San Diego Ocean Ferry boat rides?

[KCmike]

Are there any boat rides in the ocean (would be my family's first time on the ocean) that anyone could recommend from San Diego?

We are staying in Coronado.

Don't really want a bay cruise....want the ocean!

 

[ScooterL]

When are you visiting? If you're here December-March there's lots of whale watching boat trips available. Most of the rest of the year I think those are fishing boats. Other than a fishing trip, to do anything on the ocean you might have to hire a charter, like http://www.seaforthboatrental.com/adventures/index.php, or http://www.sandiegoboattours.com.

 

[KCmike]

I can't believe that wouldn't have something like this. I see ferry boats for the city to coronado all over different websites but nothing for the ocean.

Are the navy ships free to board and walk around on?

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I can't believe that wouldn't have something like this. I see ferry boats for the city to coronado all over different websites but nothing for the ocean.

Are the navy ships free to board and walk around on?

Well, a ferry by definition just takes people and cars from one point to another, so you may need to look for a day cruise specifically.

 

[ScooterL]

If one of the Navy ships is having a "Public Day", then yes, they are free for anyone to board. Otherwise, the only Navy ship that is available for touring is the Midway, which is a museum, and it charges for entry.

As far as ferries go - San Diego isn't close enough to anything for an ocean ferry to some off-shore destination to make sense. You might look into taking a hydrofoil to Catalina Island from San Pedro, Long Beach, Marina del Rey or Dana Point if you want to do something on the ocean. Dana Point isn't much more than an hour from San Diego. Looks like the trip from Dana Point to Catalina Island is about 3 hours round trip. You can find more details on this web site: http://www.catalinaexpress.com/