Orange County Whale Watching, Open Party Fishing, Sunset Cruises near Laguna Beach and San Clemente, CA

Seller:	DanaWharf
	Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Ratings Summary: Rating: 4.3

(1269)
(All reviews for this seller)

	# of Reviews	Overall Rating	Positive Points	Negative Points	% Positive	Average Rating
Last 3 months	86	174	182	8	95%	4.4
Last 6 months	322	590	628	38	92%	4.3
Last 12 months	703	1269	1336	67	93%	4.3
All	1320	2381	2499	118	94%	4.3

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About this seller (DanaWharf)

Ratings by Activity
(Each activity's ratings from the last 12 months)

	Overall Rating	% Positive	Average Rating
Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)	439	94%	4.2
Catamaran Adventure Cruises	362	97%	4.6
1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips	306	88%	4.1
Ocean Adventures in Blue Whale Season (May - Nov)	162	95%	4.4

Date Attended	Reviewer	Gender	Age	Where From?	Group Type? [v]
Nature lover Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)
Sun, Feb 17, 08 4:00 PM	Hadiyya1	Female	30-39	Local	Individual
I highly recommend this event. I'm a nature lover anyway and it was quite an experience seeing sea-life up close.
Good service provided 1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips
Sat, Jan 26, 08 12:00 PM	rickwillingh	Male	50-59	Local	Individual
There are two ways to rate this fishing trip. 1) the quality of the service provided and 2) the results. 1) This was a half-day trip. What I liked about it was that the boat did not spend a lot of time traveling. A short trip out to where the fish were suspected to be, some repositioning to stay on top of the fish and then a short trip back to the dock. The one deckhand worked hard and did his job well. Purchased food was well prepared, fish-cleaning and filleting was quick, fish were removed from the hook and put in your bag for you. Plus, rigging 'help' was offered if it appeared that you needed it or asked for it. Overall rating of service provided: (considering the ratio of customers to deckhands) Better than Average. 2) I have results rated separately because good or bad results can influence one's opinion of the service provided. If you haven't been on a trip like this before, realize that the captain can go to spots that typically hold fish, recommend techniques, and provide bait - but it is still up to the fish to bite and you to catch them. Sometimes they bite and sometimes they don't. I think this spot was known to be a good spot for sculpin. Fortunately, we were catching just enough fish to keep us on the spot. (SCULPIN--aka 'rattlesnake' for the 6 hours of intense pain it can inflict if one of its spines jab you. Sculpin fillets are very popular for eating as they have a light, tasty meat that's not too 'fishy'.) My personal luck wasn't very good: three keeper (10" minimum) sculpin in the bag, double that released for under size limit, and a few small tom cod and queenfish released. Overall rating of results: Below Average considering the size of the jackpot fish, the quantities of fish in the bags, and my personal results. (I've had better 1/2 day results.) If you are considering a half-day fishing trip, understand that local 1/2 day fishing doesn't typically provide big fish or large numbers of fish. Your chances for either of those is better when you go on a longer trip. That being said, this dock provided well for this 1/2 day trip. Parking for this dock is inconvenient. There is a special area available, but it is a few hundred yards away. The inconvenient part is that the dock needs to provide you with a special card to place on your dash so that you don't get towed for exceeding the four hour maximum. That means leaving your gear in your vehicle while you get your ticket and parking card or you leave it at the dock while you hike back to your vehicle to put the parking card on the dash. I have an open bed pickup truck so in my case, either option leaves my gear unattended and susceptable to theft. I chose leaving it outside the dock's shop and it was fine. If there were more than one in your party, this problem could be easily avoided. The convenience of viewing the calendar, reading reviews and purchasing the ticket online was very nice. I recommend to all docks to do the same.
Mega Pod of Dolphins - Great FUN! Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)
Sun, Jan 20, 08 2:00 PM	jsaxsma	Male	30-39	Domestic Tourist(s)	Individual
After a valiant effort to locate a viewable whale, our captain headed further out to sea to discover a Mega Pod of Dolphins! Hundreds of them! It was amazing and they were all around the boat. Good fun! Great experience!
A wonderful experience Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)
Sun, Jan 13, 08 12:00 PM	pontiac1	Male	60-69	Combination	Individual
I thought initially we would never see whales. Just usually my luck, but with the crew knowing where to go I had the fantastic experience of seeing a calf and mother with yet another whale on the return portion of the trip. A highly recommended experience. What a value! I will return.
A good cruise, but not many animals Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)
Sat, Dec 29, 07 10:00 AM	ggmcmill	Male	20-29	International Tourist(s)	Individual
The cruise was enjoyable; it was nice to see the California coast from the ocean. As we got on the boat, I overheard one of the staff members mention that they had only seen one whale this season. (I don't know when their 'season' starts.) Of course, they have no control over whether they will see any animals, but it's probably good for people to book the cruise and just relax and enjoy the ride with little expectation of seeing anything. We saw a number of sea lions, but no whales or dolphins. Wear warm clothing!! Enjoy!
Can't wait to do it again! Whale Watching in Grey Whale Season (Dec - Apr)
Wed, Nov 28, 07 12:00 PM	cathysea	Female	40-49	Domestic Tourist(s)	Individual
Great cruise on the boat! Saw Dolphins and Sea Lions, but no whales, as it was a bit early. Can't wait to come back to see them!
Better fishing off the jetty! 1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips
Sun, Nov 8 12:45 PM	xdwil2005x	Male	20-29	Local	Group of Friends
I fish down at Dana Point jetty all the time and catch a lot more. I only caught one fish the whole time, as did my friends. For the money, it wasn't worth it.
1/2 day trip but was suppose to be 3/4 day 1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips
Sun, Nov 8 6:30 AM	Daniellc	Male	30-39	Local	Group of Friends
I was nice i enjoyed the half day but i am looking forward to the 3/4 i just have to rechedule my day. I was wondering if you sold pile worms there in the shop thanks Daniel
great Catamaran Adventure Cruises
Sun, Oct 25 1:00 PM	FVERBARG	Female	60-69	Local	Group of Friends
It was fun...
Perfect night out for the Guys 1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips
Sat, Oct 24 5:30 PM	jacobdv	Male	40-49	Local	Group of Friends
We were 12 guys that booked the twilight fishing trip on October 24, 2009. The fish did not bite the way we wanted to, but the season was almost over. Some guys did catch quite a few. The jackpot went to the guy who caught a 2.5 pounder. The evening was really great. Great friends. Great weather. Great crew on Reel Fun. Brian did a fantastic job to untangle al the bird nests. Dan cooked great burgers and kept the beers cold. The captain stopped at three different places where he could see fish on the fish finder. Before we knew it, the 4 hours were over and we were back at the harbor. We would probably do a longer trip next time. But then again, it is always good to stop eating when you still want a little bit more. The 1/2 day is good for people that do not do too good on the ocean. We loved it. Will definately do it again. Will be great for older kids too - maybe when they are about 10.
Awesome outing! Ocean Adventures in Blue Whale Season (May - Nov)
Fri, Oct 23 4:00 PM	kirathena	Female	30-39	Domestic Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
Loved this trip, even though it was only 2 hours. Saw blue whales, fin whales, dolphins, and some sea lions. Was a lot of fun, had beautiful views of the Pacific, was exciting to try to spot animals and then race the boat over to where they were, etc. We really enjoyed this trip, although one of us did get seasick so if you have someone with a sensistive stomach this might not be the best trip for them as the ship & speeds make for a choppy, rocking ride sometimes! Otherwise, good price, a lot of fun, and a unique experience!
Nice sunset cruise Ocean Adventures in Blue Whale Season (May - Nov)
Mon, Oct 5 5:00 PM	ranchforeman	Female	40-49	Domestic Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
Saw sea lions. Did not see anything else. gorgeous sunset view. Would maybe go earlier as we were cold. Web site said that if we did not get to see dolphins or whales, would get a $10 coupon for next trip. We were not offered that. Could tell the guys tried really hard to spot something. They said the whales were not seen in this area yet so wondered why this was advertised as a whale watching adventure. Felt somewhat misled on that. Overall good we went, saw the beautiful coastline and the sunset.
Had fun but a few notes.... 1/2 Day and Twilight Fishing Trips
Tue, Sep 15 5:30 PM	drcntaz	Female	30-39	Local	Group of Friends
After we'd been fishing for a few hours, one friend wanted to put a lure on her pole and asked the deckhand to help out. He mentioned that since fish really don't really bite at night, it would be best to stick with her current set-up (a hook w/squid) and go to the bottom. This was a bit confusing to us because we thought... if they don't bite at night, what are we doing out here? The other thing that was mentioned by the crew on the way back is that we got stuck with large live bait which "makes it difficult to catch a 12" Bass using 6" bait." I would think they would stock appropriate sized live bait based on what were going for, but forgive me if my statement is incorrect. Beyond this, the crew was friendly and helpful with catches, kelp snags, in the galley, etc. Either way you look at it, we had an enjoyable time and we'd go again.
Fun and Relaxing Ocean Adventures in Blue Whale Season (May - Nov)
Tue, Sep 15 5:00 PM	cathydelgado	Female	40-49	Local	Group of Friends
When I first decided to go Whale Watching, I really didn't expect much. I thought that it would be something to do. I found that it was very relaxing on the boat as we headed out to see in search of whales and dolphins. As it turns out, we did see a whale. He was a 100 foot blue whale. He would go down for about 8 minutes and then surface again. Each time that he did this, the captain would let us know that he should be coming back up and to start looking for him. It was fun when he came back up since you never knew if he would be closer or would have traveled alittle farther along. It became a game of Find the Whale. It was quite enjoyable and I would definitely do it again.
Great Deal Ocean Adventures in Blue Whale Season (May - Nov)
Tue, Sep 15 5:00 PM	smithums5	Female	Under 20	Local	Group of Friends
I thought I was getting a great deal by paying $14 (half-price on Tuesdays) to see something that very few people in the entire world ever get a chance to see.

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