Port of San Diego celebrates Maritime Month with free boat tours

SAN DIEGO — The public will have four opportunities in two days to experience San Diego Bay for free, as the Port of San Diego has partnered with Hornblower to offer free boat tours of California’s southernmost waterfront.

Hornblower and the port district are offering the free boat tours in celebration of Maritime Month, which occurs in May every year.

Tours are held twice on May 19 (10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.) and twice again on May 20 (also 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.).

“These guided tours aboard Hornblower vessels provide both a scenic view and a narrated story of how the maritime industry impacts the entire San Diego region,” port district staff said in a released statement.

Highlighting each tour are cruises passed the only shipbuilding and repair yards on the West Coast, the port district’s two marine cargo terminals and marine terminals at Tenth Avenue and National City.

The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is a commercial port specializing in bananas, wind energy components and other commodities. National City Marine Terminal – also a commercial port – specializes in automobiles and lumber.

Those interested in attending one of the free boat tours can register on the Port of San Diego website. Click on the “RSVP HERE” link on the date and time you wish to attend. Each registrant must be 18 or older and is allowed to bring one guest; the guest must be at least 8 years old.

Space on each boat tour is limited, so reservations will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All guests must register in advance and bring a printed confirmation to the dock for their scheduled tour.

Tours will depart from Pier 1 Hornblower Landing at 1800 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego 92101.

Check-in, per port district staff, will begin 30 minutes prior to departure. Boarding for the morning tour begins at 10:15 a.m. (departure is at 10:45 a.m. and disembarking is at 12:30 p.m.). Boarding for the afternoon tour begins at 12:45 p.m. (departure is at 1:15 p.m. and disembarking is at 3 p.m.)

“We recommend public transportation as part of our commitment to sustainability,” port district staff stated. “All tours are handicap accessible. However, not all and decks are accessible.”