San Diego Bay offers visitors many opportunities to get out on the water and enjoy one of the most scenic natural harbors on the U.S. Pacific coast. From harbor excursions, America's Cup yacht tours and thrilling jet boat rides to soaring seaplane rides and more, unique and entertaining adventures on the bay await.
- One of the most popular ways to explore San Diego Bay is on a narrated tour offered by Flagship Cruises & Events and Hornblower Cruises & Events, offering daily one- and two-hour tours cruising past some of San Diego's most recognized landmarks, including the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, Star of India/Maritime Museum of San Diego and Cabrillo National Monument.
Both companies also offer seasonal whale watching excursions (blue whale watching in summer; gray whale watching in winter), dinner-dance and weekend champagne brunch cruises. Cruises depart from the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego.
- On SEAL Tours' 90-minute Sea and Land Adventure, San Diego's only amphibious sightseeing tour, visitors experience San Diego Bay by land and sea aboard a "boat on wheels" that splashes down into the bay off Shelter Island. Learn about San Diego's early fishing industry and history of its 14-mile working bay, as well as view area marine life like pelicans, blue herons and sea lions. Tours depart from Seaport Village.
- Experience the thrill of America's Cup sailing while enjoying the sights of San Diego Bay aboard America's Cup Sailing San Diego's Stars & Stripes/USA-11, one of the fastest, most famous sailboats in the world; the yacht raced by Dennis Conner during the 1992 America's Cup. Stars & Stripes departs from Shelter Island.
Next Level Sailing offers bay sailing adventures aboard two America's Cup sailing yachts, Stars & Stripes/USA 34 and Abracadabra/USA 54, plus a replica of the original America yacht that started the America's Cup racing tradition back in 1851. Yachts depart from the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Dozens of other companies offer exciting sailing and boating adventures on the bay.
- The Coronado Ferry offers a fun, nostalgic and affordable ($4.25 each way) 15-min. ride across San Diego Bay to Coronado, departing from the Broadway Pier and San Diego Convention Center. Passengers arrive at the Coronado Ferry Landing, an outdoor waterfront marketplace of over 25 unique shops and restaurants.
- Patriot Jet Boat Tour is one of the splashiest, most exhilarating new tours of San Diego Bay. Passengers hold on for a turbo-charged thrill ride that includes 360-degree turns. Tours depart from 990 N. Harbor Drive next to the USS Midway.
- On San Diego Speed Boat Adventures' harbor tour, visitors take the wheel and become captains of their own mini speed boats, following a knowledgeable guide pointing out the beauty and wildlife of San Diego Bay, including colonies of sea lions on Point Loma. Tours depart from Harbor Island.
- For a narrated one-of-a-kind look at San Diego's military history, the Maritime Museum of San Diego offers new Swift Boat Tours. Passengers can feel the power of a historic Swift Boat's twin 12 cylinder Detroit Diesel engines while cruising past Naval Base San Diego, Naval Amphibious Base and Naval Air Station North Island.
- For breathtaking bird-eye views of San Diego Bay and its attractions, Corporate Helicopters of San Diego offers a Diego Delight half-hour coastal tour over the harbor and downtown, plus La Jolla, Mission Beach and Mission Bay. Their awesome Fly, Float, Feast Tour pairs the Diego Delight with a guest's choice of a three-hour Hornblower brunch or dinner cruise on San Diego Bay.
- Another scenic highflying adventure is San Diego Seaplanes' San Diego Bay and Coastal Aerial Tour, taking off from Peohe's pier at the Coronado Ferry Landing. A Seaplane and Kayak Combo Tour packages is also available.
- Bike & Kayak Tours-Coronado presents San Diego's only urban kayak tour, launching from the calm waters of the Coronado Ferry Landing. Visitors can paddle beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and explore the sights, downtown skyline and maritime culture of San Diego Bay at their own leisurely pace.
Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego Bay tours, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at
www.sandiego.org, the Port of San Diego's website at
www.thebigbay.com or call 619-236-1212.
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