How Long is a Whale Watching Trip?

A whale watching cruise is an incredible experience that the whole family is sure to remember for a lifetime. You and your friends or family get the opportunity to see some of the ocean’s most majestic sea creatures feeding, socializing, or mating. Although it’s quite a breathtaking sight to witness these giants in their natural habitat, it can take some time to spot them in the water.

It’s important to keep in mind that while out on the ocean, we are in the wild and anything can happen. When anticipating the appearance of whales, our word of advice is to be patient. While navigating the waters, we are entering their environment and it’s no telling when we will locate them, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy your time on the sea.

With this in mind, the below information gives a few additional details on what you can expect!

How Long is a Whale Watching Trip?

Time: Approximately 2.5 – 3 hours.

Usually a whale watching tour takes anywhere between 2.5 to 3 hours in order to navigate the ocean in search of different whale species. Depending on the type of whale, it may be necessary to navigate further out from shore to get the best opportunity to spot them based on their migration and feeding habits. For instance, grey whale sightings can sometimes occur closer to shore, but in order to see blue whales or humpbacks, it’s necessary to navigate deeper into the waters, which may extend the length of the trip slightly.

Other Marine Life You Will See

Although the main goal of the whale watching excursions is, of course, to spot whales, passengers will get the opportunity to see many other types of marine life including sea lions, sea turtles, dolphins, and different marine birds. At Harbor Breeze, we have expert naturalists on board that will help to narrate any and everything you will witness during your time at sea to enrich the experience and help you learn something new!

The Harbor Breeze Experience

For unforgettable whale and dolphin tours that the entire family will enjoy, come aboard with us at Harbor Breeze. If you are planning to visit the Long Beach or Los Angeles, this is a one of a kind experience you and the family don’t want to miss. We offer exciting Long Beach whale watching and Los Angeles whale watching excursions year-round to allow our passengers to see some of the most incredible marine life. Contact us today for more information and tickets. We look forward to taking you on the ocean soon!