Avila Beach Whale Watching

We cannot recommend this tour highly enough. My husband has lived in 4 countries and traveled all over the world, and he rates this as one of the peak experiences of his life. Captain Mark is an amazing whale tracker and his experience and expertise make this trip worth far more than it costs! We had no idea of the abundance of sea mammals off the coast, but Captain Mark was able to find it and give us the best "show" of our lives! Although the boat is much smaller than your typical whale watching vessel, it feels very safe, even in very choppy waters, and we were able to get very close to the sea lions and the whales. In short, don't even hesitate. You will not regret taking this tour.

Had the most delightful morning whale watching with Captain Mark in San Luis Obispo Bay! He is the ultimate tour guide, oceanographer, and whale finder. Despite the fog (not too heavy), he zero’d in on bird behavior and took us directly to a pod of whales that we followed and cheered about for 2 solid hours! So fun and we captured some great shots! Thank you Captain Mark. We loved every moment of your good stories, and ocean and sea life facts! We will see you again! 👏👏👏

This was One of the most breathtaking experiences. Captain Mark was knowledgeable and knew exactly where to take us to. His respect and love for the sealife is very clear. He made it such an enjoyable experience. The feeding frenzy was amazing. We even got to experience what is like to be mugged by thesee incredible whales! We didn't know how close they come to the boat! 🐳🐳🐳

We went on the 9am whale watching tour this morning. It was incredible! Our captain, Frank, was extremely knowledgeable & mindful of our safety. He explained everything about the boat & safety measures. He was extra thoughtful as we went through large swells. We saw a large pod of whales & they put on a show. I highly recommend this tour. It was the highlight of my time in California. A friendly note: while we were out the waves got pretty big so if you have issues with motion sickness or sea sickness I would definitely take something beforehand to be on the safe side. Frank kept turning the boat to calm it down but at times while seeing the whales it was inevitable. All that said, go! It's amazing, dress warmly, even if it's warm on land.

My wife and I took the 11:30 am tour on 9/11/25. The winds had come up by that time and Capt. Mark warned everyone who was ready to board that the seas were getting rough, we would likely get wet, we may have to end the tour early, but we WOULD see whales. He offered full refund to anyone that walked away. All six of us said "no" to the refund and boarded. He immediately requested everyone put on life jackets, insisted that no one sit on the bow while going out, handed out waterproof blankets, and informed us where the spray would come from on the way out. Just for context, we have been on a few dozen whale watching tours, mostly in Maui. And ALL on much larger boats (holding 50-150 people). So, this was our first time on a much smaller boat. The sea was rough...it felt like an eternity going out; however, after 20-30 minutes of plowing through the waves, he slowed the boat down, we saw 'blows', and Capt. Mark pointed out rafts of sea lions (a group of sea lions on the water is called a raft...who knew...not me) and circling birds; I'm guessing we were 3-5 miles offshore. Sure enough, within minutes, we saw the whales. And continued to see whales wherever the sea lions (and birds) were gathered. The whales would dive, with great fluke shows, and then come back up again minutes later in the sea lion rafts. That went on for more than two hours...whale after whale; we got 'mugged' a couple of times. Great show...up close and personal with the whales and sea lions. And all the while, Capt. Mark continually spoke, narrating about the humpbacks we were seeing, identifying some by name. Very informative. We had one whale breach close by, but BEHIND the boat, and none of us saw it...just heard it and saw the splash. I highly recommend the tour. Watch the daily reports that are posted on the website, and if they report seeing them, you will probably also. If there are winds or rough seas in the forecast, I'd recommend the earlier tour. Nevertheless, Capt. Mark was great; I've already recommended the tour to out of town friends and, me, I can't wait to go out again...perhaps next time on calmer seas. Thanks, Capt. Mark, for a memorable tour. Enjoy the photos. PS - I am an amateur photography 'nut'. Although I had a 150-600mm lens on my Nikon D7500 DSLR, most of these shots were taken at 150-250mm...in other words, these whales were close. On a couple of the photos, one can see part of the boat (or person on the boat), out of focus in the foreground.

We had the most amazing adventure this morning with Avila Beach Whale Watching! The four of us, including my six-year old grandson, went out on the 6:30 a.m. tour. Frank was wonderful, sharing all kinds of information about all the wildlife we saw. We loved being on a smaller boat which allowed us unobstructed views of several humpback whales, sea lions, harbor seals and otters. My grandson was ready to go out again! I highly recommend them!!

What a great adventure with friendly Captain Mark! Tried to go out a few days prior, but it was just too choppy. So Mark rebooked me on the 9 AM. Lots of fun, lots of whales, maybe 15 to 20! A lot of sea lions Who “porpoise” alongside the whales and boat. Mark is very knowledgeable and had an answer to almost every question. I highly recommend and I will do it again when I’m in the area.

My wife and I decided to take a whale watching trip towards the end of October (2025). We made reservations with Avila Beach Whale Watching and Capt. Mark Kocina. We had taken many whale watching trips with Capt. Mark before when he used a sailboat for his tours and we enjoyed each trip. Now he uses a power catamaran which is much faster, more easily maneuverable and gives a much smoother ride. On this trip, Capt. Mark took us to several feeding areas where we saw multiple humpback whales which was so exciting. Mark’s friendly demeanor and unending knowledge of whales and other ocean wildlife made this a truly memorable trip. If you’re looking for a fun and adventurous whale watching tour with a 6 passenger boat cap and an expert boat captain who takes you to where the action is and shares a wealth of whale and sea life information with you then Avila Beach Whale Watching is for you!