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The day we were out had a ton of whale activity in the bay, so that was a win. I felt the website was misleading vs reality. There was no marine scientist, only a self-proclaimed naturalist. He was forthcoming about this in the intro talk but at that point we were already there, so it felt a bit tactical. Worse though, much to our disappointment, there were no hydrophones made available to listen to the whales. One of the factors for choosing this operator was the tour description said it had hydrophones. There was so much to see that I’m sure it’d have put the experience over the top to hear them communicating too. Instead they try to sell you cds of sounds they’ve recorded (maybe I’d have been more inclined to purchase music if I’d gotten to hear the live sounds). The naturalist/owner was clearly passionate about the whales. He & the boat driver did a good job of getting us good views of whales without getting too close or chasing, which as nature lovers we appreciated. The only other negative was that a portion of the tour left the bay where all the activity was to go over to Los Arcos. It meant a good stretch of time not seeing the whales. We did see blue footed boobies once there which was unique, and there was one stray whale in the area that redeemed this little side trip. Ultimately, we would have preferred to stay in the area where the whales were already in evidence. I would recommend this provider for the boat quality, responsiveness/customer service and friendly staff aspects.…
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Date of experience: February 2021
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+1
My partner and I had a wonderful time on this tour. Oscar was our tour lead and he started our tour with an insightful and educational session explaining the whales migration paths, growth process and how they have a key impact to our world. This information allowed us to have an even better experience when we actually got to see whales. As we started our tour, we got to see a whale mom, with her baby whale (Oscar has a cute name for them "Vallenato") and their escolta. At that time, we didn't get to see them breaching, but we were surprised to later in the tour see three whales heading out of the bay to migrate. These three whales took us by surprise, they were very close to our boat and it was just incredible watching them breach. They are so majestic, powerful and amazing. This tour has been the most memorable experience my partner and I will have and talk about. We enjoyed Oscar's company, energy and his passion for researching whales is contagious. The universe helped us find whales and realized how important they are to our world and how we can protect them. Highly recommend this tour! PS: Oscar's lunch & granola snack were so delicious, he packaged our food so nicely and eating half way through the tour was a nice break while you are searching for whales.…
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Date of experience: March 2021
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Ocean Friendly with Oscar and crew is an amazing experience. We went on the final Sunday tour of the season and it was phenomenal. We saw several different groups of whales from males competing and showing off to a group with two females and males chasing them, and mama and baby. We saw lots of tails, several breaches, and two whales swam under the boat and surfaced just in front of us. In addition to the whales, we saw a huge (hundreds) group of dolphins that swam along with the boat (you could touch them if you had been at water level they were so close), we saw tons of birds, mantas, etc. I really cannot overstate how wonderful this experience was. Ocean Friendly was never harassing the whales (like some of the other boats we saw), but Oscar really knows where to look and tell the captain where to go to provide a great experience while not intruding on these wonderful creatures. Also, some of the other tours we saw had people mashed together in a very crowded manner where our group had plenty of space to move around on the boat to see whales in whatever direction they were. The booking process is simple and email questions were answered quickly. The whole process could not have been better. If you are looking for a top-notch whale watching tour with a leader who studies the whales and knows them and conducts themselves in a responsible manner, then Ocean Friendly is for you.…
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Date of experience: March 2021
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Oscar and team are professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. They took us on a real adventures. We did a private whale watching tour, and these guys were incredible. While there were other boats in the water, none of them were able to anticipate where the whales would surface like Oscar. They have a sixth sense for it, likely from being actual scientists who have studied whales, their migration patterns, and ecological effects for decades. I will be returning to do another tour with Oscar soon.…
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Date of experience: March 2021
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My wife and I have been going on tours every year with Oscar Frey & Ocean Friendly for almost ten years. Each year is fantastic as well as different. Depending on ocean currents, water temperature, etc. Oscar has been study these fascinating creatures for years & can answer virtually any questions about them. The most environmentally conscious tour operator in the bay. He also is pioneering echo location songs, sounds, and other communication techniques between the animals. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to experience such a wonderful & exciting tour. Thanks for your friendship, knowledge, and wonderful staff.…
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Date of experience: February 2021
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