Ocean Safaris

Monterey Bay's marine giants — humpbacks, blue whales, and great white sharks — come within arm's reach aboard Ocean Safaris' 33′ Zodiac, where six guests share a front-row seat with a seasoned captain-naturalist. From the Red Triangle to Fiji, Galapagos, and beyond, these expeditions are built for people who want something more than a crowd-boat cruise.

Operating from Santa Cruz North Harbor's J Dock, Ocean Safaris runs small-group (maximum six passengers) wildlife encounters aboard a nimble 33-foot Zodiac named Safari. The boat's low, open profile puts guests closer to the water — and closer to the animals — than any large commercial vessel can manage. Local trips cover Monterey Bay and the surrounding coastline, targeting humpback and blue whales, juvenile great white sharks at the Santa Cruz Shark Park (best June–September), and adult great whites at Año Nuevo Island using a NOAA/National Marine Sanctuary-permitted decoy (best October–February). Every outing is led by an experienced captain-naturalist, and itineraries are tuned for photographers as much as pure wildlife enthusiasts. Beyond the home waters, Ocean Safaris curates destination expeditions worldwide: shark dives at Fiji's Beqa Lagoon, great hammerhead dives in Bimini, whale shark swims at Isla Mujeres, mobula ray and orca encounters in Baja, liveaboard diving in the Philippines, Socorro Island, and the Galapagos, plus gray whale interactions at San Ignacio Lagoon. These travel trips are designed to place guests in the water alongside iconic pelagic species in some of the planet's most productive marine ecosystems. All local tours depart every day in season from Santa Cruz North Harbor at times ranging from 8 am to 1 pm, with durations of 2.5 to 5 hours. Groups are kept deliberately small — two to six people — so every seat is a front-row seat and every encounter feels personal rather than commercial.