Boat tours, fishing and whale watching

Sportfish

Fish for albacore, rockfish, lingcod and salmon with Virg’s Landing (1215 Embarcadero, 800-ROCK-COD, 805-772-1222, which offers daily trips for $40-$75, overnight and long-range trips for $115-$225 and private charters. At the north end of Embarcadero across from the power plant. Available services include pole rentals, bait and tackle for sale, fillet and packaging and freezer storage.

Boat tours

Learn about the area’s unique ecosystem as you tour the harbor and estuary with docents from the Natural History Museum. Sea Life Studies (1215 Embarcadero, 805-772-1222) begins the trip with a multimedia presentation before taking to the water to see it all firsthand. The 1.5-hour trip costs $12 and departs from Virg’s Landing, at the north end of Embarcadero across from the power plant. During whale migrating seasons, the group also offers 2-3-hour whale-watching tours for $35 ($25 for children 15 and under).

See what lies beneath (a kelp forest filled with fish) as well as above with Sub Sea Tours (699 Embarcadero Blvd. #9, 805-772-WIND). Tours, which leave hourly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., cost $14 for adults, $11 for seniors and students and $7 for kids 3-12. Near the middle of Embarcadero. Reservations recommended, especially in summer. Or tour the wildlife of the national estuary and back bay in a powered catamaran (same costs as Subsea tours). The company also runs whale-watching tours and rents kayaks and canoes.

If you want to motor around on your own, rent an easy-to-operate Electra-Craft boat from At the Helm Boat Rentals (845 Embarcadero, 805-771-9337), near the center of Embarcadero. The boats seat eight and rent for $60 for the first hour, $45 for each additional hour.

Whale watching

From June to September, when humpbacks whales feed off the coast of Morro Bay, Sub Sea Tours (699 Embarcadero Blvd. #9, 805-772-WIND) offers whale watching trips at 10:30 a.m. most days. Mid-Embarcadero. Cost is $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and students and $20 for children 3-12.

During the annual migration of grey whales from December to April, Sea Life Studies (1215 Embarcadero, 805-772-1222) offers a 2-3-hour tour that begins with a multimedia presentation and features on-board docents from the Natural History Museum to provide information and answer questions. Cost is $35 ($25 for children 15 and under).

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