Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

Although there were no whales in sight, the show that the hundreds of dolphins provided was great. The weather couldn't have been better and the information provided by the crew was most interesting. They were very patient with all of our questions. I never would have known that so many dolphins would be in a pod. Also the interesting way the birds gave the signal to the dolphins as to where the fish were was something I wouldn't have imagined. Great trip and I will be back hopefully to see a blue whale!

I went with my adult son and daughter, son in law and 2 grandchildren. We all had a great time and saw many whales and dolphins. We will be taking this trip again soon. Wwe had such a good time.

HI, We made this a family outing. Grandpa, grandma, three mommies, two daddies, nine kids from 3 to 15. It was the first time for many of the kids and they were excited to ride on the big boat. We saw lots of dolphins -- no whales this time -- and the weather was perfect. The crew members were courteous and helpful and friendly. The boat was neat and clean and in good repair. All in all, a fun experience for everyone. Thank you.

We went out on the 12 noon boat. The earlier group was off-loaded in a precise and professional manner and we were boarded in the same way--quickly and safely. It only took 30 minutes out for us to sight dolphins. What a beautiful view as the group "greyhounded" as we approached. The announcer gave us excellent information about the mammals and what to expect. We did not see any whales, but the two hour trip was fun and sunny and entertaining. One suggestion I could have for the crew would be if the announcer would talk about the birds we saw---what kind and so forth. That could have been informative and would have taken up some of the quiet time between pods of dolphins. There was only one annoying thing that happened and it wasn't anything the crew could have done at that moment. One of the spectators threw orange peels in the water and I exclaimed "Don't do that!" The spectator thought he was funny and said that the peels were biodegradeable. Perhaps the Captain could announce early on--not to throw ANYTHING into the water. The litterbug was obviously not from around here and needed to be chided. I bought the DVD and it was fun to review what we had seen earlier. A great afternoon for my niece and me. When she comes back to visit, we'll go again and hope to see some whales!

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.