Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

So funny how some people on our trip actually seemed bummed and "cheated" that we did not see any grey whales on our trip. You've got to be kidding me! They are part of nature. We don't rope them in to make sure they are in the right spot when the boat drives by. What we did see? About 300 dolphins. We were in the middle of a giant pod where we were completely surrounded. I've seen more than a few dolphins in my day, and this was simply amazing. I will never forget our experience. We left at 8am, and it was pretty cold that day, but the boat was great. Not a person was seasick; it drives very steady and smooth. The breakfast burritios and hot chocolate were such a perfect treat for a cold day. What I would recommend is to arrive early so you can line up. When you get on board, quickly grab a seat outside where you can find one. They fill up, and several people stood the whole time. I definitely would not want to stand for 2 hrs., so don't be late! You will have a wonderful day out on the beautiful ocean.

Thank god for the dolphins and sea lions! Not to mention the bloody marys! All in all it was worth getting up for! Haven't given up on seeing a whale up close and personal! Until that day, The discovery channel will have to do!

I took my daughter on this trip for her fifth birthday with mixed group. Everyone had a great time! The crew was extremely friendly and gave us a ton of information on the whales we saw. The boat was beautiful and really well maintained and clean.

I had a wonderful experience and seen lots of whales.

A beautiful day on the ocean with gorgeous weather. No whales but LOTS of dolphins. Nice to just relax on the boat and watch as they played, swam, jumped. Will definitely do this again, and again!

We had the continental breakfast/lecture first. Then, the time on the water was nice. We had pleasant weather which made it perfect. And, we actually saw a whale for a bit. There was a huge pod of dolphins and several sea lions. The boat was nice with some snacks and beverages. It was an experience worth doing at least one time in ones life.

I booked an 11 am trip on March 5 during the Whale Watching Festival for my husband, myself and our 24 year old son. The weather was great, cool but sunny. The number of people on the trip seemed just right. The captain found a school of dolphins that played with the boat, great for photos. He did find a whale about an hour plus into the trip. That was terrific and again a great photo-op. The captain seemed to have a good knowledge of the marine life in the area and shared that with the guests. We all enjoyed the trip.

Enjoy both the whale and dolphins watching

This is our family's first time to do this activity. We saw this in the OC Family ad and thought it would be a good idea. And yes, it was great! We had a great experience! Just being out to the sea at 9am, the breeze of fresh air was really refreshing, the water was calm. (We recommend you bring a heavy sweater for it was really cold.) Although our boat captain (boat named CLEMENTE) tried so hard for our group to spend more time chasing the whales to get a good glimpse, we are unlucky that we did not see them (mom and a calf) close-up. We only saw from afar their arched back. However, the boat captain brought us to the dolphins pod. We enjoyed the scene. Gosh... There were groups of dolphins (maybe a about 100 or even more) that we were in awe. They were everywhere playing, jumping up and down, swimming close to our boat that we don't know where to look. Due to time constraint, the boat just went around them and we hurriedly return back to the dock. We really hoped that we stayed a few more minutes so we can take great pictures and really see & enjoy the dolphins. Yes, we do recommend for others to do this activity especially if you have small children. You will love it!

Best deal in Southern OC. 2 hour boat ride with numerous dolphins (don't expect to see a whale).

The employees were all very nice. It was a slow morning for whales so the captain went out of his way to take us to a large pod of dolphins. I hope he didn't get in trouble for that. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen and I think the rest of the passengers would agree. It's the second time I've taken the whale watching cruise and it's great fun.

I was expecting some grumpy crew men that do this every day. They were really nice, informative, and fun.

We didn't see any whales, but the views, dolphins, and crew were great!! We will go again in hopes of a whale of a good time. I don't know why we waited so many years to go. Remember, it is about 10% cooler on the ocean.

Beautiful day. The boat was large and comfortable, and on our day not many people on board so it was like a private tour. The crew were very nice and knowledgeable about the whales and dolfins that we saw and it was fun to learn new things about them. Get on board . . . everyone should experience this adventure.

We enjoyed a sunny day on the water last Sunday. Though no whales were seen, the 2 hour tour fit the bill for the attention span of my younger 2 kids (4 and 7 yrs) - though the 10 year old would have been more excited to actually see whales. We saw a beautiful pod of dolphins, some seals and sea lions. The fresh-grilled burger and BLT sandwich were awesome! The little kids loved the ring pops. Some families were experiencing seasickness but we did OK. I will consider a longer trip (one of the 3-4 hour ones) with just my 10 year old to increase our chance of seeing a whale. The boat seemed pretty full but we found an outdoor table with bench seats and then moved around to the sides when we wanted to get closer to view the dolphins