Up-Close Dolphin & Whale Watching Zodiac Adventure in Dana Point

Highly recommend!

Absolutely amazing experience! Have been on quite a few "whale watching trips" and haven't seen a whale until Now! Our Captain Scott was great at getting us to the action and Amanda knowledge as the guide was completely fascinating! Saw a Minky whale, dolphins, Sea lions, flying fish! Brought my Sister and 83 yr old Mom and we all had a blast! Staff was great, what a great excursion. Asked for a recommendation for lunch and Amanda told us Coastal Kitchen which was close with delicious food and drink! Definitely a great day!

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Thankful for this Experience!

A big thanks to Captain Jerry and Hannah for an incredible experience. They were insightful and cordial with neighboring whale watching communities and were able to locate a pod of orcas that was visiting during a rare El Niño season. Captain Jerry was able to get up close with the pod and follow their pattern. We were always close enough to not to disturb with their routine, but the orcas became curious enough to swim up to our boat and say hi. Hannah was very insightful and excited to answer any questions that were asked, and we were able to learn a lot about this specific pod and their migration patterns, eating habits, and hunting style. I felt very lucky to have guides that were super enthusiastic about spending quality time with the orcas as much as I was. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Definitely a dream come true for me to see orcas in their natural habitat. And let's not forget the traditional homemade brownie after the trip.

Response from the operator: Thanks so much for coming aboard! We're amazed you got such a lucky and rare look up close at the orcas, and we're thrilled you had such a fantastic time on board learning, watching, and experiencing these amazing animals in the wild. We are truly thankful for your lovely compliments to our wonderful crew, and love knowing the trip was simply incredible. Here's hoping you can join us for another unforgettable adventure!

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Dolphins and speed

Meet up was easy. There is free reserved parking right at the site. Captain Gary was a fantastic guide. He answered all our questions and was a wealth of knowledge about all the sea creatures and birds we saw along the way, and even ones we didn't. The weather was perfect, and although it was hot on land, believe them when they say to bring a jacket. Out on the ocean gets windy and chilly. The ride was fast and fun. Our group was all there early, so we didn't wait for the clock and just got a little longer ride. Being from the east coast, we're not used to being able to see land eight miles into the ocean. Captain Gary knew right where the dolphins were. It was incredible to see a pod of over 100! We didn't see any whales, but got a great fast ride up and down the coast and saw several flying fish. Being on a zodiac, I felt closer to all the action. I will definitely do this trip again if I'm ever back that way.

Response from the operator: We're glad you had a fantastic time on board! Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review us. It's our pleasure to have had you join us, and we're thrilled you had such good weather and great sightings of the dolphins and flying fish. We hope the next time you're on the West Coast, you'll return for another dolphin and whale watching adventure!

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Rekindling a loving passion (and a tiny fact check :)

Loved the truly loving passion and authentic enthusiasm of the young lady naturalist on board--sorry I'm blanking on her name. She was extremely knowledgeable and really re-kindled my long dormant interest and curiosity about the lives of dolphins (at least since John Lilly's early bombshell work) as well as the uniqueness of the local the ocean waters uniquely associated with our waters. (One small fact-check I'd recommend to her--please check AI about the actual 10-14,000 mile migration of the grey whales (they do indeed come down from the arctic Alaskan area though there is indeed a small, unusual population--mostly males--that remain in the central to northern California area only.)

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to rate and review us. We're glad your interest in whales and dolphins was reignited on board, and found the trip to be entertaining as well as educational. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but highly recommend expanding your knowledge through recent academic and reputable sources when searching for information. The facts we share are pertinent to the whales and dolphins we see in our area here in Southern California. Thanks for joining us onboard. We hope you'll enjoy more dolphin and whale watching soon!

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Amazing time—looking forward to our next tour

What an incredibly fun day! We had been advised the ocean conditions might be unfavorable and the ride a little bumpier on the zodiac, but we’re so glad we went. We appreciated the multiple emails we received offering us to reschedule based on the potential for unfavorable conditions. It was a bit bumpy going out but we felt entirely safe with Captain E and Amanda. They were super entertaining and knowledgeable. We saw a sunfish, flying fish, sea lions, and two pods of common dolphins and they rode along with us for a good while—and we even got to stand on the bow and watch them from directly above. Highly recommend—can’t wait to go out again when we visit the area again!

Response from the operator: Thanks so much for joining us on board and for your lovely compliments to our wonderful crew. It's great that you were able to experience so much wildlife and had a fantastic time despite the weather. We appreciate your high rating and kind review, and hope that the next time you come to visit will have sunnier skies and more adventure in store!

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