Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Great experience! We actually went out twice, due to left over wind conditions the first day. The captains on both boats were friendly, informative and you could tell they love what they do. Although we didn't see any whales either time we went out (which was disappointing)the scenary was fabulous. We did see some dolphins the second day and that was cool. This was the first time 3 of the 4 of us had been out on a boat like this and it was very nice. I would do it again if I return to California in the future.

Took my dad and my brother on a fishin trip.the skipper got us on The fish the crew was great. Well be back.

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.

Although we had been out previously, this time we actually saw a WHALE. The boat's captain was able to keep the whale at about 50 yards to our port side and about 25 yards in front of the boat. we followed the whale for about 20 minutes and saw the tail multible times.

The captain was great at finding whales and informing us about them. We saw 6 or 7 blue whales!

All of our experience was very positive except that it was sometimes difficult to hear and/or understand what was being said over the speakers depending upon where we were located. Safety information at the beginning was almost unintelligible. Perhaps it could be given before the boat is underway. Crew members answered questions in a professional and friendly way when asked. This was a very enjoyable experience!

First off make sure you find a coupon for the whale watching trip as it is way over priced. We went on a weekend so there were many people on the boat and many private boats on the water. We were the second trip of the day and it started off 1/2 hour late. Captain said they found whales at the end and could not break away from them. I completely understand this. Said boat would be ran above cruising speed to make up the time as we went to look for the pair of whales they left earlier We found the whales about 4 miles from the harbor. There were a number of private boats already following the whales. For about 1/2 an hour we had to listen to the captain tell us what morons (his words) the private boaters are. Granted they may have been getting close to the whales but constantly insulting them when they can not hear is not necessary. It got extremely annoying and my kid kept asking why he was calling them names. Bottom line we found whales but is was not the best experience. If you go go during the week when there is not as much boat traffic so you do not have to listen to the captain yell at the private boaters.

the captain of the boat gave us so much information about the whales we might see that day and all the other sea animals in the area. so much interesting information. the boat itself was very comforable with inside and outside sitting areas along with plenty of room to stand and move around. great day

My wife and I took our grandson(13) for this fishing adventure. The crew was very helpful and friendly. I don't recall how many times(too many to count) that the crew had to untangle our snarled reels, but they did so in a amiable manner not reflecting on our clumsiness. The boat was well maintained and clean with plenty of room for the anglers. We caught 6-12 fish each but they were too small to keep. My only thought was that maybe if we had gone out further( you could clearly see the shore) that the catch might have been larger.

We've been out whale watching with Dana Wharf many times, and have never been disappointed. Even on cruises when we haven't seen any whales, the crew does its very best to make it an enjoyable trip, and will seek out (enormous!) pods of dolphin or other sea life to share with the visitors. On our most recent trip this weekend, though, we saw more blue whales than we could keep track of. Through the entire two hours, Captain Larry shared all kinds of interesting facts and information about them as well. It was a trip that we'll never forget!

We took my 8 year old daughter and mother (who was visiting from the East coast) on a 2.5 hour whale watching trip on 6/27. The catamaran was ideal for the trip - lots of deck space, very clean, etc. They only take a small group on each of these trips, so there was plenty of room for everyone, and it wasn't crowded at all. The crew was fantastic - very helpful and friendly, and eager to make sure everyone had a great time. We saw a HUGE pod of common dolphins pretty much right away, and then the crew got a tip on a fin whale and we took off to try and find it. Which we did! We stayed near it for a while (saw it come up 3 times), and although bobbing around in the not-so-still water was a little tough on some stomachs, it was worth it to see such a magnificent sight. The company doesn't guarantee that trips will see whales each time, but they certainly seemed to try hard to make it happen. We will DEFINITELY be going back out with them again soon!

The ride was nice, and the boat was comfortable enough. Unfortunately, the day I went, there were no sightings of whales or dolphins. They did give out vouchers for 1/2 off tickets to come back and try again which I thought was appropriate. I plan on doing just that!

We were impressed with the boat, VERY clean. Left on time Crew showed great concern for the passengers by really trying to find a local whale (it moved out of the area, we saw no whales) Even without whales and with a gloomy day, we had alot of fun. The Marine Biologist was very informative too.

Staff was friendly even if customers were not. We didn't see a whale, but they don't guarantee that you will. The dolphin's were cool.

Beautiful day, nice conditions...with exception of the Pelicans that would not leave us alone! The crew spent much of their time pulling hooks from the annoying pests. The jackpot fish was a small sand bass. The crew did a great job of trying to get us into a better spot, but the birds were relentless. Too bad the Pelicans didn't count towards the jackpot! I like this trip because I can bring my 10-year old son. People should know that the 12:45 boat is full of kids. If they don't like it, then they can book an earlier or later trip. I'll be back for a twilight trip on Labor Day!