Avila Beach Whale Watching
(805) 540-4667 Book
A humpback whale breaching clear of the water off Avila Beach

San Luis Bay · Avila Beach, California

You will see whales.

95% of trips from July through October return with whale sightings. Not a promise — a fourteen-year average, logged trip by trip.

95% of peak-season trips see whales. Logged trip by trip.

Sep 5
7:30 am
2 adults

$129 per person · no booking fees

Last trip · August 3, 2026 · Humpback, Common Dolphin, Sea Lion Scroll

  • 95%

    of July–October trips see whales

    Their own reported rate, peak season

  • 24000+

    guests carried without a single incident

    San Luis Bay, since 2012

  • 1000+

    five-star reviews

    Google, TripAdvisor and Yelp combined

  • 6

    guests maximum per boat

    28ft power catamaran

Three ways out

Pick your boat

Two scheduled trips and a private option. Everything runs off the same 28ft power catamarans out of Avila.

Two humpback whales lunge feeding at the surface

Fifteen to twenty humpbacks on each trip.

Captain's log · August 3, 2026

Trip by trip

The log

Every trip gets written up. Nothing is edited out — the slow days are in here too.

  1. 7:30 am & 10:15 am Calm, light morning fog burning off

    15 to 20 Humpback Whales on each trip. Hundreds of Dolphins and hundreds of Sea Lions also.

    • Humpback
    • Common Dolphin
    • Sea Lion
  2. 10:15 am Two-foot swell, clear

    Steady humpback activity through the whole trip. A pod of common dolphin rode the bow on the way back in.

    • Humpback
    • Common Dolphin
  3. 7:30 am Flat water

    Three Orca sighted — rare for this bay, and the whole boat knew it.

    • Orca
  4. Northbound migration Peak grey whale passage

    Over 30 California Grey whales counted during the northbound migration.

    • California Grey

Live on the real site this pulls from the captain's log. Entries below are the most recent published.

Plan your trip

What you'll see, and when

Sighting rates are their own published figures. December and January are the only two months they call low.

  1. 35%
    Jan
  2. 60%
    Feb
  3. 80%
    Mar
  4. 80%
    Apr
  5. 80%
    May
  6. 80%
    Jun
  7. 95%
    Jul
  8. 95%
    Aug
  9. 95%
    Sep
  10. 95%
    Oct
  11. 60%
    Nov
  12. 35%
    Dec
  • Peak · Jul–Oct
  • Good · Mar–Jun
  • Fair
  • Low · Dec–Jan

March–June: sightings on about 80% of trips. July–October: 95%. December and January are typically the only two low months.

On the water

Who's out there

Eight species turn up in San Luis Bay with some regularity. Two of them are the reason most people book.

  • Humpback Whale

    April – November

    The summer regular. Lunge feeding, breaching, tail throws.

  • California Grey Whale

    December – April

    Migrating past the bay, north and south.

  • Common Dolphin

    Year round

    Often in the hundreds. They ride the bow.

  • Sea Lion

    Year round

    Rafting off the pier, and out on the feed with the whales.

  • Minke Whale

    Occasional

    Fast, shy, and a good day when one turns up.

  • Orca

    Rare

    Three sighted in July 2025. Not something you plan a trip around.

  • Sea Otter

    Year round

    In the kelp on the way out of the harbour.

  • Harbor Porpoise

    Year round

    Small, quick, easy to miss.

A guest photographing whales from the deck of the catamaran

Who's driving

Two captains, forty years of licence between them

Small operation. You will meet the person running the boat, and they will be the one telling you what you're looking at.

  • Capt. Mark Kocina

    Owner & founder

    USCG licensed master of ships, both sail and steam, to 100 gross tons. Twenty years guiding whitewater and kayak trips on remote rivers across North America, Africa and South America, then three years running the Science Under Sail program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He sailed into Avila in 2007 after seven months out from the US Virgin Islands, via the Panama Canal and down the coast of Central America. He started taking guests out in 2012.

    40,000+ guests over his career

  • Capt. Frank Orazio

    Captain

    Grew up sailing and fishing in Southern California, moved to San Luis Obispo in 2002, and has spent twenty-one years on Central Coast water since. USCG licensed, trained at Cal Maritime Academy, and formerly a deckhand for Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching.

    21 years on this coast

The 28ft power catamaran moored at the Avila Beach pier

Straight answers

Before you book

Their site is unusually straight with people about this. We kept the tone and gave it a better home.

Do you guarantee whales?

The short answer is no. These are wild animals in open water. What we can tell you is the rate — 95% of trips in peak season, about 80% from March to June — and we log every trip so you can see for yourself.

What if the weather turns?

We cancel rather than run a bad trip. You'll hear from us directly, and you won't be out the money.

Can I get aboard?

Boarding takes a step down onto a moving boat and there's no dock ramp. If that's a problem, book a private charter and we'll make it work.

What should I bring?

Layers you don't mind getting salt on, closed shoes, sunglasses, and something for motion sickness if you're prone to it. Take it an hour before, not at the dock.

How late can I book?

Up to nine months ahead, or as little as thirty minutes before departure if there's a seat. Fully booked trips have a waitlist and cancellations go out first come, first served.

A humpback whale breaching off the Central Coast

Seats left this week

Two and a quarter hours.
Then you'll know.

7:30 am $129 · 2h 15m 10:15 am $129 · 2h 15m Private charter Call (805) 540-4667

Unlike many tour operators these days we do not add any booking fees at checkout. Book up to 9 months out, or 30 minutes before departure if there's a seat.

$129 per person · no booking fees

Today · 7:30 am & 10:15 am

(805) 540-4667 Check availability Book