Guided Nature Cruise to Los Coronados Islands

²⁄₂₂ was a great day for this event. The weather was a little cloudy at first but it wasn’t too cold. The clouds parted mid-​day right at the perfect time to take photos.
This is a long day, but we enjoyed it. I’ve never been on the other whale watching or sea life exploration tours. This one had it all! We saw whales, sea lions, dolphins, sea elephants, birds, orange star fish, oyster catches and more!
The captain was knowledgeable and was quite the story teller! (Interesting bit about the island and the cats???)
We saw ‘whales galore’ according to the captain. We were seeing them in groups of 4, 6 and 8. Pretty amazing! What’s nice is that these islands are relatively untouched and the the wildlife there live in their own ecosystem and it works to keep the animals alive and well.
We brought our own lunch as did many others. We took lots of photos and enjoyed our day. If you’re seated up top, there are no tables so be prepared to have lunch in your lap.
The only gripe I might have is that when you’re sitting on the top deck of the boat, the speaker barely projects over the noise of the waves against the boat, the boat motor and people chatting. Its a good thing we had a crowd that was interested in what he was saying so all were pretty respectful up on top.
What balances that one gripe was how amazingly well that captain maneuvered that boat! The way he’d pull it up close to the island so you could get good photos. The way he was respectful in the way he worked his way around the group of whales so as not to scare them. The way he’d stop talking so he wouldn’t scare the birds that were ‘sensitive to noise’, not only did all of that speak to his knowledge of his craft, it also showed his respect for the animals and their habitat. He pulled that boat up to the edge of those islands better than I’ve seen people attempt to parallel park even the smallest of cars in the largest of spaces? He’s good!
If its freezing cold on the way back, don’t expect the inside of the boat to be like the Hornblower were everyone who’s outside can fit inside. The inside cabin is more of just a galley with a few bench seats and tables. We were lucky to get a seat before the ride back home. We read the reviews and it was a good idea to: bring our own lunch, bring reading materials for the way home, put on sunblock, wear sunglasses, dress warmly and bring extra clothes to layer if needed park in the county building (1 day $ 7) @ ash and pacific highway
We decided we’d do that one again if guests were in town and wanted to do something different and enjoyable. I feel like it was better than going to Sea World because the animals you see are doing their own thing, in their own natural environments!