The Best San Diego Whale Watching On The Famous ‘America’
Yacht America commences the San Diego Whale Watching season which sails on December 19, 2009.
In the 2008/2009 season the beautiful ‘America’ carried over 4,300 guests to the whale grounds in her 110 sailings. This was amazing support from the public in what is the worst economy in decades. This wonderful support is testament to the ‘value’ included in every trip. Here are the main ingredients with every ticket purchased:
- A lifetime opportunity to sail on the most famous racing sailing vessel in the world.
- Free entry to the wonderful "Maritime Museum of San Diego"
- A "NO Seasickness" Guarantee
- A "Whale Sighting" Guarantee
- BYO lunch & alcohol for a "Picnic On The Ocean" with the whales and dolphins
- The 'Green' way to get up close with 'Mother Nature'
Most charter vessels close whale watching by April 7th, however scientific evidence and long term data show positive proof that these Baja Gray Whales are still migrating in quite large numbers past San Diego through until the end of April. The "American Cetacean Society Los Angeles Chapter" have been monitoring and recording whale migration passing Los Angeles for 30 years. These volunteers watch the migration from the cliffs of Palos Verdes and in their own words... "we see only a small proportion of the total gray whale population".
Hence the yacht 'America' will commence our season on December 19 and sail through to April 15 or longer if sightings and public support prevail. In 2009/10 we will continue to provide a 'whale sighting guarantee', a 'No seasickness guarantee', entry to the 'Maritime Museum of San Diego' and the BYO 'picnic lunch' option as has been very popular in past seasons.
Join us and see what makes the whale watching tours on America experience so popular.
From December 19 through to April 15th experience a rare opportunity to whale watch on AMERICA, the famous San Diego racing yacht. Experience San Diego sailing as never before on our luxury and historic yacht America as we go whale watching. This is the peak season for whale watching, when some 28,000 Gray Whales migrate over 10,000 miles to Baja California where they birth their young.
Your AMERICA whale watching ticket also includes the $14 admission ticket to the San Diego Maritime Museum. Here you can pursue all of the amazing history, boats and ships that the Maritime Museum has to offer. Explore the magnificent "Star of India", prowl an ancient Russian Submarine and navigate your way through "Surprise," the beautiful ship from the movie "Master & Commander."
AMERICA is the ONLY sailing yacht that opens its decks to the public each day as we head out to watch the grace and beauty of California Gray Whales. Unlike other San Diego whale watching tours that use diesel engines (which can cause some ocean-goers to become seasick), our AMERICA yacht is a sailing yacht, allowing us to offer a "no seasickness" guarantee.
When you sail with us to the ocean, should sea sickness spoil your experience we will invite you back to sail with us free of charge on another day, OR we will issue you a $40 Gift Certificate for lunch at the famous San Diego “Fish Market” restaurant. That is how confident we are that you will not get seasick!
Make no mistake about it, this is not your ordinary whale watching trip -- this is a "once in a lifetime" thrill. The famous "America", the whales, dolphins and nautical history....this is by far the "Premium" whale watching experience in Southern California.
The Dates We Sail: Daily from December 19 to April 15
The Time We Sail: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Whale Watching Departure Location: The Maritime Museum of San Diego, located at 1492 North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101.
Convenient Parking: There are several parking lots near the departure location that are pay to park. These include lots located at Broadway and Harbor Drive, Kettner and Beech, Kettner and Cedar and a parking structure at Columbia and "C" and directly opposite the museum at N. Harbor Dr. and Ash St. on weekends only (on Sundays, the meters are free).
Whale Watching Boarding Time: 10:30 AM
The Cost For Our Whale Watching Tours: From Monday to Friday, the cost for adults is $65. Children 12 and under are $34. On the weekends, adults are $85 and children 12 and under are $44. Price includes entry to the Maritime Museum of san Diego before or after the sail. (Day of sailing only) These prices also include soft beverages & snacks, a detailed history of AMERICA and the modern America's Cup and whale watching tour narration. Our guests are encouraged to bring any additional beverages or food they would like. Don’t forget the 6 Value, Value, Value items that make sailing on ‘America’ the best whale watching experience.
What To Wear & Bring: Dress warmly as conditions can change hour to hour - you can always shed layers as necessary. We do provide blankets for guests that may become cold. Remember to bring your binoculars to better see the whales and dolphins. Click for other tips on San Diego whale watching.
From December through April, some 28,000 California Gray Whales undergo their annual migration from Alaska through San Diego and onto Baja California. As the gray whales migrate south, they travel in large pods that are relatively close to shore. This is fantastic for whale watching and allows for whale sightings almost everyday that we sail.
The Gray Whales & A Whale Watching Tour Overview
The gray whales travel roughly 8 knots an hour so when we do come to the surface, we are able to see them and get close enough to watch them as they travel south. The whales will pause and play occasionally, breaching and sending huge sprays of water. The majority of sightings occur within five miles of the beach during the early part of the season.
In the latter part of the season, the whales are migrating north from Baja on their way back to the Bering Sea. During this time, they often travel further out to sea and in less concentrated pods. In order to maximize our view of the whales, we will sail as far out as 8 or 9 miles from the coast.
The gray whales are always the focus of our daily tours - however, we are often joined by large numbers of dolphins who swim with us beside our sailing yacht. There can be hundreds of dolphins in a school or herd and we often see 3 or 4 different dolphin species. On one memorable trip our guests saw what one little girl described as a "stampede of dolphins." In addition to dolphins, we often see seals swimming or lounging on the bouys on our way out of the harbor or during our return. The seals are attracted to boats, especially if they think you are a fishing boat with excess bait to unload before going ashore.
Our whale watching sailing tours make for a fantastic day out on the water and many guests describe them as "picnics on the ocean." Our sailing crew provides guests with a full cooler of sodas, waters & ice, as well as light snacks. We invite our guests to bring along their own alcohol, sandwiches and any other food or drinks that they would like. Imagine cruising on our gorgeous AMERICA yacht through the ocean on a beautiful sunny day, a blanket on deck, your picnic basket full with crackers, cheese and your favorite bottle of wine. This truly makes for lovely outing - watching the magnificent Gray Whales is a great bonus. America is an extremely stable yacht, meaning that very few of our guests experience any motion sickness at all. The whale watching season allows the public the unique opportunity to sail with us aboard the historic AMERICA.
Join us -- you won't regret or forget your whale watching journey aboard AMERICA! For more details, call us at 1-800-644-3454 or book online.
