Discount Plankton Sample Morning Tours

Our Wildlife Adventure Day Tour: With a stop to take our Plankton Samples for the California Department of Health Services. We help them track ocean algal blooms and also look for seasonal glowing plankton in the samples. Learn about seasonal mussel harvesting closures, red tides, and bioluminescent (glowing) plankton. You're welcome to look at our magnified samples after the tour. .

Reserve Early to Ensure a Seat

Discount Rate $110 per adult seat / Children 10-12 years of age $65

Minimum Total Clients To Avoid Cancellation: 4 Adults

Bring Your Own Munchies and Water

Enjoy an extra discount of $10 per adult and $5 per child

when reserving 5 or more seats.

Families or groups with younger children must reserve their own private tour dates.

Our current dates are listed in discount tours above

October / November: Sampled with our "Living Classrooms" Science School Groups

We take samples December through May when there are unusually high ocean temperature events.

Keep an eye out for last minute announcements.  We enjoy sharing the experience.

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Evening Events:

Sunset and Full Moon Tours

Starts 3 hours prior to Sunset: 4 Hours

Same format as day tour:

Starts later to enjoy the sunset or sunset with paddling back under the full moon.

Full Moon : Best Dates To View

Reserve Early to Ensure a Seat

Discount Rate $110 per adult seat / Children 10-12 years of age $65

Reserve Early to Ensure a Seat

Minimum Total Clients To Avoid Cancellation: 4 Adults

Bring Your Own Munchies and Water

Enjoy an extra discount of $10 per adult and $5 per child

when reserving 5 or more seats.

Families or groups with younger children must reserve their own private tour dates.

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Our Current dates are listed in our Discount Tours above.

Unless there are unusually warm evenings,

we don't resume Full Moon Tours until June.

Keep an eye out for Special Events though. It can and has happened.

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Bioluminescent Night Tours

(Glowing) Plankton

Peaks Mid August into Beginning of October

We meet just before sunset and the tours last 3-3.5 Hours:

On the most intense nights you can see the trails of fish, harbor seals and other estuary life moving in the water as well as glowing trails everywhere you touch.

Tour contact List

     These dates are tentative and groups are formed from our contact list, almost at the last minute, based on confirmation of the glowing blooms.

     The Glowing Plankton does not bloom all Summer or Fall months. They show up in periodic waves associated with peaks in warmer ocean temperatures. We don't want to guess and have clients pay for barely a sparkle. Instead, we confirm when the blooms are strong and amazing, then call our clients to quickly form larger discounted groups to share enjoying the glowing event together.

Please Call: Get on our "Contact List" Early to Ensure a Seat

We will note your best dates and expected number of participants from your group,

and will contact you when we confirm they are blooming.

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Best Plankton Dates To View: Per The Moon

Water samples required to confirm the blooms.

Minimum Total Clients To Avoid Cancellation: 4 Adults

Bring Your Own Munchies and Water

Enjoy an extra discount of $10 per seat, age 12 and above, and $5 off under 12

when reserving 5 or more seats.

 * Our Discount Plankton Tour Age Limit: 10 years of age and over unless scheduling your own private group.

      Evening tours can feel cooler for younger children who are not paddling the kayak.

      Young children can also become frightened by the glowing wildlife and we can't turn it off like an entertainment screen. This ended one of our initial discount group tours.  Please do not bring your child or youth if they become frightened or excessively loud after sunset. If you have a community or larger family with curious children, ages 8 and above, we'd be happy to put together a shorter private experience at a great price. 

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We have several dates planned in our Discount Tours at the top of this page.

Other Discount or Private Tours may be available within the following date ranges.

 

July 14 - 21: Possible Plankton: 8:15-11:15 PM

Adults $100 / Youth ages 10-12 $60 

Discount Tour Dates Will Appear Here

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August 10th and 14th: Perseids and Probable Plankton

8-11 PM: 3 Hours: Adults $100 / Youth ages 10-12 $60

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August 11th-13th: Perseids and Plankton: Peak Night is Saturday the 12th:

7:45-11:15 PM: We added an extra half hour for the best nights.

Adults $110 / Youth ages 10-12 $65

These dates are likely to fully book. Reserve Early!

The Perseid meteor shower is rich and steady, from early August through the peak and are colorful and frequently leave persistent trains. This makes the Perseid shower perhaps the most beloved meteor shower for the Northern Hemisphere. Skywatchers frequently report 90 meteors per hour, or more. In 2023, the moon will not interfere with viewing the meteor shower or glowing ocean plankton. Yea!

Enjoy an extra $10 off per seat when reserving 5 or more.

Other Probable Dates

August 15 - 20: Probable Plankton: 7:45 PM

Adults $110 / Youth ages 10-12 $65

These dates are likely to fully book. Get on our list!

Discount Tour Dates Will Appear Here

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September 7 - 17: Probable Plankton: 7 PM

Adults $110 / Youth ages 10-12 $65

These dates are likely to fully book. Get on our list!

Discount Tour Dates Will Appear Here

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October 6 - 10 and 14-16: Possible Plankton: 7 PM

Adults $110 / Youth ages 10-12 $65

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Private Tour Rates:

Listed below

Non-Profit and Veteran Military Group Discounts: $10 per person
Call for Youth, Education, Research and Volunteer Group Pricing

Plan ahead: We are still short staffed and may need to close our rentals on dates

we accommodate large scout, youth, and school groups, which are our main priority.

Our main times for youth and scouts is midweek during Summer months

Our main months for middle school through college field research groups

are midweek Mid-September through the first week of November.

“Living Classrooms Project” / “Sonoma Coast Watch”
Also See: Educational Tours and Skills Instruction

Ask Your Lodging Provider For Our Discount Code!

or     
Join Us On Our Advertised Discounted Group Dates
Guided / Outfitted : Great Discounts by joining our groups.
 

Useful Items To Bring:

​Small day pack
Water and Walking Appropriate shoes
Sunscreen and Sunglasses

A Cap or Wide Brimmed Hat
Water & snacks
Waterproof camera
Waterproof binoculars
GPS (Handy for Geocaching)

Clothing layering: Thin Water Resistant Outerwear for temps below 65 degrees.
 

Our Private Rates:

By Reservation Only

All participants must have swimming skills.

Our most common requests are listed first

Give us a call! 707-865-2249

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5-6 Hours: Our Full Estuary Gourmet Lunch Tour:

Sky Watcher Rock, Estuary Loop,  Goat Rock Beach and Drift Wood Beach Harbor Seal Float.  Can start at 9AM or start later to enjoy the Sunset or paddling back under the Full Moon.

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 Group Size:     Adult                Child         Guides

  2 -  4              $170 pp           $100                 1

  5 - 10             $160 pp           $95                  1-2

11 -15              $150 pp           $90                 2

16 - 20             $140 pp           $85                  2-3

21 - 30             $130 pp           $80                  3

 

4 Hours: Our most common day or evening tour:

Estuary Loop / Hike South Beach or Sky Watcher or Full Moon / Sunset. Munchie snack included. -$5 When Bringing Own Snack

 

 Group Size:     Adult                Child         Guides

  2 -  4              $140 pp           $85                  1

  5 - 10             $130 pp           $80                  1-2

11 -15              $120 pp           $75                  2

16 - 20             $110 pp           $70                  2-3

21 - 30             $100 pp           $65                  3

3.5 hours: Day or Evening: Sunset, Full Moon: 2-4 Person Private: Munchie snack included. Discount $5 When Bringing Own Snack

Group Size:     Adult                Child           Guides

  2 -  4              $130 pp            $80                 1

  5 - 10             $120 pp            $75                 1-2

11 -15              $110 pp            $70                 2

16 - 20             $100 pp            $65                 2-3

 

3.5 hours: Glowing Plankton: Extra guide at night. 

No Snack on Plankton Tours.

Group Size:     Adult                Child         Guides

Group Size:     Adult                Child           Guides

  2 -  4              $130 pp            $80                 1

  5 - 10             $120 pp            $75                 2

11 -15              $110 pp            $70                 2-3

16 - 20             $100 pp            $65                 3-4

Night Child Restrictions:*

 

3 hours: 2-10 person Evening Or 2-4 Person Private Day:

Glowing Plankton: Extra guide at night. No Snack on Plankton Tours.

Group Size:     Adult                Child         Guides

  2 -  4             $ 120 pp            $75                1

  5 - 10            $ 110 pp            $70                1-2

Night Child Restrictions:*

 

*Under 10 restriction on advertised “Join Our Group Plankton Night Tours”. Younger children may find the intensity of the glow unsettling which can impact the overall group experience.  You’re welcome to schedule a private family group tour for your family and friends with younger children.  All participants must have swimming skills.

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Private 5 Hour: Lesson and Rental Package:

Reservation Request Required: 48 hours in advance.

2.5 Hour Kayak Lesson Shuttled to Willow Creek

and

2.5 Hour Estuary Loop Rental with Recreation Map Review. Clients can break for lunch in between lesson and rental. Lesson in singles. Rental can be double.
 

         1 person        $ 150 pp      1 Guide

      2-3 persons      $ 120 pp      1 Guide

Groups of   4-6       $ 110 pp      1-2 Guides

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Living Classrooms Project:

 Schools, Scouts, Education, Research, Wounded Warriors, etc. 

 

These tours are deeply discounted because sustainability and community education is the base of why we created our tourism infrastructure. .These tours are "partially funded by our standard tourism activities" specifically to “match curriculum for schools “ and “provide youth or rehabilitation activities for non-profit entities" that otherwise would not be able to afford to match their needs in the outdoors.

Matching School Curriculum: 4-4.5 Hours

Costs vary slightly based on daily participants,

for a single day, or an average of multiple classes over several days.
 

We support Small Middle School Classes with Multiple Grades and our Larger Schools are bringing 5 classes over 5 days averaging 28 students for each class. Maximum each day is 35 including staff or parent chaperones. Multiple classes can be spread out over 2 to three weeks. Example: Tuesday and Thursday one week and Monday, Wednesday and Friday the next.
These low partially funded rates are not online: Call for pricing.
 

Ready to Reserve?

Give us a call: 707-865-2249