Avila Beach Whale Watching has been providing safe, educational boating adventures on San Luis Bay for 13 years and in that time we have taken over 18,000 folks out to see the animals and whales that live here. To our great advantage we are blessed to have an abundance of wildlife in the bay with sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals and a variety of sea birds on our whale watching trips. This place really is a hidden gem on the central coast of California. We also offer a one hour "Coastal Explorer' private group tour for those that would like to go boating and see some of the animals that live close to shore without the commitment of going offshore to see whales. We also offer custom / private tours,  ash scattering services and photography trips. All ages are welcome on our tours. 

We are the most experienced whale watching company in the area which is why we find whales on over 90% of our tours from May through October and have been rated as the best whale watching tour in the Avila Beach area by Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp every year for the past 13 years. 

• More information about our different whale watching trips and seasons
• Recent sightings and the past 2 years of sightings
• Ash scattering services
• Reservations 
• Cancellation policy
• What to wear and bring to be comfortable and prepared 
• Directions
• Private tours
• About us
• Contact us
• Our boat the Pacific Flyer and why she is so perfect for what we do
• Gift certificates

 Humpbacks and more : April 1st through December 1 st: Our most popular and successful whale watching trips are during this season. These tours are 2 hours in duration and depart at 9:00 am and 11:30 am. Open 7 days a week from April 1st through November 30th.  $125 per person . 

Wildlife viewing and whale watching:  December 1st through January. Special 2 hour excursion to find wildlife and possibly Humpback or Grey whales. Departure times vary, please check the reservations page for available times or call (805) 540-4667. $125 per person. Group rate for a private party of up to 6 people $700

Grey Whale trips : February 1st through March 31st:  Grey Whale watching trips are 2.5 hours in duration and depart at 10:00 am .  $125 per person.

Year round: Coastal Explorer one hour private group tours are $299 for your party of up to 6 people depart at varying times throughout the year, please check the reservations page for available times or call for additional times by request. Please note this is not a whale watching trip. 

Ash Scattering, burial at sea: One hour excursions are $325 weekdays and $350 weekends. Please call for details and reservations (805) 540-4667

Custom charters are also available for any occasion and are priced at $375 per hour. Departure times are arranged by request. Please call 805-540-4667 to arrange a custom tour.

Reservations can be made up to 4 months in advance and a little as 30 minutes prior to departure if seats are available. All ages are welcome there are on age limits.

We have very good whale watching from February through November here on the central coast of California and on average we will find whales on most of the trips. Please check the "recent sighting" page for more information on what we are seeing currently. The past 2 years of trips notes are listed there if you would like to compare your dates with what we saw in 2022 and 2023. Every year is a bit different and these are wild animals that are free in the ocean so please have realistic expectations and understand that we are offering you a chance to see something special and not a guarantee that you will.  

• April through November is Humpback Whale season: While we enjoy good sightings over this entire time period, the peak months when the most whales are here and the weather is at its best are August through October. These trips typically see whales on over 90% of the excursions. In April we will have the opportunity to see both Grey whales and Humpbacks.
• December and January: This is our slowest season for seeing whales with sightings on about 40% of the trips. Between storms we have excellent weather with very clear water and a variety of other animals to see.
• February through March is Grey Whale season: On these trips we enjoy excellent opportunities to see the California Grey whales as they migrate past our shores. March is the best month for seeing Grey whales with sighting on about 75% of the trips.
• For a more detailed breakdown of what you might see please click on the individual trip description pages.

What time of the day to go?

Departure times for whale watching trips are 9:00 am and 11:30 am. The earlier trip usually has calmer sea conditions and the mid day trip has a bit more sunshine. The whales activity levels are about the same but do vary from day to day. There will be periods of calm and clear weather when we will be able to add more trips for private groups. These private trips typically go at 6:30 am or 2:00 pm. Please call me if you are interested in adding a private trip at a special time.

For all trips year round you should dress for possibly cold conditions offshore.

Please click the " What to wear / bring" tab for a more detailed breakdown of what to expect on a tour at different times of the year.

Unlike most whale watching tours on larger boats with as many as 100 people on board, our tours are unique in that we only take 6 passengers at a time. This ensures that everyone can enjoy an unobstructed view of the whales  and other wildlife that we encounter with no crowding. We also have the advantage of being able to move quickly to a new location if we see something exciting going on. Catamarans with 2 hulls offer a much smoother ride through the waves which helps us get to the whales faster. Catamarans are also very stable which is a big help when taking pictures of the whales and other wildlife we encounter on these adventures. Personally, our favorite part of the smaller boat with only 6 passengers is that we will have the opportunity to talk about the animals as we observe them and we are available to answer questions about what we are seeing. 

Our departure dock is located very close to Avila Beach, Ca. on a quaint, historic pier known as the Harford Landing at Port San Luis. This is just 15 minutes from Pismo Beach, Ca. and 20 minutes from San Luis Obispo, Ca. If you are staying near Paso Robles, Ca. we are only 45 minutes away and in the summer 20 degrees cooler! 

Local experience matters when looking for whales.  We have been in continuous, year round operation on the waters of San Luis Bay since 2012. Captain Mark Kocina the owner has worked as a boat captain / naturalist / adventure travel guide / white water rafting guide for over 45 years in many countries around the world. He will bring all of that experience to bear on these trips. Captain Frank Orazio has been fishing these waters for 21 years and is an excellent boat captain with a good background in wildlife sighting. In our combined time at Port San Luis, we have taken over 18,000 guests out onto these waters to see the whales and other animals that frequent this area. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, friendly captain to escort your family out for a safe, educational and memorable whale watching experience please join us for a tour. 

The short answer is no as this is not a zoo. Please understand that we are offering you a chance to see wild animals that live freely in the real world and that is the beauty of this experience. We will always use every bit of experience we have to find them for you but no one on earth has control over mother nature.  While the whales do present themselves for us to see on the majority of our tours there will be trips that they do not.  Unfortunately our expenses are higher when we do not find whales as we search more, so we do not offer refunds or credits for future trips when we do not find whales. We appreciate your understanding as we are not in control of the weather or the animals.  

PLEASE NOTE: If the ocean becomes too rough or foggy on the day of your trip to safely go out to the whales we will give you the option to either get a  full refund or go on a coastal explorer tour and you will receive a 50 percent refund.

We will observe the animals from a safe and respectful distance. NOAA rules now stipulate that the safe distance for us to approach whales is 100 yards, Sea Lions and Dolphins is 50 yards.  At these distances we will be able to see the animals clearly and more importantly the animals will be safe and able to go about their day undisturbed by us. 

There is no toilet on the boat. Please use one of the public toilets in the port area before boarding. The most convenient toilet is found on the right side of the roadway as you enter the port area. It is located on the ground floor level of the Coastal gateway building

We believe that each person deserves to be treated equally without discrimination of any kind for any reason. We do not discriminate in any manner against any person on account of marital status, religious creed, color, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, medical condition (cancer / genetic characteristics) or disability, (mental or physical) including HIV and Aids.

Everyone is welcome on our tours, there is no age limit.