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Dana Point Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Eco-Safari

Dana Point Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Eco-Safari

Overview

Gather the family, kids, and friends to join Orange County's highest rated whale watching activity, featuring exclusive Underwater Viewing Pods. For over 20 years we have provided the most unique and eco-friendly dolphin and whale watching trips to view magnificent Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Minke Whales, and occasionally Orcas (Killer Whales), Pilot Whales, False Killer Whales, and more. Five species of wild dolphins are also seen throughout the year, including mega-pods with up to 10,000 dolphins! Plus sea lions, marine birds, and even sharks. You'll depart from Dana Point, home to one of the most diverse marine eco-systems in the world. Aboard our uncrowded high-tech catamaran you will enjoy up close and personal dolphin and whale watching with expert narration, complimentary triple fudge brownies, and more.

City: Dana Point

Sat 16 Nov

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $100.00

Make a reservation

Sat 16 Nov

Starting at $100.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Licensed Captain and professional crew

U.S. Coast Guard inspected and certified vessel

Cetacean Declaration - Join us again for free within one calendar year if you don't see any dolphins or whales

Live commentary on board

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Entry into the Underwater Viewing Pods requires the use of ladder-like steps. Persons with a disability or limited mobility may have difficulty.
Trip times may vary by date.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (376)

hjarta5

Dec 2018

Friendly staff, both onboard and at the deck. Lots of room to move throughout the boat and enjoyable casual atmosphere with the crew. Didnt mind missing the elusive puff from the fin whale; relaxing time on the water and lots of other animals to see such as sea lions, dolphins, sea birds, etc.

Response from Host

Jan 2019

Hi, Thank you for your review! I’m so glad you enjoyed viewing playful wild dolphins, birds, and sea lions on your trip out with Capt. Dave’s. It’s wonderful that you were happy with our staff and boat too. Is there anything we could do to improve and earn a 5-star review from you next time? We’d love for you to visit again soon.

Nat L

Dec 2018

One goes on this excursion, as opposed to others, largely for the catamaran experience. Because its sooooo fun. And one is closer to the water and can see everything better. Then, the captain is wonderful and super knowledgeable. The rest of the staff is also very wonderful. And the brownies are realllyyyy gooood. Like REALLY GOOD. This visit, we were lucky enough to see a couple of mega pods of dolphins and 2 hump back whales. Fluking and breeching. Which doesn’t happen often. I’ve been waiting more than 30 years to see some serious fluking. So, that was pretty amazing. We also saw sea lions and sea birds hunting at sea. Diving up to 60 ft below the surface. Largely because the folks here know where to look. By the time we left the humpback whales, two other boats of whale stalkers had joined us, but we found ‘em FIRST. Also, those of us in the front were sprayed by humpbacks taking a breath. How awesome is that?

Response from Host

Dec 2018

Hi, Thanks so much for your review. It’s so great to read what a fun and exciting time you had on your recent dolphin and whale watching safari with Capt. Dave’s. I’m thrilled you had the chance to get up-close and personal with two Humpback whales as well as hundreds of wild dolphins! I’m also glad you were satisfied with our boat and crew. We appreciate the high rating, and hope to see you again soon.

ncdel

Oct 2018

This was a fantastic trip- I know that there is no guarantee you'll see anything but the crew was on the prowl to find some wildlife, communicating with other boats and talking to other people we'd pass on boats & jetskis. We saw a huge pod of dolphins that I think many of us could have watched all day, and then were able to locate 2 humpback whales based on tips from some other people. The crew were really friendly and enthusiastic, and we went on a weekday morning which I would definitely recommend- I'm not sure how crowded it gets on a weekend, but it was not full and we could move around and look off of the boat at all different vantage points with no problem. Another thing I really liked was that it was a smaller boat so even at capacity, not huge, and being a catamaran you're pretty close to the water- we saw at least one other whale watching type boat out and it was much larger, more crowded, and didn't seem like it could get as close to the wildlife. We met several people on the trip who were return visitors, I think that is a good review in itself.

Response from Host

Oct 2018

Hi, Thank you for your review. I’m so excited that you were able to see two impressive Humpback Whales on your recent safari with Capt. Dave’s, as well as a large pod of playful wild dolphins! I’m also glad you enjoyed our crew’s service, and felt comfortable on our unique catamaran - we always limit the number of passengers on board so it is never overcrowded, no matter the day or time. Thanks again for the positive feedback. I hope you can join us again soon!