Condor Express

Went on the noon tour and wasn’t sure we would get to see much more than some seals and dolphins. We passed by some harbor seals hanging out on some decks as we were pulling out of the docks. Just as we got beyond the buoys, we spotted a mother and calf grey whales a few hundred yards out. We followed that pair for a while and they joined up with another mother and calf along the way. Watched them all come up for air several times. We broke away after 45 minutes or so and went out hunting for humpbacks since the weather was nice and found one! Got to watch the humpback come to the surface multiple times and flip his tail at us. After 4 or 5 surfaces, we headed back in. On the way back we saw another 2 or 3 grey whales. Great tour!

We took our family who came to visit Southern California and they loved the tour. The entire crew was extremely courteous and helpful. When we asked if they had motion sickness pills just in case… The crewman rushed over and brought us three packs! Though we didn’t even need them as it was a smooth ride. The boat accelerates at great speed so hold on to the railings. We saw about 10 grey whales from afar and captured pictures of their tail fins. Definitely recommend for adults and children!

We booked this trip a month in advance. All the while Condor Express is going on about seeing whales all the time. we had great anticipation and, obviously, almost a whole DAY is set aside for this excursion. I get a call at 5:00pm the night before telling me that the trip has been canceled. When I ask why, they tell me, «Due to lack of interest». Hello people! Lack of interest. We booked it! I am sorry that not everyday is an exceptional money maker for you but, people have traveled to see this. The weather was perfect etc. We went on other excursions that could have booked more people but only had a few and they proceeded with the tours. I think this shows a lack of professionalism.

What an excellent experience– we went on one of their trips this month. The day was perfect in every way-​great boat and a very nice crew; they were so knowledgeable and professional. My out of town guests were absolutely thrilled; we saw lots of humpbacks! I will definitely be back! Little kids might have a problem when the boat is moving fast?

The whale watching was good we saw 4 whales and many Dolphins, as well as seals and sea lions, tried to see a hammer head shark however it went far from the boat fast. However we didn’t make it to the Painted Cave or even close enough to get a good view of the Channel Islands. I saw it closer than on the beach but barely. While the whale watching was fun I was disappointed to spend 99 dollars and not get what I was expecting from the website. It was a clear and sunny day so I was expecting to go see the island as well as the whale watching. I think they should specify more clearly on the website when they will go instead of saying «due to conditions, we may or may not go… why not say yes we go there or no we don’t go there, instead of talking about it but barely showing the Channel Islands because 99 dollars is a lot to pay for a maybe kind of feel. It was fun but worth it for the whale watching only. This is why I gave it 3 stars.

Great excursion from the Santa Barbara Harbor to enjoy the whale migrations or frolicking Dolphins & sea lions. Very professional & knowledgable staff that make it a completely wonderful day

Knowledgeable, friendly crew who know the area well and give you the best chance to see whales and other aquatic life. They did a nice job of balancing education, humor, and silence during the 2.5 hour tour.
We saw a couple gray whales, a humpback breech (awesome!), and tons of dolphins and seals in early April. Highly recommended!

I went on the condor express in march 2015. It was amazing. Great, friendly staff, beautiful boat with a snack bar, plenty of seat on upper and lower deck and nothing beat the watching the whales-​truly a fun adventure! Would do it again in a heartbeat. Def recommend! Pricing was reasonable too and they have child discounts

Had a lot of fun on this and saw whales. To be honest I was super skeptical if I was going to see whales or not but was pleasantly surprised when we did. They take you out and you look for spouts and then the boat chases after them. I saw a Humpback breach which was INSANE. Lots of Dolphins as well and many sea lions. I had a great time!

I would actually give this place a 3.5 stars. Slightly pricy at $ 50/​person. But overall a very enjoyable trip. The boat could use a new sound system. The naturalist could have also spoken more about the area and local wildlife. The captain spent an appropriate amount of time at various locations. I would probably visit them again and go on another whale watch with them.

Great boat and great trip on 8÷25÷2014. Lots of common dolphins and three different humpbacks plus one minke! Crew was very knowledgable and helpful throughout the trip! Definitely recommend this voyage!

After reading several reviews and checking out the various options for whale watching tours in the Channel Islands, I chose to book with Condor Express. It was an excellent choice for me, and I have only positive memories of the experience.
The boat: clean, well-​maintained, stable and comfortable. It has the ability to travel fast when needed.
The staff: staff on shore and aboard were friendly and accommodating. There were 3 naturalists from the National Park Service aboard; two volunteers and one professional. They gave us a briefing on the whales before departure and the volunteers were available throughout the trip to answer questions. The captain was skilled at spotting the animals and pointing them out to us. There wasn’t a lot of entertaining patter, which suited me – watching the animals was my focus.
The experience: this was my first whale watching trip, so I have nothing to compare it to, but sighting 15+ humpback whales including 5 – 6 mother-​baby pairs was one of the highlights of my 50 years on this earth. We also saw thousands of dolphins feeding and cavorting on the wake of the boat. They also raced us for a while. There were also lots of sea lions and sea birds. We had the benefit of a calm day — it was warm on shore, but it gets COLD on the deck of the boat, especially at speed. I was glad to have dressed in jeans and layers. Those wearing shorts and sandals looked mighty uncomfortable. I spent most of my time on the upper deck with my camera and came home with some spectacular photographs. The enclosed area on the lower deck is clean and comfortable with booths and tables and a basic snack bar serving drinks and sandwiches (hot and cold). My BLT was better than I expected from the setup available, and reasonably priced
The duration of the trip was perfect for me, though other reviewers complain it is too long. The duration seems to vary by day, my trip was about 4.5 hours. If what you really want is to see lots of wildlife, the Condor Express is an excellent choice.

Excellent boat and crew. I think 4.5 hours of whale watching was a little excessive, probably the sweet spot would be 3 – 3.5 hours. Great weather today. Probably saw 5000 dolphins, and 8 humpbacks… about 4500 dolphins too much in my opinion. We pretty much stayed right outside of SB harbor, didn’t make it to the island or cave, but we did do a drive by of an oil rig… big flip. I would have like to seen the island or caves along with the thousands of dolphins and whales. Super stable and stout boat though, no sea sickness or anything like that.

Had a great experience with Condor Express! I made a reservation online and paid at the check in booth the day of my trip. The boat is clean and exactly what I expect out of a whale watching vessel. The staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and upbeat. They serve food and alcoholic beverages which is nice. The trip was 2.5 hours long which is a good amount of time if you don’t want to spend all day on the sea or are prone to ocean sickness, as this is actually one of the shorter trips I’ve been on. The day I went we saw some sea lions and humpback whales who were doing fin slaps and vocalizations which was great!
My only gripe was not with Condor Express at all but with some of my fellow passengers. When I first boarded, I went inside and walked over to a booth as I was about to sit down some lady said excuse me as she wanted to walk by so I moved out of the way… nope she went and stole my seat making me move to the side for her to sit down. Alright then. I sit on another booth, which I leave my backpack and book on while I go outside to look at the whales. When I come back, there are people sitting in my booth with my stuff still in place. I can’t be mad though because I saw some humpbacks, and silently prayed that karma would be a seagull pooping on their shoulder that day.
As for parking, I managed to score some free parking in the neighborhood right across the street. Just make sure you read the signs since it’s 90 minutes only during weekends and holidays.
All in all I had a great trip, and would definitely recommend them!

I am amazed to see so many complaints about the duration of the trip given whales don’t generally swim right up to the beach so we lazy humans can gaze upon them. I actually think the best part of the trip is the journey and the adventure.
The boat is amazing and per the captain, was purpose built for whale watching. There was a lot of room inside for the journey out as it was a bit cold and the cabin was nice and warm. I should have brought more clothing. The food was very good and the fact that they had a full bar helped for the ride home:)
We had great whale, dolphin and sea lion encounters with plenty of photo ops.
Staff was informative and the boat was clean. I would recommend some sort of motion sickness pills as it seemed nice at the dock but off shore was a bit windy and bumpy on the day we went. I took them and was glad, about 5 other people did not and they were not too happy hurling on the back of the boat… nasty.
My only complaint is the Sea Landing itself, compared to the boat, it was a bit run down, Not sure if it’s part of the Condor Express or just a ticketing service but the building needs some work.

WOW! We were very impressed with our whale watching adventure on Condor Express. Because we went during the week, the boat wasn’t at full capacity. We chose to sit inside because the morning was quite cloudy and cool. I anticipated the weather getting better as we got later in the day, but that didn’t happen. I really wish I would have worn warmer clothes, as I was shivering from the cold. But it was all worth it!
We weren’t 10 minutes away from the landing when we saw a humpback whale. It was very playful and came quite close to us, doing several tail waves for the photographers onboard (including my husband who got some great shots!). We saw hundreds of dolphins, with an extra thrill of seeing the Risso’s Dolphins, which are quite rare. It was a small pod, but there were calves swimming alongside their mothers, so we felt quite thrilled to have had the honor of seeing these animals. We also got to see a Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish), one of the strangest looking animals I’ve ever seen. We rode alongside that fish for about 10 minutes before he finally decided to dive away.
The Captain announced that other boats had seen blue whales farther out, so he hit the gas and we flew across the waves heading in the right direction. You definitely didn’t want to be outside for that part of the trip, as the waves were blasting over the railing and several people got quite wet. But it was worth the trip. All of a sudden, there she was! A massive animal whose body was almost 100 feet long, this whale graced the water like it weighed a pound. These are the largest animals to ever inhabit the earth, so to have the opportunity to see one in person was a true blessing. Off in the distance was a second blue, but because the captain had taken us so far out, it was time to head back home. We were over half an hour late in arriving, but I commend the Captain and crew for making sure we got what we paid for… and more!
There is a snack bar on the boat and plenty of places to sit. Bringing your own snacks and drinks, as well as a blanket, will make your trip even better.
I would do this again in a heartbeat!!!

What an awesome experience we had today on the Condor Express!
I purchased a trip for two as an auction prize awhile back. I waited until summer to take the trip hoping for warmer temps and calmer waters (and more humpback and blue whale sightings!). I’m glad I waited, because today’s trip was exceptional.
On today’s cruise we saw at least three (some have said five — but the naturalist on board called the number at three) blue whales, about 1,000 common dolphin, two schools of Mola Mola fish (Sun Fish) and some cute sea lions. The sun started peeking through the clouds just as we approached the Channel Islands, which was a treat in itself. The islands are beautiful, the sky was blue — it was a glorious day. The water wasn’t too choppy. And I (whose Native American name is «She Who Throws Up Often») didn’t even feel the slightest bit sea sick at any point during the cruise.
My only disappointment is that we didn’t see even ONE humpback whale. Not the fault of the tour operation at all, the only person we can blame it on is nature. I envy the people who have seen «dozens» of humpbacks and have seen them BREACH — but it just wasn’t in the stars for us today. I guess it just means we’ll have to go back again!
My advice for people taking this trip:
1. When they suggest dressing in «layers,» add one or two more layers than you normally would to make sure you’re comfortable on the trip. It was COLD. And this is July. With a t-​shirt and a hoodie, I was bundled most of the trip.
2. Follow the directions from the freeway as given on the website — not your nav system. We did this and it got us to the shop with absolutely no problem.
3. Get your parking validated — We were there all day, ate after the cruise, and with the validation, only paid $ 3 to park! That’s a total bargain!
4. Bring some snacks. At 4 hours, the snacks helped sustain us, while not filling us up enough to make us queasy on the sometime rough sea.
5. Enjoy yourself!
I’ve read some reviews on Unilocal that I’m glad I ignored. The service was great. The people on-​board and in-​store were friendly, helpful and courteous. The boat was clean and the staff knowledgeable. Special props to Naturalist Maura who filled me with all sorts of trivia on the blue whales that made the sightings even that much more special.
Oh, and if you don’t see whales on your trip… NO PROBLEM! They’ll give you a «Whale Check» good for another trip in the future.
I would definitely book a trip through Condor Express again and would like to give one more «thank you» to everyone who made today’s trip a whole lot of fun.

I was on the cruise today, and it was fabulous with more than a dozen humpbacks, thousands (really) of dolphins and one blue whale. I even saw a distant humpback breach and breach spectacularly. Most of the folks missed it because dolphins and a humpback were right in front of us.
Condor Express is a first rate operation. The boat is spotless, the crew informative and incredibly courteous. From making the reservation to saying good-​by on the way out, it could not have been better.

They need to fire Brad.
Called spoke with Brad and confirmed where to get on the charter. «At Brophy Brothers». Went to Brophy Brothers and could not find the boat. Called as it was 10:00AM and Brad placed me on hold.
Called back, Brad placed me on hold again. Finally get to with talk to Brad and he tells me he doesn’t know where I am and how to give me directions and needs to ask someone. I tell him to hold the boat and I was where he told me to be.
At first Brad tells me he didn’t talk to me. When I tell him, yes Brad we talked and remind him of the conversation, he admits to having talked with me. I start high tailing to where the boat is supposed to be. I at this point assume Brad is in LA and doesn’t know the pier because he had ask directions. When I finally find the launch and the shop, after asking at another place on the other side of the ramps, there’s Brad with a big grin on his face and no boat.
Brad could care less. He neither held the boat or had the courtesy to call me and say the boat had left. I never saw the boat leave, so it seems it may have been long gone before Brad put me on this wild goose chase.
I know it was no big deal to Brad grinning away in his skull cap, but it was for me. I was really looking forward to the trip and I recommend getting rid of an employee like Brad who has a whatever attitude and could care less and replacing him with someone conscientious. I realize the boat needs to leave on time, but when it’s their mistake, try and take care of the customer.

I love this boat! I have been on it at least six or seven times and always have a blast!!! For whale watching it is the ONLY choice, it is bigger and much faster than any of the other whale watching boats in SB so it can go out and find the whales. None of the other boats can cover the territory like this one.
This past Saturday I went on a private charter, an upscale event with a DJ, dancing and a cash bar. What a great, great time everyone had! I know that the boat doesn’t create the amazing sunsets or the beautiful views of Santa Barbara and Montecito but it is all part of the experience.
The interior is spacious and comfortable. There are many large outdoor areas for enjoying the scenery, dancing, taking photos and all of that… Amazing view from the upstairs which can probably handle 40 or more people at a time.
If I had one thing to pick at is that they don’t take credit cards at the bar… so BRING CASH! I would think that their sales of alcohol would be a little bigger if they took plastic, not enough of a gripe to knock off a star though.