Santa Barbara Whale Watch

Santa Barbara Whale Watch Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Santa Barbara Whale Watch, Tour Agency, 302 W. Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA.

05/19/2026

5 BLUE WHALES TODAY!! 🐋 In the middle of May!?

It’s been quite some time since the channel has welcomed these giant whales so early in the season. 2020 and 2024 were the last big blue whale years in the channel. When we have high krill years like this, there are typically a few blues spotted by late May, and more arrive in June and July. Some years we don’t even see a single blue whale at all!

Their early presence has become a rare treat the last few years so more of this is certainly welcome!! With plenty of space and beautiful weather this week, we hope you can join us in the presence of the largest animal on earth 🐋

Video by with captain .hunt at the helm 🛥️

05/10/2026

The BIGGEST there is 🐋 Our passengers enjoyed the incredible marvel of a Blue whale on today’s trip!

It’s hard to comprehend the size of these ancient whales. Reaching upwards of 90 feet in the northern hemisphere, blue whales create an immense sense of awe with just their sheer presence. Today’s sighting is a promising sign for a blue whale summer, as their presence is a tell tale sign that large swarms of krill have bloomed in the channel.

With some epic weather and lots of space on our trips this week, come out in hopes of catching a glimpse of the largest animal ever to exist on planet earth 🌍

Today’s 🐋 sightings :
• 1 blue whale
• 1 fin whale
• 1 humpback whale
• 100 common dolphins

Video by with captain .hunt at the helm 🛥️

05/09/2026

It’s rearing up to be quite the summer! 🐋

An unusually warm spring is giving way to an abundant summer feeding season! For weeks we’ve been seeing krill on the depth sounder, awaiting a big group of whales to come in and take advantage. Today Captain .hunt spent time with 4 humpback whales, 4 fin whales, and 200 common dolphins! 🐋

With more and more whales filtering in the channel (and an epic week of weather approaching), it’s a fantastic time to hop onboard to experience the Santa Barbara Channel in its most epic form! 💪🏻

04/25/2026

Spring along the California coast has a tendency to be nautical! High winds in April have intermittently kept us of the water, but are crucial for the upwelling of nutrients. These bouts of wind push out warm surface water which is then replaced by cold nutrient rich water from the depths. Here, plankton, krill, and anchovies thrive, and where you find these three you will often find whales and dolphins!

Yesterday’s whales found us, and hung out with us between feeding sessions. Captain .hunt captured this whale saying hello! 👋🏻

03/30/2026

EPIC orca day! 🫍 Captain .hunt found upwards of 15 killer whales today, including this big fella CA137 “Hercules.” Fog has arrived early and often this spring but it hasn’t stopped us from having some incredible sightings, including the orca variety.

Thanks to our friend aboard for this video!

03/13/2026

EPIC weather and EPIC whales! 🐋

Whales were all around today as the glassy seas allowed us to see spouts for miles. The calm whales mirrored the calm conditions… that is until we stumbled upon this pair! These two were just about as friendly as they come, marking an exceptional counter for guests and crew alike.

Video by Adam Ernster with Captain .hunt at the helm 🛥️

02/26/2026

Coming in for my closeup 💅🏻

What a fantastic day in the SBC complete with 12+ humpbacks and over 3,000 dolphins. We ended the trip in a thrilling way as 3 humpbacks came over to “mug” our vessel 🛥️

Checkout the bumps on this humpbacks face! Known as tubercles, these small knobby projections each carry a single hair follicle (whales are mammals you know!) These tubercles serve as sensory organs, allowing the humpbacks to detect water movement throughout their underwater world. Perhaps even allowing the whales to detect huge baitballs of fish when feeding 🐟

Video by Captain .hunt

santabarbarawhalewatch

EPIC whale watching today with 10+ humpback whales and upwards of 4,000 common dolphins in our coastal waters 🌊 The hump...
02/07/2026

EPIC whale watching today with 10+ humpback whales and upwards of 4,000 common dolphins in our coastal waters 🌊

The humpback season is off to an incredible start as we’ve been seeing good numbers of these giants daily; the only spot on the CA coast seeing them with such consistency! Today’s passengers witnessed some amazing up close lunge-feeding and ended the day with a BIG BREACHER 🚀

We can’t wait to see what the weekend has in store 🐋 Photo by Captain Adam Ernster Photography

12/17/2025

Unreal scenes unfold daily in the Santa Barbara channel, but not often like this! We had an incredible encounter with killer whales and humpbacks last week as Captain .hunt found quite the spectacle. A pod of killer whales had hunted one of their favorite prey items, and the humpbacks were not happy about it. As has been documented before, humpbacks will sometimes try to break up killer whale hunts by chasing the apex predators off their meal. Whether it’s a true act of altruism or simply trying to take a meal away from a lifelong enemy, we witnessed this incredible scene unfold before our very eyes!

December is the best month to see killer whales in the channel, with multiple sightings over the first half of the month. We can only hope for more encounters like this in the coming weeks 🖤

Huge thank you to our good friend and wildlife cinematographer .romanov for sharing this awesome drone clip with us!

Whale photos from the last 3 days! In total, we’ve watched 28 unique individuals over that span 😱This time of year is mi...
12/02/2025

Whale photos from the last 3 days! In total, we’ve watched 28 unique individuals over that span 😱

This time of year is migration heavy, with whales moving in and out of the channel consistently. We’re thrilled to see some new faces everyday but so sad to see them go!

Grab your tickets before the whales head out for the winter!

Photos by Adam Ernster Photography

https://www.whalewatchsantabarbara.com

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302 W. Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara, CA
93110

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+18056956894

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