Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Despite there not being any whales, we had a good time out on the ocean.

Thank you for the memorable time...we will be returning in the near future...Take care

That day was wonderful. We saw grey whales (maybe not as close as we were hoping for, but still nice), then on the way back, we were kind of disappointed because that was all, but it turned out that a family of dolphins were passing by. The boat then stop and even turned around so could have a better look. The dolphins were swimming so close to the boat even going under it, it was fabulous. And then we saw sea lions (not seals!!!), that was great too. And we can't forget the pelicans flying so close to us just above the boat, delightful. And of course the weather was wonderful too, calm sea and blue sky, what else can you ask for! Thanks for the great experience!

I've been on this trip twice this season. I think it is a great deal if you go on the discounted Tuesdays. I have two young children for whom being on the boat is at least half the fun; they love the dolphins and sea lions, and are excited about the whales. Given that most other whale watching trips in the area are upwards of $30/person, it's much more feasible for us as a family to go out on this trip. If you are planning a trip just for adults or with much older children, I think Captain Dave's trip is better; I think his teams are better at finding the whales and education is a huge piece of their trip. But for families on a budget, or particularly for families with small children who are just happy to take a boat ride and see a few dolphins (although we did see a whale the second time we took the trip), this is definitely the way to go.

This is the second time I have gone whale watching with them. I loved it the first time. We saw only dolphins and no whales (Jan 2008). The same this year (Jan 2009). The difference was that in 2008 they turned the boat in tight circles to make large waves. This made the dolphin pod we were watching jump and leap high in the waves a lot. It was really fun to watch. They did not do this on our 2009 trip and it was very disappointing. They crew is great! The boat is clean and nice. They offer a great 1/2 price rate on Tuesdays. If you want to have a good chance of seeing whales, go in the peak of migration season.

The tour was nice. While we did not see any whales were were able to see dolphins and sea lions. The boat was very nice and the entire group of us had a great time.

Even though we didn't see any whales and less dolphins than we usually do, we had a great time.

We did not see any whales, but the event was fun and it was a beautiful day to be on the ocean.

Our group consisted of a family of ten: grandparents, parents, kids aged from 3 years to 9 years. Part of the group was visiting from Germany. It was a beautiful, albeit chilly, day in January 2009. Since this was a "fringe" migration time, we didn't expect to see many whales. We didn't see a one, but we did see hundreds of playful dolphins, which is always a hoot. We also saw sea lions in the water and lounging on buoys. Great! On our way to the whalewatching site, we were making our way from Manhattan Beach, and were put behind schedule (potty stop for little guys) and BARELY made it to the wharf on time. We were soooo concerned, I called while we were still on the freeway, and the office called us back to check on our progress as we made our way into the parking lot. Tense time, but we made it. The staff and crew were super friendly, upbeat, smiley - which we needed right about then - and made it a fun excursion. The captain was informative about the sea life, the galley was open and welcoming, and all were helpful. Not many on board this time of year, and we were happy to be part of it! Very comfortable boat. We recommend it!

We went whale watching on Jan 2 2009. While purchasing tickets we asked Zerve if the tour had any success in spotting whales in the last couple of trips, and they confirmed that the tour had spotted whales the past few days. We then bought tickets and took the tour. The tour was good as in we saw a lot of dolphins and seals. We did not spot any whales. When I asked the tour guide about it, he said that they had not spotted any whales in the last 2 1/2 weeks. The tour itself is very engaging and you get up and close with the dolphins. You also get to see seals up and close. I am just very disappointed at how zerve duped me into purchasing the tickets in the first place.

We went on a whale watching trip and had a nice boat ride. We were not fortunate enough to see any whales or dolphins. We were given whale checks to come back anytime. We heard the best time is March. So, if our grandkids come visit again before April we will try again.

The people (at dock and on boat) were professional. We felt like the crew did their best to try to find whales or dolphins (no way to guarantee 'Mother Nature'), but we only saw 4 sea lions near the harbor. They called out that there were two dolphins spotted far away from the boat, but without binoculars you could not see anything (most people said they never saw anything either). We also later heard that "it is too early to see many whales" and we wish we would have known that upfront. Our 10-year-old was BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED in the trip overall; the adults enjoyed the second half of the boat ride, when it wasn't completely frigid (because the icy cold wind was then at our backs)! The company did issue us 'whale checks' which soothed the pockets of the adults; hopefully we can get the kiddo to give it another try when we visit again next year.

Two hours was 1 hr too long because it was cloudy, foggy and freezing cold, (even though I brought 2 blankets). My teenagers couldn't wait to go back because it was so cold & windy. We did see few dolphins and seals. I would recommend this trip to my friends only during the summer or spring. We got some coupons toward our next trip at the end of the tour which was nice.

The crew was helpful and informative. We had a perfect day. The water was calm and we received a lot of information. We didn't catch a glimpse at any whales.

It was a nice day, we didn't see any whales but saw two different kinds of dolphins. The extra money paid to book on line in advance did not seem worthwhile, but I suppose I would have felt differently if we got there and they were sold out. Despite advertising that they leave on time, the boat left 15 minutes late but returned on time so we got rooked out of 15 minutes of a two hour ride, which wasn't so nice. ALl in all we had a nice time and would recommend doing this trip