Avila Beach Whale Watching — Local services in Grover Beach

My wife and I took the 11:30 am tour on 9/11/25. The winds had come up by that time and Capt. Mark warned everyone who was ready to board that the seas were getting rough, we would likely get wet, we may have to end the tour early, but we WOULD see whales. He offered full refund to anyone that walked away. All six of us said "no" to the refund and boarded. He immediately requested everyone put on life jackets, insisted that no one sit on the bow while going out, handed out waterproof blankets, and informed us where the spray would come from on the way out.

Just for context, we have been on a few dozen whale watching tours, mostly in Maui. And ALL on much larger boats (holding 50-150 people). So, this was our first time on a much smaller boat.

The sea was rough...it felt like an eternity going out; however, after 20-30 minutes of plowing through the waves, he slowed the boat down, we saw 'blows', and Capt. Mark pointed out rafts of sea lions (a group of sea lions on the water is called a raft...who knew...not me) and circling birds; I'm guessing we were 3-5 miles offshore. Sure enough, within minutes, we saw the whales. And continued to see whales wherever the sea lions (and birds) were gathered. The whales would dive, with great fluke shows, and then come back up again minutes later in the sea lion rafts. That went on for more than two hours...whale after whale; we got 'mugged' a couple of times. Great show...up close and personal with the whales and sea lions. And all the while, Capt. Mark continually spoke, narrating about the humpbacks we were seeing, identifying some by name. Very informative. We had one whale breach close by, but BEHIND the boat, and none of us saw it...just heard it and saw the splash.

I highly recommend the tour. Watch the daily reports that are posted on the website, and if they report seeing them, you will probably also. If there are winds or rough seas in the forecast, I'd recommend the earlier tour. Nevertheless, Capt. Mark was great; I've already recommended the tour to out of town friends and, me, I can't wait to go out again...perhaps next time on calmer seas. Thanks, Capt. Mark, for a memorable tour. Enjoy the photos.

PS - I am an amateur photography 'nut'. Although I had a 150-600mm lens on my Nikon D7500 DSLR, most of these shots were taken at 150-250mm...in other words, these whales were close. On a couple of the photos, one can see part of the boat (or person on the boat), out of focus in...

BOOK THE TRIP!!!! This was, hands down, one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Spend the money. Book with Captain Frank or Captain Mark. You won't be disappointed!!! We saw sea lions galore and approximately 20 whales... YES, 20 WHALES! They were everywhere! Dress warm and wear a raincoat because they weren't kidding about the cold temps and chances of getting wet! IT IS SO WORTH IT! We had never been on a whale watching tour. We had never even seen the west coast until this past weekend, but my decision to book with your company far surpassed any type of expectation we had for anything on the coast. This past Sunday, we boarded the 11:30 trip with Captain Frank. I cannot begin to describe the immediate professional, calm, and welcoming vibe we got as we stepped onto the boat. He was friendly, accommodating, and incredibly knowledgeable. This trip was an early birthday gift to my daughter and a bucket list/ wish list event for us both. My boyfriend has been diving and boating, but nothing like this! This trip truly brought me to tears. I still can't watch the videos without tearing up. My daughter said it was the best birthday present she has ever gotten and I got to witness something I have wanted to see SINCE 4TH GRADE. Happy daughter and a bucket list item achieved? You betcha!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our trip was .... miraculous. God has created some amazing creatures on earth and Frank showed us these animals up close and personal. We did not feel like just another number. We were only 3 along with another fantastic couple from central California. We had an amazing time. Book the trip. Trust me. It was worth every single penny... and...

A great trip. Probably about as good as the trips get! We headed out into what Captain Mark said may be a bit rougher seas than the morning trip, as the wind was rising. He piloted us to where he had found whales at the 0830 trip. They weren't right there but after about fifteen minutes watching where the birds were most actively feeding we found the whales. Two mommas with their calves. We had a very active next hour being with them. They would surface and spout over and over. A very interesting thing is the fluke prints the whales would leave even in the rougher water, staying visible for maybe twenty seconds or so. It was all great whale watching, with the highlight of the older calf of the two launching out for a full breach about twenty five yards off our bow! Breathtaking! Captain Mark is a skilled sailor with a wealth of knowledge about the marine life and the rich history of life and people along the coast. We were also blessed seeing many otters, tons of sea lions with one ginormous beachmaster. He was probably over six hundred pounds and it looked like it would take six or seven of the others to match his weight and size. We also found a juvenile great white shark, spotted by my wife first, and it swam alongside and around our boat for good views of him from all angles. Go...