Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Although we did not see any whales, we did see 100's of dolphins, running, jumping, swimming. The captain was well informed about the ways of the dolphins. I will definitely go again...next time earlier in the year.

Went in April 2011. The boat ride was smooth and refreshing and the crew / guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The second whale watch cruise I've ever been on and this time actually saw whales. Three gray whales, 30+ dolphins (2 species), sea lions, pelicans, and other sea birds. The captain knew approximately where they were, familiar with the way they migrate, so we didn't miss them. Beautiful to watch them playing together and with the dolphins. Great experience all around and for the price ($15 per person on 1/2 price Tues), you can't beat the value. Very satisfied with the experience.

cold water accounted for only aprox 10 small rock fish with 70 people on the boat. captain did not go far looking for the fish, only went aprox 3 miles from harbor. deck hand did not chum at all. when you chum, it will bring the small bass up to bite. it will be our last trip out of dana point.

This is the second time we've been on this trip, once with blue whales and once with grey whales. It's a good activity for kids, as it's short enough to keep their attention and there are many different attractions. You have the whole being on a boat experience, which for some kids was more interesting than the animals themselves. The whales are interesting, but the kids sometime have a hard time focusing on the sea long enough to actually see them. The dolphins are usually more interesting because they are visible for long periods of time. One thing to keep in mind is that there is no guaranty that you'll actually see a whale, especially late in the season. We were the first group to see a whale in 19 trips. I don't know if I would be so positive about the trip if we didn't see any animals.

We didn't see any whales on this trip, but did see over a hundred dolphins feeding and surfing very near the boat. The weather was good, and the ocean was beautiful. We enjoyed the marvelous South Orange County coastline. The narrator was very interesting and informative. A whale sighting would have been even better, but not necessary for a great trip. Will definitely do it again.

Most company need to copy this company, we did not see whale, only a few dolphines and they let us use our tickets at anytime to go back to ocean till we see whale.

The fish didn't bite much at all, but the crew was energetic to help get you baited in the water to try. The day was beautiful and the food on board was fabulous. Still a great time. Time seemed long but that was because we didn't get many fish on the whole boat (about 6 or 7). Was really hoping to have the kids catch something. Maybe next time. For some reason when we checked in early 2 1/2 hrs we were overcharged (kids rods were free) and did not receive the boarding tickets. So after we stood in line to get a good rail spot we were last on board after I went back to the office for the tickets. They remembered me because of the refund of the 2 kids rentals. The crew wanted fish for us too and helped out whenever needed. Would definitely try again.

We had a great time and learned a lot about marine life. The captain and the deck hands were extremely knowledgeable about the area and the animals we were seeing. I was especially impressed with the crew's sensitivity to observing the whales. We stayed a distance away from them so as not to disturb their migration. It was a fantastic learning trip for the entire family and well worth the time and money.

We had a great time whale watching!

I brought my mother-in law who is visiting from Florida, she wanted to see a whale. Unfortunately there were no whales. Everything else was perfect.

The company guaranteed that we would see dolphins or whales and we saw many! The staff was very knowledgeable in marine biology and they made every effort to answer any questions anyone had.

We had a great time and would recommend this activity to everyone. We saw hundreds of dolphins and three whales.

It was a very lovely day. I can't wait to go back again but this time I am hoping to see whales. Yeah, I know It's a shot in the dark but it would have been nice. My only real complaint would be is that I would liked the crew to have a bit more control of the passengers. There was a group of families with about 5 kids that just ran around the whole boat the whole time. Annoying! They knocked my 3 year down and just kept running. Apparent the adults in the group also had no control or just did not care. This group really has an effect on on my families experience. I just wish the crew would have stepped up.

It was quite foggy but we still saw lots of dolphins and really enjoyed our day. We can not wait to do it again and hopefully see a whale but we are really looking forward to just having a better view. On a clear day this would have been a perfect day.

Even though we did not see any whales, we still saw a few dolphins... They gave us a complimentary retrun visit since they felt that we didn't get our monies worth... Wow... How often do you get chance to go out on to the Ocean and spend 2 hours in the sunshine see a small amount of wildlife and not have to pay for the most part. It was well worth what I spent just to be on the boat and relax.. The crew aboard were freindly, and pleasant... I would go back again and again... It was a nice trip for my granddaughters first boat trip.. Thanks.