Steller sea lions,…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 12 & 13, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip started with a short trip around Alcatraz before heading straight out to Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI). The wind was 15-20 knots with swells of 5-7 feet. The captain turned off the engine just 6 miles outside the Golden Gate, when 6 humpback whales came within 50 feet of the boat and stayed for about…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 5 & 6, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip had good encountered seas with 2 foot swells all morning until 8 miles from the Farallon Islands when it turned into 7 foot swells with wind sending spray onto the boat! In spite of the weather, it was a good trip. California sea lions were porpoising all the way out to the islands. Passengers…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 29 & 30, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip had good whale and dolphin sightings. The group headed out in very calm weather that started out partially overcast but cleared later. Winds were 0-6 knots, with seas of 2-4 feet. The group encountered 12-14 humpback whales only 5-6 miles off Muir Beach. Passengers had excellent views of the whales. Because the water was…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: July 17, 2015The following sightings report is from Oceanic Society naturalist Alicia Retes.Friday's Farallon Islands whale watching trip began with a smooth cruise out to the Golden Gate under an overcast morning sky. We immediately sighted a couple of harbor porpoises quickly "puffing" at the surface of the water on both sides of the Golden Gate. Captain Jared eased into Devil's Cove…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: June 20 & 21, 2015Saturday's Farallon Islands Nature Cruise headed out in choppy seas with a 5 foot NW swell and 15 knot winds, but conditions improved during the day. The whales were abundant. Passengers saw 15–20 blue whales at the continental shelf! The captain shut off the engine and the group watched for about 85 minutes as the whales fed on a krill…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: June 6 & 7, 2015What a weekend for seeing marine life! Saturday's boat headed straight out to Southeast Farallon Islands (SEFI), with NW winds but south swell. Getting out of San Francisco Bay was choppy, but there was very little wind outside the bay and conditions improved greatly with some passengers describing the ocean conditions near the islands as glassy. High fog kept the…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: May 30 and 31, 2015 Saturday's Farallon Islands Whale Watching Trip headed out on calm seas to the Southeast Farallon Islands (SEFI), then moved to the continental shelf drop off, then 8 miles south. Passengers observed: Two very large Stellar sea lions chasing each other near Sugarloaf at Southeast Farallon Island. Several very large (1,000 lb) Mola mola, or ocean sunfish (the heaviest known bony fish in…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: November 2014Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Farallon Islands whale watching programs during November 2014.Date: November 8 & 9, 2014Naturalist: Gale Broesder and Susan ShermanHighlights: Sightings of one humpback whale, 20+ harbor porpoises, a brown booby, and two peregrine falconsParticipants on Saturday and Sunday's Farallon Islands Nature Cruise headed out in dense fog that cleared later in the day.…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: October 2014Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Farallon Islands whale watching programs during October 2014. Date: Sunday, October 19, 2014 Naturalist: Izzy Szczepaniak Highlights: Sightings of more than 14 humpback whales, 25 harbor porpoises, and a rare green sea turtle Participants on Sunday's Farallon Islands Nature Cruise started the day in heavy fog which gave way to perfect sunny skies for the…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: September 2014September 2014 was an exciting month for wildlife sightings on our Farallon Islands whale watching programs. Following is a trip by trip summary of wildlife sightings reports from our naturalists. Date: Saturday, September 28, 2014 Naturalist: Pete Winch Highlights: Sightings of humpback whales, 30 Mola mola, and a pod of Risso's dolphins Participants on Saturday's Farallon Islands Nature Cruise had a pleasant day on…Read More →Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: August 2014 Date: Saturday, August 30, 2014 Naturalist: Susan Sherman Highlights: Sightings of three humpback whales and tufted puffins around the islands Participants on Saturday's Farallon Islands Nature Cruise left the dock under sunny skies and saw three humpback whales at the entrance to the Golden Gate. Passengers got good looks at their blows and flukes. One of the whales was also seen breaching. Other marine…Read More →