Monterey Bay Whale Watch advertises that they are a dog friendly activity. Cat-dog and Tornado-dog decided to test that claim. We made reservations for the 10 am cruise for yesterday. In preparation, we got Cat-dog a lifejacket (Tornado-dog already has one because his Aunt C is supposed to take him kayaking). We contacted their Dr and got them sea sick pills as it's a 4 hour cruise and we were driving 3.5 hours to get to the boat. Got me sea sick pills too. Aunt C came over Sunday night so we could leave early early in the morning. Tornado-dog was a proper host and made sure she was entertained... Cat-dog was a perfect host as always. Left for Monterey at 6 am. Had a slight detour and didn't arrive at the wharf until 9:50 am just as the boat was loading. The dogs put on their lifejackets and we found a spot at the back of the boat. When the engine kicked in, the dogs got nervous and anxious. That feeling under their feet was stressful. Tornado-dog spent the ride out to the whales half on my lap. Cat-dog figured out that laying down minimized the movements. The crew was amazing. They were very attentive to all the people on board, making sure everyone was doing OK. But they also were extremely attentive to the dogs. They truly were VERY dog friendly and enjoyed having the dogs on board. On the way out to the whales, the boat has to go over the swells in the water, so it's a lot of motion. One little girl of about 3, who had been VERY excited to see the whales, got seasick. Another woman was feeling very rough but managed to hold it back. With the cerenia (sea sick pills) and staying at the back of the boat, the dogs did not get sick. And once we got out to the whales, they got their sea legs and started moving about a bit. The crew came over to check on them often and other passengers said hello to them. We started seeing whales almost immediately with a pair of humpbacks. After watching them for a bit, we moved out to another group of three. These humpbacks got friendly with us and were hanging right by the boat. They would dive under the boat and come out on another side. We saw several gray whales (they have heart shaped sprays) and some more humpbacks. Tornado-dog did not care for me paying attention the whales and barked orders at me several times - the crew had fun with it answering back with things like "only three whales, I know" and such. The ride back into the bay was much easier going as the boat rides the swells (so no bumping). The dogs were invited to go up and visit the Captain. Cat-dog wasn't thrilled going up the steep steps, but with a bit of help from the crew, she made it up. Tornado-dog was doing great by now. They met the Captain, who offered Tornado-dog the Boat Dog position. Cat-dog was polite. Tornado-dog had lots of advice for the Captain. Here are some photos from the trip.
Well that's something really different! Thank you for the description and the photos. I 'm glad you all enjoyed it.
How wonderful! First your delightful description of your outing and then the great photographs. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!
Thanks! The last two photos are of one of the whales that was right by the boat - less than 20ft away.
