Redondo's Glass Bottom Boat Puts You Below the Waterline
A two-level harbor ride in Redondo Beach: sea lions and pelicans from the deck, then a bench beside the underwater windows.
Start with what the name leaves out. There is no glass floor on this boat. Partway through the ride you climb down a steep, ladder-like stair into a viewing room below the waterline and sit on a bench beside long side windows about two feet tall, inches from the glass. The operator likens it to watching a big-screen 3D TV, and that is the picture worth bringing.
The boat was built in 1995 and is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard every year. It never leaves the King Harbor breakwater, so the water stays flat and the dock is only minutes away.
The booking covers the ride with a Coast Guard certified captain, plus life jackets for adults and children. There is no restroom aboard, and tips are extra. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
Glass Bottom Boat Ride in Redondo BeachRedondo Glass Bottom Boat · up to 19 passengers · sea lions from the deck, then the underwater viewing room · 45 minutes as listedwww.viator.comSea Lions, Pelicans and the Harbor's Story Come First
The ride opens on the top deck. The captain loops King Harbor past the horseshoe-shaped pier and the Portofino Hotel, telling the story of the harbor and of Redondo Beach along the way, and pulls up close to the floating dock where the harbor's California sea lions haul out. Pelicans crowd the breakwater rocks.
Captains regularly hand the wheel to the children aboard, often with the captain's hat on. The operator keeps that for kids because there is not time for every adult to steer. This half of the trip is spent up on deck, so bring sun protection.
Then Downstairs in Shifts of About Ten
The boat carries up to 19 passengers, but only about ten fit in the viewing room at once. On a fuller boat you go downstairs in turns. The listing sells the trip as 45 minutes; the operator's own FAQ says public trips typically run 30 to 40, closer to 30 with ten or fewer aboard and about ten minutes longer once the group splits. Guests who timed their turn below report around ten to fifteen minutes at the windows.
The operator's fish list is garibaldi, California's state saltwater fish, plus calico bass, sand bass, opaleye, smelt and perch, with stingrays, octopus, lobsters and crabs turning up now and then. Clarity changes with the weather. After a big winter storm the water turns murky and the bright orange garibaldi stay tucked into the rocks.
Babies, Dogs and the Ladder Down
Babies are welcome but need a child ticket, since every passenger counts toward the 19-person limit, and they wear a life jacket the crew provides; the listing has infants ride on an adult's lap. Children under 90 pounds wear a life jacket for the whole trip. The stair to the viewing room is steep and you need the handrails, so the operator suggests bringing a second adult with a baby.
The boat is not wheelchair accessible. The dock and the door into the boat are narrow. The crew often helps guests out of a wheelchair and aboard, but often cannot get everyone down to the viewing room. Calm, well-trained dogs can come, but they stay on the top deck, so someone in your party stays up with them.
Park at 181, Board at 132
The operator sends drivers to the paid public lot at 181 North Harbor Drive. From there, walk down the International Boardwalk to number 132; the boat loads from the dock there, under two blue sun shades with a tiki table on the dock. Its reservation system asks you to arrive 15 minutes before departure to check in, and warns that cutting it closer will probably mean missing the boat. The operator's directions page budgets 30 minutes and points at LA traffic.
🛥️ Photos and video are welcome anywhere aboard; drones are only considered on private charters. Keep a phone ready for the sea lion float and for the moment a school of fish swings past the window.