FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Puffins generally arrive on Eastern Egg Rock to breed in April and depart in August. Their migration pattern varies slightly each year, and our schedule only offers Puffin Trips or Whale/Puffin Combo trips while the puffins are in season.

No. Eastern Egg Rock is a protected sanctuary and only the approved scientists are allowed to access the island. Our trips provide passengers to view the wildlife from the boat, which circle the island in both directions to allow everyone to get the best look possible. Puffins are often seen sitting on the water and flying by the boat!

Large baleen whales migrate to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic waters to feed in the summer months. By the time we begin trips in May, many whales have arrived for the season and often stick around until late fall. Of course, every trip is different. Follow us on social media if you are hoping for sightings of specific species to see updates on what has been spotted recently.

The Gulf of Maine is popular for whale watching because it is one of the best places on the planet to see the most variety of whale species! The most frequent whale species spotted on our trips are fin whales, humpback whales, and minke whales. We also have to opportunity to see Atlantic white-sided dolphins, harbor porpoise, harbor seals, grey seals, and other wildlife. Other whale species that we have also been fortunate to see over the years include blue whales, sei whales, right whales, sperm whales, and pilot whales.

Whales are wild animals living in their own, very large habitat and are occasionally unable to be found during a trip. That said, our team does their best to provide you with a best in class whale watching experience and we have a long history of successful tours. If a whale is not seen by our captains or naturalists on your trip, then you will be given the opportunity to return to see a whale again for free! Our standby ticket policy allows you to go on another whale watch trip, or sightseeing tour of equal or lesser value. Upgrade fees may be required for higher valued trips. Cannot be used on specialty cruises such as music cruises or fireworks cruises.

All of our trips offer a live narration customized to your cruise. The narration will include landmarks, lighthouses, wildlife, and other fun and educational facts and stories of local historical or scientific importance. Our sightseeing cruises are narrated by the captain while whale watch narration is provided by an expert naturalist or biologist while our puffin tour narration is accompanied by members from the National Audubon Society’s Puffin Project. Our narrators are happy to address questions you may have and strive to provide you the best experience possible.

Our narrators do a wonderful job spotting and identifying the wildlife for you. Since they are wild animals living in their own environment, we can’t promise you will see any, but many animals that are commonly seen on most trips include seals, harbor porpoise, and many birds including ospreys and bald eagles! Occasionally a glimpse of a shark or ocean sunfish may delight you!

Yes! These trips will pass by some of the same islands and lighthouses as the sightseeing tours. However, the vessels may not get as close or travel as slowly by these sights as other tours. Our narrators will still point out and discuss the sights as you go by.

Given clear conditions, all our sightseeing and puffin trips will be able to see shore throughout the trip. Whale watch routes vary depending on where the whales happen to be. Many trips may travel up to 20 miles and will lose sight of shore.

No. The company was literally started by and named after Captain Bob Fish. We offer sightseeing, whale watching, and puffin tours in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Even if you are sweating on shore, you may be cold on the water – temperatures can be over 20 degrees Fahrenheit lower offshore and wind can be a significant factor. As a result, we recommend you dress in layers. It’s never a bad idea to bring a jacket/windbreaker/rain gear, and warm hats and gloves are ideal in the early spring and late fall. A hat (with a strap!) can help in the summer. Flat, rubber-soled shoes are the best footwear options. If you forget, we offer sweatshirts, blankets, sunglasses, and other items for sale on the boat.

Aside from appropriate clothing it’s a good idea to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, binoculars (more so for birds than whales), camera and fully charged or extra batteries, and motion sickness medications or remedies. For those traveling with kiddos, some coloring books/cards/travel games/etc can be useful as some may get bored during down time. Note: we have some of these items available for sale on board in case you forget!

Yes, there is a galley with hot, cold, and alcoholic beverages, as well as many snacks. For morning cruises, we have coffee on board as well.

Beverages and coolers are not allowed, but food is permitted. We offer food and beverage on board for purchase as well.

Yes. We allow dogs on all our trips except our music cruises and fireworks cruises. Dog tickets must be purchased for each dog.

We have wonderful trips for young children to enjoy. We recommend our shorter trips that have less “down time” like our Original Harbor Cruise with Seals, Lighthouses, & Lobster Trap Haul, which are only 1.25 hours long. Our whale watch and whale/puffin combo trips are longer and travel farther with longer periods between exciting events. Young children tend to be more prone to sea sickness in rough conditions and have shorter attention spans on long trips. If you do bring your young child along on a whale watch tuck in some entertainment for down time.

We can accommodate a limited number of strollers, but prefer they be left behind as they can block the way for other passengers if we have too many onboard. For the safety and comfort of your child, our guests, and crew, there are a few rules we enforce regarding strollers: they are only allowed on the first deck and cannot be brought to the second deck. Brakes must stay on at all times, especially when a child is in the stroller.

We do our best to assist and accommodate as many different mobility devices as possible. Access to our vessels utilizes ramps, the steepness of which is determined by tide conditions (steeper at low tide). Once on board, there may be a low threshold in the doorway to step over or that a wheelchair may need to be lifted over to access the interior. Access to the second deck is only via stairs. Manual wheelchairs can be accommodated up to 25.5″ or 26.6″ wide depending on the vessel. Please inquire prior to purchasing tickets so we can confirm if your mobility device will fit.

No. You are welcome to bring and wear your own lifejacket for you or your children if you feel the need, but it is not required and most people don’t. Our vessels are all equipped with US Coast Guard approved PFDs (life jackets) which will be made readily available in an emergency situation. Unfortunately, we do not allow passengers to wear the vessels’ PDFs for any other reason. This policy is to make sure our equipment meets specific safety regulations at all times.

Most of our sightseeing tours are gentle trips and spend most of the time in calm, protected waters so it is highly unlikely for people to become seasick these tours. Puffin trips and whale watching trips can become more exposed to a range of sea conditions. If you are prone to motion sickness, do not know, or are at all worried about it, we would recommend taking your choice of motion sickness medication or remedy. Please follow the instructions on the label, as some medications are most effective if taken a period of time prior to the trip.

Yes! There are easily accessible restrooms on board. The toilets or urinals are regular functioning fixtures that our guests are accustomed to using in their homes or land based public facilities. They are located on the first deck of all our vessels, so no climbing stairs or ladders required!

We do not provide Wi-Fi on our vessels. Sightseeing tours tend to stay within cell service covered regions. However, most passengers on most whale watch trips will at some point lose coverage completely. Your cell phone service availability will be subject to your particular carrier. Please be aware, some carriers may have poor coverage in parts of the Boothbay Region.

The nearest parking to our boats is the Waterfront Parking lot located at 42 Commercial Street Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538. This is a paid parking lot. Please give yourself plenty of time to travel to Boothbay Harbor as Maine summer tourist traffic can back up quickly and unexpected parking delays can slow you down. We recommend you plan to get to the area one hour ahead of your trip. Please avoid time limited parking spaces as they may not provide enough time for your trip. Cap’n Fish’s is not responsible for any parking tickets incurred while on our trips.

Our vessels depart from Pier 1 and Pier 7 in Boothbay Harbor. There are signs identifying these locations as well as red ticket booths nearby with team members who can help direct you to where you need to be. If you purchased your tickets online, there are walking directions in your confirmation email.

Trips will begin boarding 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to the departure time listed on your ticket. For example, a 9:30am Whale Watch will begin boarding between 8:30am and 9:00am.

No. Seating locations are first come first serve, so if you have a preference, we recommend trying to show up soon enough to be near the front of the line.

No, we’ve gone paperless! Once you’ve purchased your ticket, you simply need to provide the name on the booking to board the vessel. All tickets purchased in advance may get directly in the boarding line and may bypass the ticket booth line. Please make sure your entire party boards together.

Yes. Trips depart rain or shine. All of our vessels have an interior where passengers can escape the rain. Occasionally, sea conditions may require a trip to get cancelled for safety reasons. If this happens you will be contacted accordingly with alternate options.

Trips vary in length by cruise type, and times are listed on our website. Note that each whale watch is different, so times provided on the site is an estimate. If the whales are far off-shore, the trip may be longer.

Trip Protection will cover you for the full amount of the ticket value in the event you need to cancel or reschedule your trip. Trip Protection allows for cancellations or rescheduling (subject to availability) of tickets up to 30 minutes prior to departure time for any reason. Unfortunately, if you did not purchase Trip Protection at the time of your ticket purchase, the tickets are non-refundable.