Horizon Large Whale Watching: A Saint Cyr Review

Dreaming of seeing giants of the sea? I’ve just returned, that’s right, I just got back from Horizon Large Whale Watching, located off the coast of Saint Cyr, and wow, oh wow, do I have stories, and some insight for you. My goal here is really to share my experiences, so that you can make a good choice about this very, very worthwhile adventure. I’m really going to cover, actually, like what to expect, the boat specifics, and some local info to help plan your possible, you know, visit, to Saint Cyr for some unforgettable encounters, and the wildlife around there.

Setting Sail: First Impressions

First off, actually, let’s chat about arriving in Saint Cyr, OK? The harbor itself is pretty charming, too, it’s almost got a friendly, almost welcoming vibe, that, and, is that you can easily feel yourself, maybe, excited to start exploring. Meeting the Horizon Large Whale Watching crew was really easy. They seemed very friendly and seemed like they wanted to go that extra mile to welcome everyone aboard, which I appreciated a lot. You can sense this really great eagerness to give each guest what they came for. The boat had that look that screamed safety, and adventure, yet, in a balanced way, if that makes any sense? This boat looked solid, very clean, too, and it looks ready to take on whatever the sea might throw at it, so, yes, off we go.

I want to say something else too; they ran through the standard safety stuff but it didn’t seem at all scary, or, very fearmongering like sometimes it could be, if you know what I mean? This was more just friendly, clear, simple advice, very, very calming. The rules felt like it was set up in that way that, hey, just to make things pleasant, very calm, and really, just super safe. They pointed out where the life vests are, what to do if you, might be feeling unwell (seasickness can affect people differently, you know) so that was a good consideration. What else? OK, so before we went anywhere they showed, too, a chart, like, what they thought their plan would be, given all the data they had at their fingertips. This showed the knowledge of these folk – what a team! The crew appeared ready, willing, able to share everything, but what they had to do first, that, of course, was try to locate our marine friends.

On the Water: What We Experienced

You leave port, that’s when the real stuff begins! The boat sliced, too it’s almost effortlessly, through the waves, and honestly, that is some nice coastal scenery – really worth the price alone. The guide talked, too it’s almost knowledgeably, about local seabirds, some marine ecosystem bits, so, so there was just stuff to keep me occupied as we went from A to B. Everyone watched. Binoculars were everywhere! Basically, we spotted our first whale very, very nearly an hour, maybe, later. Very far away to start. But even from that great, great distance, wow, you could sense its size, and its power, yet. The captain slowed down as we got closer and kept a respectable distance, that is, like to avoid bothering the animal at all.

Well! Honestly? Wow. Very soon, we all got an astounding view, you know, it’s almost that kind where the animal seems bigger than anything, yet, still delicate at the same time. This massive animal did this amazing breach that seemed like it went on forever. As it smashed, very gracefully actually, back in the ocean it just looked terrific. The sound echoed so loud, too it’s almost around us, then came the big splash and everyone gasped – so loud! More than anything else, this was worth the cost. Everyone then kept watching in case there were any family members nearby and a couple more appeared. I snapped tons of shots on my camera, but yet no pictures truly, I am afraid, show the spectacle.

Another great memory, that, yes, is that a momma with its offspring was sighted. They appeared to be circling close by, yet, that provided this, like stunning view for all aboard. People talked in hushed tones like you may hear in a really, very good theatre. The guide chatted quite knowledgeably too, you see it’s almost, that is, about whale behaviour. A marine biologist was on deck and that provided so many other views and bits of knowledge to enhance our experience, and enjoyment of these stunning cetaceans, that, of course, is if there was need to enhance. Oh. A pod of dolphins, really racing very close to us came by, that too put this perfect bow on the trip.

Crew and Comfort

So! Talking of the Horizon Large Whale Watching team? These were really great and very, very skilled, it looked that way. These really were very attentive without hovering over anyone, or, doing that thing of talking too much, you know? They all struck me as really respectful and appeared to truly love marine life and really trying hard, I could see it, trying very hard to share everything with everybody else. It got a little bit windy, like your face gets wet. Some of the party needed seasickness remedies and those were delivered pretty quick, like to the correct person. Very soon, so it felt like the guests could continue with the sightings, very nicely.

The boat itself had shaded spots and lots of viewing locations to cater, possibly, for all tastes. We did take food on board but yet some treats were on offer, too, like small bites, drinks, to keep guests pretty content. I might be making this up, but I think a camera lens cleaning kit appeared as well to make certain folk’s equipment was spot on – what consideration!. There appeared lots of thought behind the scenes, for example, where they steered the ship, the bits of science discussed, the way people were dealt with, etcetera – these folk are ace!

Essential Tips for your Trip

Now, before setting off I had a small bit of knowledge, but yet I did some other digging prior, I suppose to enhance this particular blog! So that, you know, hopefully there will be some really good information for the people about to visit Saint Cyr. First up? Basically, this is packing some stuff. Saint Cyr enjoys this, that is, the climate by the Mediterranean, so anticipate warm weather when visiting there, mostly. Layers still make great sense though, it may be cooler out there on the ocean than here by land. Never forget sunscreen, very dark glasses to reduce the squint, some form of headgear, you know. Taking something to drink is always sensible.

Booking smartly is also wise, arguably! During summer? Yes, very busy. Reserving a spot with the tour providers is very wise because tours fill pretty fast. Going on weekdays might make more sense because it might not be so overcrowded – and better viewing spots possibly available! Research, well research, you should do some prior – what could be spotted when is helpful in deciding your possible visit dates! And then look up the various operators so that that provides you, very nicely, with choice, to allow you to pick the outfit, or the trip which suits you ideally.

Last bit – that is, be ready with a camera! Getting good shots always enhances enjoyment, but the best cameras might not even take photos this good to bring back the right memories. These might be once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities, and those never happen! Do charge the device you are using to full capacity! Basically, whale watching necessitates waiting about, quite sometimes, to make certain batteries don’t die prior to whales being nearby! And basically, follow instructions on site, OK?