Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

We just did the 2 hour whale watching cruise and it was amazing! The catamaran gives a smooth ride and the captain is awesome! He really knows the area and the local ocean "residents" and he made sure we saw several blue whales. On the way back to shore he pulled along side a pod of common dolphins and they ended up bow surfing off our boat! Such a thrill to see. Our whole family enjoyed the trip and would gladly do it again. Highly recommend this tour!

Excellent day on the watere when Cory the Captain decided to stop searching for "Dorado,Mahi mahi,dolphin for 90 minutes...It was a great ride but the sea was way to flat to search for kelp patties.....After which we moved closer to shore to catch numerous Calico/Kelp Bass, techinque is much like fishing for yellowtail snapper in the Florida Keys....Rig a sliding egg sinker 1/8 to 1/2 ounce depending on current with a 1 to 1/0 circle hook....Both squid and sardine filets worked well...Place bait as close to kelp as possible as the Calico Bass are extremely territorial and aggressives as the bait drops 4 to 12 feet below the kelp....If using live bait use 3/4 to 1 ounce egg sinker to get the bait quickly to the bottom for halibut and away from birds. Pacific Barracuda, Halibut, a few pelicans, Commorants and losing fish to a pesky sea lion. Birds are definetly a problem when fishing live bait.....Both the mates Chad and Mike are excellent as was the captain in assisting patrons. Other than catching the fish themselves they did everything possible to find fish.......As a bonus the selection of beer was great and I had the best cheeseburger on a fishing boat ever......Fish are fileted on the way in so inner is ready to prepare when you get home or back to your hotel if the chef will cooperate,,,Wish i had taken a full day......As an ex mate of numberous fishing boats in the Florida Keys......These guys get an A++++and I would recommend them highly and hope to be back soon......

We scored! I took my mom and my 4-year old on the whale-watching trip and it was magical. Captain Todd and his crew were informative and enthusiastic and couldn't have been better hosts. We saw approximately 10 whales multiple times which include 4 blue whales and there is nothing more inspiring than seeing such incredible animals in their natural habitats. Thank you for an unforgettable time - we'll be back soon.

but no place to sit for the 5 hour trip other than at the few tables in the food area...good hamburgers on the grill.

Best whale watching in years! 15 minutes out of habor and non stop action for an hour and a half.

The captain and crew worked very hard to help the customers catch fish. I thought they did a great job of helping everyone. The boat caught a good amount of fish for only a half day excursion. would go again.

We saw at least a half dozen individual blue whales with possible mating behavior of a whale rolling on its side with another whale. This was my third whale watching trip, first time with Dana Wharf. It exceeded my expectation because I actually saw whales, let alone blue whales whereas with other boats we saw only dolphins and maybe a couple of blowholes. This was highly active time in their feeding cycle, and blue whales were in the news at Dana Point, so it was good timing. Boat staff and captain seemed knowledgeable and cordial.

We had a fantastic adventure watching the blue whales and dolphins. The skipper was great and so forthcoming with lots of facts about all of sealife we saw. The crew was very friendly as were the other people on the trip. There were so many blue whales we couldn't even count them all. What a treat for my daughter's 40th birthday!!

My friend and I were overjoyed with the adventure. We saw much more than we expected - many, many blue whales in one area and then later hundreds of dolphins lined up on both sides of our catamaran making sort of v on both sides of the boat - some leading, some following and some criss-crossing and jumping in front of us. They were having as much or more fun than we were. DON'T MISS IT - IT WAS AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME I'LL NEVER FORGET!!! I'm so glad I finally took the time to go and enjoy

We had an amazing day whale watching! We saw about 6-10 whales (never know which are the same!) It was beautiful! We also had some playful dolphins swimming with our boat. And speaking of boat, it was smooth, clean and not crowded. The 2 captains were full of information about what we were seeing and gave us an amazing day. Getting the tickets online using Zerve was easy! Would highly recommend this company!

Our captain certainly had us on his agenda as he ran that boat everywhere searching for whales. He found over a DOZEN for us to watch!! My young cousins and I were thrilled with this cruise!

This was my first time on a whale watching trip and I have lived down the street for almost two years. It was well worth it. The captain was very knowledgable about everything in and on the waters off of Dana Point. He was in constant contact with other watercraft and was able to quickly get us in to to great viewing distance of the 12 or 15 different blue whales we saw that trip or while passing through one of the energized pods of California dolphin. This is a great trip for anyone visiting the area and locals alike, and the two hour time frame is just right!

Great boat, very clean and comfortable. Crew was great very knowledgable. We will go again!

The boat ride was so delightful, we would have been happy without even seeing whales. But wow did we ever see whales! Up close and personal as they circled the boat and performed in front of us. The guide was terrific and enthusiastic about finding whales. The entire boat cheered him. We will definitely go again!

We stopped only 2 times to fish & caught more birds than fish on 1st stop. Pretty much the same on the 2nd but had to deal with 2 seals also.