Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

this is a great trip for kids although NOT great for catching good fish to eat. The smaller kids under 6 really need to bring their own poles if they are going to catch anything... The first time we went our 4 year old loved being the bait girl. The second time we were on a different boat and she could not REACH the bait therefore she got bored. The rental poles are way too big for her. The bait was also way too big for the bottom feeding fish which are always the ones we like to eat... It is a bit pricey for a family of five even on Sunday when kids are free it cost us close to $200 for the half day trip for everything and we did not even get any fish to take home and cook.... We would like to try a different time of day maybe twlight is better, but then it will cost us even more. The crew was great and very helpful.... We will be going again sometime in the future...

we fished at about 3 sites and caught alot of fish for a half day trip it was really fun and the crew was really helpful especially when getting me a beer i would recommend it to all

Dana Wharf provides one of the best ocean deep sea fishing experiences consistently year in and out. They are professional, respectful and helpful to all, even the ones that never been out on a boat fishing. Even if I do not catch a fish, it is usually a nice boat ride.

We have really enjoyed the trip. We did see whales and dolphins. The captain was very good with providing information. The 11 am trip was not as busy as the later trip. we had enough space to move around so that we could make pictures and videos. I would recommend this trip for other people.

My 65 year old dad said it was one of the coolest experiences of his life! His wife agreed. Warning: several of the people in our group who waited til they were on board to take motion sickness medicine were miserably queasy the whole time. The one lady who usually has motion sickness took her medicine an hour before boarding as the directions state & she was fine. So take some over-the-counter motion sickness medicine and you'll be in for the experience of a lifetime. Think you can do without it, and you are gonna ruin a great experience. Sighted: whales, dolphins, sea otters and everyone loved it!

We booked this trip figuring we would see just dolphins. We actually got more than we expected. A blue whale!! The whale surfaced many times. What a great experience to see such a magnificent creature! Would recommend this trip even if all you saw was dolphins. Can't wait until our next trip! Thanks Dana Wharf!

I thought I was getting a great deal by paying $14 (half-price on Tuesdays) to see something that very few people in the entire world ever get a chance to see.

When I first decided to go Whale Watching, I really didn't expect much. I thought that it would be something to do. I found that it was very relaxing on the boat as we headed out to see in search of whales and dolphins. As it turns out, we did see a whale. He was a 100 foot blue whale. He would go down for about 8 minutes and then surface again. Each time that he did this, the captain would let us know that he should be coming back up and to start looking for him. It was fun when he came back up since you never knew if he would be closer or would have traveled alittle farther along. It became a game of Find the Whale. It was quite enjoyable and I would definitely do it again.

After we'd been fishing for a few hours, one friend wanted to put a lure on her pole and asked the deckhand to help out. He mentioned that since fish really don't really bite at night, it would be best to stick with her current set-up (a hook w/squid) and go to the bottom. This was a bit confusing to us because we thought... if they don't bite at night, what are we doing out here? The other thing that was mentioned by the crew on the way back is that we got stuck with large live bait which "makes it difficult to catch a 12" Bass using 6" bait." I would think they would stock appropriate sized live bait based on what were going for, but forgive me if my statement is incorrect. Beyond this, the crew was friendly and helpful with catches, kelp snags, in the galley, etc. Either way you look at it, we had an enjoyable time and we'd go again.

The staff on the boat were very friendly and helpful. When my fishing pole broke, one of the crew let me use his. My family had a great time.

Son and three of his buddies. We caught about 12 fish. Had a great time. Quality time with the kids, no Xbox, no phone, no TV, just hanging out and talking and fishing. Once again GREAT GREAT time. Thanks to the Captain and crew. Thanks Guys, The Moore's

I took my 8-year old out for some Ocean fishing. We have taken this once before. Dana Point Sportfishing does a fantastic job with organization and ensuring everyone is taken care of. The captain does a great job making sure there is bite action with his knowledge of the area and what equiptment to use. I recommend this for anyone looking for Family fin!

Our 3-generation group (Father, Mother, 2 Daughters and 1 granddaughter) had a terrific time on our whale watching trip on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. The weather was perfect, with warm, sunny sky, very light breeze and light, glassy seas. The boat was nice and roomy, and certainly didn't feel crowded with around 29 pasengers and crew of 4. All of the crew were very friendly and helpful. The marine biologist on board, Morgan Ritchie, and her assistant were very knowledgeable and added a lot to the trip. We even bought one of Morgan's excellent photos on the way in. We saw three different blue whales, which are awesome creatures. We also saw a mola mola (ocean sunfish) near the boat and a large marlin that jumped clear out of the water several times, though it was too far away to photograph. And, of course, we saw common dolphins - hundreds of them! Many of the dolphins were accompanied by their young ones, as they swam right next to the boat and jumped around in large areas near the boat. Almost everywhere we looked, there were dolphins. My old digital camera was way too slow on the shutter speed to get the really good shots of the whales venting upon surfacing or having their tails high in the air as they started deep dives, but my daughter got some really great photos. All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip, and I highly recommend it. We'll be back for grey whale season.

We saw four whales during the 2 hour trip, each time we were so excited when we spotted them. Oh, bring your best camera, as I regret I only had my phone camera with me. Still, the photos are great and beautiful. Crew members are very nice and friendly. A galley with snacks and drinks (yes, including alcohol) are very nice features for me, since I got there hungry. When the trip was about over, we saw dolphins in the hundreds, jumping and swimming, which was a great view and brought a lot of excitements as well. The boat was comfortable. I think it well worth the time and $$.

The sun was shining, the ocean was fairly smooth and it was such a magically time, as we saw and experienced 5 beautiful Blue Whales and a couple of friendly dolphins along side our our catamaran. The crew was friendly and shared wonderful information about the whales and dolphins. Besides being with a great group of friends. Thank you for the experience. It was grand and I would highly recommend. LuAnn Budiselic