california whale watching, whale watching tours and calfornia gray whales

Please call us for your blue whale watching and gray whale watching trips

Join us as we search for whales, dolphin, sea lion and other exciting marine life!

All of our cruises are narrated by our expert captains who will educate you on the abundant ocean life on our coast.
Trips are all 2 hours long, plenty of time to discover the world that lies beneath!
Remember that sightings are guaranteed! If you don’t see A GOOD SHOWING of whales or dolphin, you will get your ticket back and are invited to come out again with us! These “whale checks” never expire.

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Want to do the best in California whale watching? Dana Wharf Sportfishing, out of Dana Point in Southern California, runs exciting whale watching tours to see the California gray whale.

Special Offer:

Save $10 per person on all adult, senior and child ticket prices; Use promo code CALADVWHALE

Click to GET YOUR COUPON" to receive your deal!

Wyland Art Lessons in the Wild

Weekends starting Jan. 13, 2013!
Art Lesson/VIP Boarding 9 - 9:45am
Whale Watching 10am - 12pm
$45 Adults
$25 Kids 14 and under
$5 per person donation to the Wyland Foundation

This three hour activity aboard the 63' Ocean Adventures Catamaran or 95' Dana Pride will begin with a dockside presentation and art lesson, via video feed, by renowned environmental artist, Wyland! Guests will learn how Wyland has created some of the best know marine wildlife paintings and sculptures of our era. The vessel will then depart the dock for a whale and dolphin watching adventure!

Children can enter their art in an end-of-season contest for the most accurate portrayal of marine mammals to be judged by Wyland. The winning child and family will receive a Whale Watching trip accompanied by Wyland aboard the Ocean Adventure. Other prizes awarded to art winners include $50 Gift Cards to Wyland's Gallery gift shop, and Whale Watching tickets. Every child who participates will also receive a coupon for a gift from Wyland Gallery that they can redeem in Laguna Beach. The mission of Wyland's foundation is to give both children and adults alike, the tools they need to become more creative, positive and solution oriented through art. To take advantage of the pre-boarding and art lesson, a $5 per person donation to the Wyland Foundation is required. This special event is limited to first 30 passengers that sign up. Adults are able to participate in the art lesson; however, the art contest is only for children 14 and under.

Gray Whale Season runs till April 30th:

Remember that Tuesdays are 1/2 price all year long!

2-Hour Whale Watching Adventure Cruise
Trips depart daily!
10:00am - 12:00pm
12:00pm - 2:00pm
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Adults - $45
Seniors (55+) - $35
Kids (3-12) - $25
2 and under are FREE!
**Times may vary. Please call or look online to verify times.
Join us as we search for whales, dolphin, sea lion and other exciting marine life! All of our cruises are narrated by our expert captains who will educate you on the abundant ocean life on our coast. Trips are all 2 hours long, plenty of time to discover the world that lies beneath! Remember that sightings are guaranteed! If you don't see A GOOD SHOWING of whales or dolphin, you will get your ticket back and are invited to come out again with us! These "whale checks" never expire.

Whale Watching Excursions

See why Dana Point is the “Whale Capital of the West!” Most excursions are 2-3 hours long. Reservations recommended.

Dana Wharf Whale Watching

(800) 979-3370 or (800) 590-9994
The originator of Whale Watching in Orange County since 1971. Take an adventure cruise to see the California Gray Whales in their natural environment. Fun for all ages and sightings of whales or dolphins are guaranteed or come back again and ride free. Excursions depart every hour from 8 AM to 4 PM during the Festival weekends and every trip is approx. 2 hours. Prices: Adults $45, Senior and Military $35, Children 3-12 years $25, Children 2 and under are free. Back by popular demand – The Whale of a Deal at 8 AM. All seats just $15 – weekends only, hurry the best deal in town sells out fast. Check out our schedule and purchase online http://www.zerve.com/DanaWharf/calendar use a promo code CALADVWHALE to save $10 per person on all adult, senior and child ticket prices.

Dana Wharf Whale Watching is also hosting a special two-hour Whale Watching excursion following their Marine Mammal Lecture both weekends at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM. A variety of guest marine biologists will present recent findings on local whales, dolphins and other marine mammals aboard their 63-foot, state-of-the-art Ocean Adventures catamaran – featuring an incredibly spacious viewing deck and full-service deli-style gallery – for those that want a one-on-one educational experience, hurry these trips sell out. Prior to the 11:30 AM departure, a special lecture session from 10 AM to 11 AM and continental breakfast at Harpoon Henry’s will be included with all 11:30 AM reservations. Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for children 3 – 12 and free for children under 2. ( no senior rate on this one sorry ) For reservations call 800-979-3370 or 800-590-9994 or book your tickets at http://www.zerve.com/DanaWharf/calendar and use promo code CALADVWHALE to save $10 per person on all adult, senior and child ticket prices.

Dana Wharf is proud to offer year-round whale and dolphin watching out of beautiful Dana Point Harbor. From late November - April, come out and see the Gray Whale migration and from May - late November you can view the majestic Blue Whales right off our coast!

The Blue Whale season runs May - October. Remember that whale watching is year round at Dana Wharf as we see the Gray Whale migration November - April! The Blue Whales are the largest mammal on Earth and can grow to over 100 feet long! Whaling in the 1900's caused a severe decline in the blue whale population along the Pacific coast of the United States. Once hunting was banned, the blue whale population has slowly started to recover. Before whaling was commercialized, blue whale numbers along the Pacific were estimated to be around 200,000. Today, the blue whale population around the world is estimated to be around 12,000. Approximately 2,000 blue whales call the Pacific coast their home. The blue whale is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List. These gentle giants are truly an amazing sight to see! We saw 762 Blue Whales last season and each year the number of sightings increases!

RATES

Catamaran Adventure Cruise- runs daily 12pm - 2pm and 2pm - 4pm

Come aboard our brand new luxurious catamaran for a 2-hour, affordable cruise and you'll have a totally different, intimate, and unforgettable experience! The 63-foot OCean Adventure catamaran is a beautiful, NEW, state-of-the-art vessel with a full-service deli-style galley. This is the season for blue whales! In addition to the majestic blue whales (which can grow to over 100 feet long), we get the chance to see Fin Whales, Humpback Whales, Killer Whales, Minke Whales, sharks, large pods of dolphin, sea lions, birds and other exciting marine life. Every trip is a new experience, so be sure to come out often!

Adults $45/Kids $30

Evening Ocean Adventure- Daily at 5pm

View our exciting marine life and the beautiful Orange County coastline at sunset on our evening cruises aboard the 95' Dana Pride or one of our 65' vessels. Boats have food, snacks and beverages aboard for purchase. Ocean Adventure

Rates:

Evening Trips

5pm - 7pm Adult - $35

Child - $20 Children 2 & under FREE on all trips however must be included in your reservation

These trips can travel up to 5 miles off shore so unfortunately we can neither accept nor issue whale check like we do during the November - April Gray Whale migration. We guarantee a good showing of whales or dolphin on ALL of our trips, otherwise you get your ticket back and you can come again anytime in the future! These passes never expire!

Groups:

Want to reserve your group? (800) 590-9994 or (949) 496-5794 ext 7 A special time for your Ocean Adventure can be arranged for groups of 20 or more. Reservations Recommended Group Rates for 20 or more please call direct at 949-496-5794 ext.11 Prices are subject to change without notice. Please call the company directly to verify current prices.