Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Boat was clean, comfortable. Boat staff were very pleasant, friendly and very informed!!! They were great to spend the afternoon with. We really enjoyed the trip. My group consisted of my husband and I, our 21 year old son and our 28 year old niece. This was a fun way to spend an afternoon and next time we are in California I would like to do this again or try the sportsfishing. The one thing that I do think could have been better would be the staff at the ticket counter. They oould have been friendlier.

I have been on whale watch rides for decades and never saw a whale close up. the slow moving blue whale was like a submarine nearby....It was one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. Then the two huge pods of dolphins with babies and different jump styles was also exhilirating.....On the way home as an extra treat we saw this huge "sharkhead" like fish that was sunning itself for quite some time before disappearing...I forgot its name--your guide identified it... We are now trying to pack in a couple more trips before September to see if we can keep our luck running. It was an incredibly cool trip rivaling the years of Caribean diving that we have done. thanks so much.....see you very soon.....Ed and Nora

I have been fishing out of Dana Point before; it was my friends (co-worker) first time fishing any where!! The boat was a bit crowded, but there is no way to control that, it turned out to be fine!!! The Captain and Crew were very helpful and took care of everyone on board, that's very important!! The day was really nice, however we didn't catch hardly a thing, I only caught a few fish and all were too small and had to be tossed back into the ocean. The jack pot winner was a very small fish!! I believe there were 55 people on board and all put their $5.00 in the jack pot, so the guy received a huge amount for a very small fish, nice going who ever that was!! Fishing for me is just Fun!! I have been fishing out of other docks and some places the Captain and crew have not been very friendly I do love being out at sea and just the whole idea of fishing!! I believe that if the Captain and Crew don't project that feeling of fun and friendliness it just isn't worth it at all. However on this day it was the contrary and the Captain and Crew made it fun so not catching any fish made it ok - Thank You So Very Much!!! I've been fishing other times when I have caught nothing so it was fine for me, I just felt bad for my friend!! However, she said she had a Great time, only because of the Captain and Crew and would go again (Me Too) even though she didn't catch anything!! After all that's why they call it fishing instead of catching!!!!

We had a good day of fishing but the 1/2 day trip seemed a little to quick. Next time I will go on the 3/4 trip. Tons of fun even if you dont catch much. Think of it this way, some people pay $35 just to go on a whale watching trip and then dont see anything. At least you get to see a sealion or two.

Well organized, interesting but for absolute beginners I dont think it is really good value for money as you dont get much instruction or guidance as there were 3 people trying to supervise 53

The boat was over packed I think with around 50 fisherman. The fishing was very poor, but this is not due the the crew tring to find the fish they tried very hard to find the fish moving serveral times. The main issue was the fast moving current and people not following there lines. The breakfast Burrito was very good.

The crew really made efforts to show us the blue whale and we saw where it was (water spout) but the whale wasn't so cooperative in coming above the surface! The crew then made a successful effort to catch up with a pod of dolphins and we were able to watch the dolphins on both sides of the boat swimming and jumping out of the water. This was a neat experience! The boat was not too crowded so it made viewing easy. I would recommend this cruise to others.

I took my family and my aunt, had a fantasic time. The crew was A-one!!!! I am definitely doing this again and with DanaWharf!!! This trip was the best!! My son who is 11, had a great time, caught fish, best experience!! Thanks for such a great time!! I am recommending you guys to everyone I know!!

The trip was a great thing to do with my 21 year old son. We did not see any whales but the crew sure tried, going out farther than usual. We did see a group of Risin dolphins and 2 groups of common dolpins and they were lots of fun. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable and the boat was very comfortable with lots of options.

Dana Wharf's Ocean Adventure Cruise was a fantastic activity for our family. The boat itself (Dana Pride), was in top shape and very clean, while the friendly and knowledgeable staff made our day feel more like a "friends & family outing" than a "paid for hire" boat trip. The Captain and First Mate were quick to bring new sea life to our attention and very thorough in their explanation of what we were seeing. On our trip, we had opportunity to travel with two very large pods of dolphins and saw many up close. The large size of the "Dana Pride" and its tri-level design provided us with plenty of varied viewing options. Additionally, it kept our toddler from becoming bored on the two-hour trip. My four-year-old son was amazed and intrigued and told me the outing was "the best thing ever!" Although we did not sight any blue whales that day, we have made plans to try again in the coming months. I highly recommend this adventure for anyone considering the trip.

We had a great trip. No whales on our tour but we saw many, many dolphin and sea lions. It was a fun trip and one we would definitely do again and maybe next time we would see the whales. They saw them on several tours the day before so we were just not as lucky. It's worth taking the chance and hoping to see them because it was so much fun just seeing the other sea life.

Three generations of my family participated and all caught multiple fish. Crew was extremely helpful and provided special attention to kids with backlashes. Boat wasn't crowded and there was ample room to minimze tangles. Affordable, professional and clean. Professional filleting of fish was only $1 per fish. Healthy environment for families with children. 5 hours was plenty of time and the captain picked 3 good locations. Would definitely do it again! (Perhaps the all-day or Catalina)

I was very impressed with the dedication the skipper and his assistant had to the group. The assistant stayed on deck with us, and explained the type of animals we may be seeing. The skipper and the assistant kept in close contact with each other to ensure that sightings would happen. We saw 4 blue whales and were able to track them. The assistant told us about the blue whale and answered our questions. Quite frankly I would have been happy just being on the boat, but the crew went the extra mile to ensure that we had the best experience.

Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting this day. I would take this trip again, but not on a Tuesday. There were 100 anglers, most inexperienced, that caused tangled lines. The full boat was way too crowded.

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