Overview

UPDATE (3/23/20): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are cancelling the remainder of our Half Moon Bay whale watching season. Should we need to make further changes to our schedule, all bookings for cancelled trips will be either fully refunded or given the option to reschedule at no cost. Thank you for your patience and support during this time.

Our highly-rated gray whale watching trips depart from Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. We are a non-profit organization and have been leading whale watching trips in the Bay Area since 1972!

On each trip you may have the chance to see whales, seals and sea lions, dolphins and porpoises, and seabirds. Our top-notch naturalists will help locate and identify wildlife and provide educational information throughout your trip. Join us to experience the gray whale migration!

The annual gray whale migration is one of the world's most magnificent and accessible wildlife spectacles. Each fall, thousands of gray whales migrate from their summer feeding grounds around Alaska down to the waters of Baja California, Mexico where they breed and calf. In the spring, the whales and their calves migrate back up north for the summer.

Their migration pathway follows closely along the California coast, providing us with outstanding opportunities for coastal whale watching.

Your trip supports ocean conservation

Oceanic Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. Your participation in our whale watching trips 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 whales, 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

Trip Details

As we look for gray whales and other wildlife, one of our expert naturalists will talk about gray whale biology and the conservation efforts that brought them back from near extinction, and will provide natural history information on other seabird and marine mammal species that we encounter. The trip price is $70 per person (ages 10+).

TRIP COST & DATES:

• $70 / person (must be 10 years or older to join trip)
• Groups of 6-9: $65 / person
• Groups of 10+: $60 / person

For departure dates and current availability, please check our booking calendar.

DEPARTURES:
Trips depart from Pillar Point Yacht Harbor in Half Moon Bay, approximately 1 hour south of San Francisco. Currently scheduled departures leave at 9:00 AM and return at approximately 12:00 PM.

(Select dates may also have afternoon departures leaving at 1:00PM returning by 4:00PM.)

DURATION:
Approximately 3 hours.

ITINERARY:
Our itinerary will be flexible, and we generally travel 1-12 miles offshore depending upon the location of the gray whale migration pathway.

VESSEL:
Our Coast Guard certified vessel has an observation deck and indoor cabin with bathroom. Our captains are experienced in nature cruises and committed to marine conservation.

PASSENGER MAXIMUM:
38

CLOTHING:
Warm, layered clothing with a waterproof outer layer is strongly recommended.

PARKING:
Free parking is available at the harbor.

FOOD & REFRESHMENTS:
Bring snacks and beverages.

SMOKING POLICY:
No smoking is allowed on Oceanic Society cruises.

AGE RESTRICTIONS:
Age minimum 10; an adult must accompany children under 18.

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

What We See

MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES:

The focus of our trip is to observe gray whales as they migrate from feeding grounds in Alaska to breeding areas in Mexico, then return back north again to Alaska. We often see gray whale mother and calf pairs (the calves having just been born in Mexico), as well as whales traveling individually or in small pods. We also regularly encounter California sea lions, harbor seals, and harbor porpoises, and occasionally see humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, elephant seals, Steller sea lions, and other species.

SEABIRD SPECIES:

We see a wide range of seabirds on every trip. Some of the species we encounter are: Common Loons; Eared Grebes; Western Grebes; Brown Pelicans; Double-crested Cormorants; Brandt's Cormorants; Pelagic Cormorants; Black Scoters; Surf Scoters; White Winged Scoters; Black Oystercatchers; California Gulls; Herring Gulls; Western Gulls; Heerman's Gulls; Common Murres; Pigeon Guillemots; Buller's Shearwaters; Sooty Shearwaters; Red-necked Phalaropes; Cassin's Auklets; Rhinoceros Auklets; Northern Fulmars

Reviews

Easy whale watching for the whole family. Great experience on this whale watching excursion! Easy for all ages and just enough--not too little or too much. Great staff that knows all about the sea life you will encounter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member

The staff was very friendly and informative and the crew of the ship was outstanding. I would highly recommend this experience if you can fit it into your schedule. You won't regret it! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member

Lived in the Bay Area for 10 years, boy have I missed a great experience before. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TripAdvisor Member

For those who don't want to wait patiently for the action to come to them, catch a ride aboard a whale watching expedition out of Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay [...] Sightings are not guarantees ... but if it's rush hour, the payoff is great.
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

On trips out of Pillar Point Harbor, I've seen whales parallel the boat's course for an hour. They can give a tail salute, spy-hop, even breach, with lots of "puff-of-smoke" spouts, as in, "There she blows."
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle

Recent Sightings

The Gray Whale Migration in California and BeyondThe California coast is an outstanding place to see gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, during their annual migration between feeding and breeding areas. Thanks to a moratorium on whaling and other multinational protections, the Eastern Pacific population of the gray whale is thriving with around 26,000 individuals, and a Red List status of Least Concern. These charismatic marine mammals can reach…Read More →​Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watching Update: March 2018In the course of the gray whale migration off the coast of California, there are 2 distinct legs of the journey. Whales begin by heading south, typically from Alaska down to Baja California, and then they make the reverse trip back north. Usually there is some overlap with the earliest gray whales heading north while the late comers have just…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: January 7th, 2018As we boarded the Salty Lady on Sunday afternoon, Captain Jared Davis informed us there had been 3 gray whales and a feeding humpback about 9 miles offshore that morning so we set off for that area in hopes that more whales would come through. This decision paid off as we approached the area and small blows were visible on…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: April 22, 2017Over the past few weeks there have been large groups of humpback whales feeding in Half Moon Bay. It now appears that other whales are being drawn to the area as we witnessed 4 species of whale on Saturday, April 22. Our morning expedition saw a wide range of marine mammals. In addition to 10 foraging humpback…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: March 11, 2017Traveling south out of Pillar Point Harbor, our March 11th whale watch trip began under blue skies. We spent the first 45 minutes trying to locate gray whales on their northern migration, but were not successful. No one knew the spectacular day of whale watching we had ahead of us. At 9:50 am we spotted our first…Read More →

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Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: March 4, 2017Saturday, March 4th’s gray whale watching trip departed under scattered clouds and light rain. Fortunately, the rain only lasted five minutes. As we continued on, the skies cleared and conditions became very good for whale watching. About 40 minutes into our trip we explored an area reported to have gray whales earlier in the morning and spotted a lone whale about…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: January 14, 2017On Saturday, January 14, 2017, Oceanic Society welcomed fellow ocean conservationists from the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Greater Farallones Association on our gray whale watching tour from Half Moon Bay. The gray whales’ migration (one of the longest migrations of any mammal) off the coast of California is a great reminder of the positive impacts of conservation efforts…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: May 15, 2016 Weather conditions in Half Moon Bay on Sunday, May 15 included light cloud cover and moderate swells. Exiting the harbor, there was a large flock of Double-crested Cormorants flying close to shore with a few Brown Pelicans mixed in. About 30 minutes into our excursion, we observed a gray whale surface and blow in the distance. Shortly after, two whale watchers…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: May 7, 2016Even before Saturday’s whale watching trip left the harbor in Half Moon Bay, two California sea lions were happily splashing around near the boat and one raised a big flipper out of the water, waving as our trip began. We would experience another marine mammal ‘wave’ at the end of our excursion. Heading south from the harbor, we quickly spotted a…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: April 30 & May 1, 2016Saturday’s cruise (April 30, 2016) had predictions of high winds but the intrepid crew of whale watchers embarked nonetheless, and were rewarded with a choppy, yet invigorating expedition. Double-crested Cormorants and other coastal birds were hunkered down in the sheltered safety of port, ruffled feathers fluttering in the wind. Upon reaching the open ocean, we visited a group of California sea…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: April 2015Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Half Moon Bay gray whale watching programs during April 2015.Date: April 25 & 26, 2015Saturday's gray whale watching trip headed south from Pillar Point Harbor, and encountered a migrating gray whale cow with her calf. The boat followed the pair at a safe distance for 45 minutes from the Ritz Carlton back…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: March 2015Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Half Moon Bay gray whale watching programs during March 2015. Date: March 28 & 29, 2015Saturday’s Half Moon Bay gray whale watching tour headed slowly south about 15 miles, then north again to the harbor. The morning was nice with a few whitecaps and swell, but the trip got rougher heading north again,…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: February 2015Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Half Moon Bay gray whale watching programs during February 2015. Date: Feb 28 & March 1, 2015 Saturday’s Half Moon Bay gray whale watching tour headed northwest on a day with early showers that cleared and produced lots of rainbows. One gray whale was spotted, probably heading north, but we lost it after a…Read More →Half Moon Bay Gray Whale Watch Sightings: December 2014 - January 2015Following are the naturalists' sightings reports from our Half Moon Bay gray whale watching programs during December 2014 & January 2015.Date: January 31 & Feb 1, 2015Participants on Saturday’s Half Moon Bay gray whale watching tour headed west on a sunny, calm day. The exhalation of one whale was seen three times, but no other whales were spotted. Passengers did…Read More →