The Condor was featured on Fox News...read more! "A Whale Of A Good Time" - Santa Barbara News

About Us

About The Boat

The all-new Condor Express is Santa Barbara's newest, most modern whale watching, party cruise, and private charter vessel! Built and launched by All American Marine in March, 2002, this high speed catamaran was designed to replace Condor Cruises' original 88-foot all-steel vessel, the Condor. With a specially built wave-piercing hull, the Condor Express provides an exceptionally smooth, stable ride. The vessel features a modified hydrofoil "wing" mounted between the hulls which provides lift to raise the boat at high speed and produce the smooth ride that this design is noted for. Powered by four computer-controlled 740 hp Detroit Diesel engines that power high performance HamiltonJet waterjets, the Condor Express is environmentally friendly and safe around marine animals. With an average cruising speed of 28+ knots, the Condor Express is capable of reaching the islands in just a third of the time (45 minutes) of other charter boats.

A beautifully appointed vessel, the Condor Express boasts large walk-around decks, a generous upper sun-deck, and a raised forward bow area. These features provide unparalleled, close-to-the-action, viewing of the Santa Barbara Channels' marine life and scenic coastline. The luxurious teak-paneled cabin seats 68 people for comfortable dining with a smoked glass skylight. Continuous side windows create a bright, cheery atmosphere in the cabin. A built-in teak salad bar and buffet table are fitted for dinner service or hors d'oeuvres and the cabin features a fully equipped cocktail bar and separate food preparation area for dinner and cocktail cruises. The afterdeck is also very large, providing lots of room for dancing to a DJ or live band. Our Bose stereo system provides wonderful clarity for music throughout the vessel for dancing or dinner. Two 42" Sony high-definition plasma monitors are mounted in the cabin for viewing movies, video-microscopes, and PowerPoint displays.

The Condor Express is the ideal platform for whale watching, island excursions, weddings and receptions, company charters, dinner cruises, educational and research trips - virtually any type of ocean outing! The Condor Express's unique combination of speed, luxury, safety, and experienced crew offers our passengers the opportunity to see and experience more of the sights, wildlife, and beauty of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands than any other vessel.

Other features of the Condor Express include:

• 75-foot-long, 26.5-foot-wide, quad-jet-powered catamaran capable of cruising at 28+ knots
• Has a displacement of 118,200 pounds when full (77,000 pounds light)
• Powered by four computer-controlled, low emission, 740 hp Detroit Diesel engines
• Hull features a modified hydrofoil wing that produces an extremely smooth and stable ride
• U.S. Coast Guard certified and insured to carry up to 127 passengers
• Features a large and luxurious teak-paneled cabin with skylight, expansive windows, booth seating for 68 people, buffet hot table, and a full-service galley and cocktail bar
• Upper sundeck seating offers unobstructed animal viewing and sight-seeing
• The wheelhouse is equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and state-of-the-art navionics
• Huge raised bow allows passengers a up-close look at the wildlife
• Three full-size rest rooms aboard
• High-tech Bose audio system and two 42 inch high-definition plasma screens are located in the main cabin
• A large afterdeck provides lots of room for dancing to a DJ or a live band, as well as a powerful hoist and plenty of space for educators and researchers to work

Our History

For over 30 years, Condor Cruises has been a part of the Santa Barbara waterfront. Captain Fred Benko started the Sea Landing in March of 1973 as a charter service offering sport fishing, diving, harbor cruises, and limited whale watching. At that time the Pacific Gray Whale population was extremely endangered and estimated to be only 8,300 animals. Fortunately, with time this number steadily grew, and by 1985 the herd was over 15,000 individuals. Then Capt. Benko sold the Sea Landing and went into whale watching full time.

So wonderful! I have wanted to do this my whole life--you made it special for me. Thank you! Marilyn, Downers Grove, IL

As the whale-watching business grew, Condor Cruises upgraded its smaller sport fishing charter boats with the original Condor, which Capt. Benko built in 1979. Then, in 2002, he replaced the Condor with the all-new Condor Express, a state-of-the-art catamaran powered by high-efficiency diesel engines driving water jets. This boat is the epitome of comfort, speed, and safety and was specially designed to be environmentally friendly and safe around marine animals.

Today, with the California Gray Whale population restored to its pre-whaling numbers (18,000-26,000), and the recent appearance of Humpback and Blue whales during the summer months (since 1992), whale watching aboard Condor Cruises has evolved into a year-round adventure.

With more than 30 years of experience, over 100,000 satisfied passengers, and a love and appreciation for the ocean and its inhabitants, Condor Cruises has evolved into one of the most successful whale watching and private charter boat operations in the U.S.

Condor Cruises is proud to work with a number of scientists and research organizations to document and study the vast and diverse animal life within the Santa Barbara Channel.

Some of the organizations we work with include:

• Marine Science Institute (MSI) at UC Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
• Cascadia Research, Olympia, Wash.
• American Cetacean Society
• Los Angeles Audubon Society
• The British Broadcasting Company (BBC)
• National Geographic Society

In additional to research, the Condor Express serves as a major platform for elementary and middle school marine education programs. In the Los Marineros program, fifth-graders go whale watching and observe firsthand the incredible diversity of habitats and species found in the Channel. And in 2002, Condor Cruises partnered with the Marine Science Institute (MSI) at UC Santa Barbara and NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary to create a Floating Marine Lab Program that offers an educational research cruise for sixth- through eighth-grade students. During these cruises, students experience a rare and unparalleled glimpse into the complex and fascinating underwater world directly off the Santa Barbara coast. Working under the direction of MSI, professional staff, UCSB students, and teachers conduct ongoing marine biological and oceanographic research in the Channel.

Tour The Boat!

For a 360-degree interior view of the Condor Express please select one of the images below.

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For more information on chartering your own boat in Santa Barbara, contact the Condor Express at or call toll free: 888-77WHALE or 805-882-0088.