Premium Whale Watching Cruise + Entry to Maritime Museum: Weekday

Price
$65 for adults
$34 for children (ages 12 & under)

Price includes light snacks and sandwiches, soda, water and ice, 7 fine crew, plus unlimited Maritime Museum time before or after the sail. Additional catering, alcohol and crew gratuity are NOT included.

Operation
Monday thru Friday from December 19th to April 15th. Boarding time is 10:30am and the cruise goes from 11am to 3pm.

Click here for the Weekend Whale Watching Cruise in San Diego.

Premier Whale Watching in San Diego
From December 19 to April 15, experience a rare opportunity to whale watch on America, the famous San Diego racing yacht. Experience San Diego sailing like never before on our luxurious 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 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!

Our No Seasickness Guarantee!
That's right... lose your lunch and we'll replace it! The folks on the beautiful yacht America are so confident that you will not get seasick that they will provide a $40 gift certificate to San Diego's famous "Fish Market" restaurant if your day is spoiled by motion sickness ($20 child certificate).

Most whale watching vessels are motorboats that not only have a lot more diesel fumes than a sailboat but, because of their hull shape, are more inclined to roll a lot more on the ocean than a sailboat with a large balancing keel deep below the surface. As such, the 11 ft. deep keel on the 139 ft. America effectively eliminates 90% of the motion and guarantees you a great day.

About the Historic Yacht "America"
Originally built in 1851, the 139 ft. yacht America is the famous vessel that the "America's Cup" international yacht race is named after. She is the most famous vessel in yacht racing history. She carried the Olympic flame into Savannah, GA for the start of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

America carries up to 85 guests and conducts "Picnics on the Ocean" with the whales during the season from December thru April. The whales and dolphins are often a bonus to the incredible sailing experience and bragging rights that accompany sailing on the America.

This yacht sails very fast for her size. The 139 ft. long sailing yacht is perfectly suited for whale watching because of its low sleek lines, deep keel for stability and the ability to quietly approach the whales under sail without using noisy engine power. The yacht's low sweeping deck also gives guests a great vantage point for photographing the whales up-close.

Keep It Green!
In this age of carbon gases and global warming, what better way to see Mother Nature at her best than from the fine teak decks of this beautiful sailing vessel? This is your opportunity to do a small bit towards "greening the environment".

What to Wear & Bring
Dress in layers and bring a light jacket or windbreaker, as the temperature on the ocean is much cooler than on land. We do provide blankets for guests that may become cold. Also wear soft sole shoes such as tennis shoes, deck shoes or sandals. There is ample space for storage of jackets and other personal belongings, and guests will not need to worry about getting wet.

We suggest you bring binoculars, a hat, sunscreen, food and additional beverages and, most importantly, a camera to capture the memories!

Tour Overview
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 buoys 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.

What's Included
This premium whale watching cruise in San Diego consists of 6 value components:

• A 4-hour ocean sail on the incredible "America"
• The amazing whale and dolphin watching opportunities with narration by our very own pirate, Al Sorkin (incredibly entertaining for children and adults alike!)
• Access to the adventure and nautical history of the Maritime Museum of San Diego - a $14 value
• A whale sighting guarantee: If you don't see a whale on your trip, you can join us again free of charge any other day in the same season.
• A No Seasickness Guarantee. That's right! If you lose your lunch, we will provide you a $40 gift certificate to one of San Diego's best restaurants. In 2008/09 we carried 4,300 guests to the whale grounds. Only 10 guests were ill and only one guest asked for his gift certificate. That is how stable and wonderful it is to ride this amazing yacht.
• This is the green, environmentally friendly way to see Mother Nature at her best.