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[quote=Anonymous]I grew up in Mass and live near San Francisco now. As a kid, I went out of the Cape (I think out of Hyannis) and out of Boston. Because of where you go, I think the boat rides weren’t that different in length - a bit longer out of Boston. I remember liking them but don’t remember details well. I also think I got sea sick.

About 15 years ago we did a vacation to Nova Scotia. Out of pleasant cove we rode an inflatable / low motor boat out to the whales. It was a bumpy ride but such a cool experience. We were surrounded!

Five years ago my then 8 year old and I went out of Moss Landing - on the way toward Monterey - via kayak. (Mid October) We were far enough from the whales that we mostly felt safe. (The group kind of separated and I tried to keep up with one group and couldn’t and suddenly realized we were alone - which risks the whales not realizing you’re there when they surface.) It was exhausting but utterly magical to have no engine noises or smells and just sit quietly and hear them breathing as they surface. Bucket list experience! But…less chance of actually seeing whales because you can’t go that fast obviously.

Last year I took a boat out of Monterey. My younger DD (7 at the time) threw up the whole time until she finally dozed off on some benches. She then threw up a few times off and on for the day. She’s very prone to motion sickness though. I’ve since learned I should have given her half a dose of Dramamine the night before and then the other half in the morning before we left. My sister was with us and 2 of her 3 kids were sick the whole time too. My older DD (11 at the time) basically sat on the prow with binoculars naming birds, spotting whales and dolphins etc. She loved every minute. I felt bad for my younger daughter, but it was really cool!

This summer I’ve gotten into the hobby of driving to Pacifica (about 20 mins for me) and just watching the whales from the pier or the side of the road. There’s a Facebook group where people post whether they’re active or not. It’s humpbacks and they’re active some of June, most of July-mid Sept and a bit into October. You’re not quite as close typically, but it’s still pretty cool (they come a lot closer to shore than one might expect) and if you’re in the area it’s free.

One April I saw gray whales migrate (binocular distance) by the Point Reyes lighthouse but it was dumb luck that we were there at the right time. The ranger said it was the first he’d seen that day and that he’d seen one the day before.

A few weeks ago out of San Francisco my older DD and I did an all day (8 hr) trip to the Farallon Islands. That was also a bucket list experience BUT it was a calm and clear day going out (coming back we were in dense fog and couldn’t see anything for 2 hrs and the guides said the day before the waves had been really big). We saw a few humpbacks fairly close. We tried to find fin whales and blue whales but it was too foggy by the time we made it to the deeper waters. They said the gray whales migrate through there in the spring - I bet it’s cool, but the water is a lot rougher in the spring. The best humpback of the day was just outside the Golden Gate. They don’t bill themselves as whale watching - and it’s a lot more expensive than your typical whale watch - but it still typically includes finding / watching whales. We also saw dolphins, sea lions, seals, sailfish, and unusual birds including a puffin.[/quote]

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