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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

Sun 17 Nov

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $100.00

Make a reservation

Sun 17 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)

Disneyfan1967

Jul 2021

The cruise was fun, saw no whales but lots of dolphins. The captain and the guides were very nice. The brownies are amazing. Only thing I was disappointed in, and this is a big deal with Covid being rampant again, is that I booked the cruise because the website said all Covid precautions in place including “ small groups, hand sanitizer and mask required for unvaccinated”. The group on the cruise we took was HUGE no seats left on the boat at all, no hand sanitizer anywhere and there were at least 15 kids under the age of 12 on the boat (meaning too young to be vaccinated) and not a single one with a mask. Since my daughter is immune compromised We need to be very careful which is why I booked with this company and I saw NO Covid precautions at all. Very disappointing since they advertised them on their site. We almost left and asked for a refund but we had driven 2 hours so we wore masks and tried to avoid the kids running all over.

Response from Host

Aug 2021

Hi Ms. Nordman, thank you very much for sharing your concerns with us. It’s great to read that you had fun and liked our Captain and crew. However I’m so sorry that you were disappointed with our Covid precautions. Due to California lifting all capacity limits and physical distancing requirements for businesses, we no longer have Covid-related capacity restrictions on our vessels. But all of our safaris have always been uncrowded and each trip aboard Manute’a, the catamaran that you were on, is and always has been limited to 49 passengers. Compared to some other companies and their “cattle boats” with standing room only, this is a small group tour. We also have other vessels that are limited to even fewer passengers. No trip is overcrowded and there is seating for everyone, with opportunities to comfortably view the wildlife from anywhere on the boat. We have aligned with current CDC and CDPH guidelines regarding distancing and masks. We ask our guests to agree that they are either vaccinated or will wear a mask during the trip. We recognize that each individual and family’s situation is unique and there are widely varying viewpoints regarding Covid and masks. It can be a difficult situation for a company to navigate, especially regarding parental rights over what their children are required to do. I am extremely sorry that you felt uncomfortable and that our health and safety measures did not meet your expectations as you were trying to protect your daughter. We have addressed the lack of hand sanitizer with our crew, as there should have been some readily available for you. We do have hand sanitizer gel stations on board, and we have instructed our crew to point those out during the safety speech. There are also hand sanitizer stations available at check-in. In addition, we have clarified our mask policy as it relates to children who cannot yet be vaccinated. We really appreciate your valuable feedback which gives us the opportunity to improve. And we would definitely love to see you and your family again for more amazing marine wildlife sightings!

K2083TIcrystalm

Jul 2021

Great staff! Very informative! We didn't get to see any whales, but we got to see some dolphins, sea lions, seagulls and some tuna! Unfortunately, sea conditions didn't allow us to go underneath to view the dolphins, but it was still a great experience!

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Hi Crystal, thanks for the positive feedback! I’m thrilled that you had a great experience with Capt. Dave’s recently, viewing the beautiful wild dolphins and more in their natural habitat. I’m also glad you enjoyed our crew’s informative narration. I hope you can join us again soon – we’d love for you to be able to check out the Pods and see some of Dana Point’s year-round whales too!

hunterkathie

Jul 2021

Excellent entertaining and extremely knowledgeable staff. We’d recommend this trip highly to anyone .

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Hi Kathie, thanks very much for the review and recommendation! It’s fantastic that you were entertained by our staff during your recent dolphin and whale watching excursion. We appreciate the high rating and hope you can join us for another unforgettable adventure soon!