Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Dana Wharf provides one of the best ocean deep sea fishing experiences consistently year in and out. They are professional, respectful and helpful to all, even the ones that never been out on a boat fishing. Even if I do not catch a fish, it is usually a nice boat ride.

we fished at about 3 sites and caught alot of fish for a half day trip it was really fun and the crew was really helpful especially when getting me a beer i would recommend it to all

this is a great trip for kids although NOT great for catching good fish to eat. The smaller kids under 6 really need to bring their own poles if they are going to catch anything... The first time we went our 4 year old loved being the bait girl. The second time we were on a different boat and she could not REACH the bait therefore she got bored. The rental poles are way too big for her. The bait was also way too big for the bottom feeding fish which are always the ones we like to eat... It is a bit pricey for a family of five even on Sunday when kids are free it cost us close to $200 for the half day trip for everything and we did not even get any fish to take home and cook.... We would like to try a different time of day maybe twlight is better, but then it will cost us even more. The crew was great and very helpful.... We will be going again sometime in the future...

It was a beautiful day, nice boat, friendly crew and we saw blue whale, dolphins, and even a hammerhead shark. Great cruise.

I arrived early enough(2 hours ) to sign in as #1 and #2 on the boat roster, had a lite lunch at Turks, even thou I got in line to board the boat, it seems for what ever reason I was one of the last person to get on the boat, I got stuck on the front of the boat all night, the crew did not call for a rotation, the boat was very full with first time anglers, most of them had back packs on and it was very difficult to get to the bait tank. Overall, its always great to go fishing, but the crew could have done a better job with a rotation and the confussions for the first time anglers....

The whale watching cruise was fantastic. We not only saw blue whales, but we also saw dolphins, shark, and a pilot whale. Ride was smooth. Had a great time!

Enjoyed the cruise very much. Saw dolphins and 3 whales thanks to the crew taking us out further because of another boats sighting.!!! So it lasted latef but was well worth it!!

Overall a fun trip - we saw dolphins, sharks, and two whales which was more than we expected - so overall a success. The only criticisms of the trip would be the recommendation to get there at LEAST a half hour early as the trip leaves on time - because we stood on the dock for 45 minutes before boarding the boat, only to then depart 20 minutes late (which was expressly stated on the tickets that the trips depart ON TIME) and then stood on the ship for another 2 1/2 hours beyond that. If you are going to insist that participants arrive so early that they must stand and wait to board, you need to leave on time. The boats would be improved if there was also some limited amount of seating available. The crew was great, however, and the naturalist who spoke about the wildlife was knowledgeable and informative. Despite our frustration with the beginning portion of the adventure, I would definitely still recommend for the price. We also arrived back to port an hour later than the booking information stated, which was not a problem for us, but could have been if we had plans beyond the trip. Something to consider.

It was my son birthday gift. He wanted to go fishing we had a great time. Will return again.

The trip was amazing! It was my very first time and I loved the whole experience. The staff was friendly and helpful. We ended up seeing a lot of dolphins and a couple of blue whales. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely go on this trip again!

Although the weather did not cooperate the captain and crew did their best to find fish. Even though I am an experienced fisherman, there were novices aboard who could have used some coaching. I always wondered why these party boats don't use the time while travelling to the fishing grounds to give a fishing tutorial to those who need it. It would make their trip more enjoyable and encourage repeat customers.

Crew is hard working and helpful

I would suggest that if the boat will be fishing from the top, the rod rental should suggest casting type of rod. It's frustrating when everyone is catching fish by casting and we only have bottom fishing rod rentals.

I needed an activity for 2 grandsons, ages 11 & 13 and myself; something that didn't entail tramping around in the summer heat. I googled Dana Point not knowing what I might find. The whale watching seemed like a great idea, and so it turned out to be. All 3 of us loved it, and were thrilled at seeing the dolphins, and of course the Blue whale. I'd like to take the trip again, to see if I can improve my camera skills on a fast moving catamaran. A thumbs up on this activity!!!

We had such a great time on our whale watching trip. We went out there expecting to see nothing, so as not to get our hopes up, and we ended up seeing so much! First, a huge pod of dolphins zooming all around the boat. Second a blue whale (wow!!) which we followed for a good half hour. Third, a buoy covered in sea lions. My kids were thrilled and even 3 days later can't stop talking about it. For some constructive criticism, the only thing I wished was different is when the Blue Whale was directly in front of the boat, the only people that could really see it were the 5 or so people standing in the very front. There was no way to see around them or over them. I wish the captain had angled the boat just a little bit so that everyone along the sides could have seen too. I mean we did still see the whale, but we really had to strain and stand on tippy toes to see over people...and it was really tough for my kids to see. Anyway, that was a minor complaint. It was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect, the marine life was phenomenal, and the sunset was a gorgeous finale. I definitely plan to do this a bunch more times with my family. You can't beat $15 a person on Tuesday!