Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

We went out hoping to find yellow tail, bass and others. The first thing we ran into were squid, not just squid but tens of thousands of them. None of us had caught squid prior to this trip, it turn out to be hilarious, fun, wild and then some. The first thing they do is blast you with their propelled ocean water, then ink the heck out of you next...it went flying right into our unsuspecting fishing cohorts. We laughed so hard at the expression of our unsuspecting family member who got it full boar into his face. We were covered with ocean water and ink from head to toe. The boat was great! Food good. Only wish we could have caught more.. meaning yellow tail, etc. We did get a couple small bass. One member packed up thirty pounds of squid to bring home.. caught far more but one can only take so much on a plane. The crew work their rears off, excellent crew on board.. clean boat can't ask for more. We plan to go out of Dana Point Wharf again.. it's the best. Really a great ride, and experience. The sea life alone can keep you more then entertained. Spectacular!

My wife didn't think we'd be lucky and see any whales. She was very impressed when we tracked next to two pair of blue whales. The crew was very informative and professional. We saw several groups of dolphins and some squid also. We would do the trip again and highly recommend it.

Yes, we saw whales, but only when the boat turned on its own or the whale popped up beside the boat. The boat is not big enough for all to be on the bow so many of us were on its side. The captain was so worried about taking photos himself that he would constantly turn the boat to face the whales. This left some of us behind the crowd, unable to see anything. Thank goodness whales are unpredictable and they showed up out to the side once in awhile or we wouldn't have seen much at all. No tip for that cappy!

My family was visiting in town, so I decided to go whale watching since I'd never seen whales before. I booked online for three but was told that the boat was full for that day (this was a sunday) and I could re-schedule for the next day. So I did, and man, did I enjoy!! We saw about 8-10 sightings of about 3-4 blue whales, the guys steering the ship took us real close to the whales and we got some awesome views. On the way back we passed by a shoal of dolphins and it was a pleasure to see them whip out of the surface every 3-4 seconds. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed and so did my parents. The guys who were steering the ship were very good and went out of their way to ensure all onboard got great pics. They were also very informative, giving out tidbits of information about the whales every now and then over the blow horn. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends. Book in advance though, and try going on a weekday, the crowd is lesser and there is more time given per trip. My whole trip lasted about 2 hours on the sea. Very enjoyable indeed!

My extended family gathered for my birthday. We decided to go on the whale watching trip as a group activity -- 12 of us. Maybe we were lucky; but we saw seven whale flukes and countless porpoises, even baby ones, all around our boat. Our captain was eloquent in what he told us about all the animals and their behavior, which was of enormous help in understanding what we were seeing and knowing what to look for. I learned that there was a whole different world under our seas. It was truly and experience we will all remember for a lifetime.

Great boat and crew--not overcrowded. Saw three blue whales and more dolphins than we could count. Very informative captain and crew. Highly recommend this trip.

As a certified "whale geek," I've been on a lot of whale watching cruises with a variety of companies. My afternoon on the water with Dana Wharf Whale Watching definitely ranks near the top of all my experiences. The crew was helpful, informative and courteous. We learned about the area, the animals and more. The boat was fantastic. Clean, stable, well appointed. There was plenty of room for everyone to have a great view. Oh, and the view? We were treated to great looks at blue whales, common dolphins and California sea lions. Not to mention the beauty of the California coastline. We had a fantastic time. We'd recommend Dana Wharf Whale Watching to anyone looking for a good, safe wildlife viewing adventure. We'll definitely be back next time we're in Southern California!

My family and I went on the evening boat ride and we loved it. We could not say if good things about the tour. The captain and his mates were awesome. We saw hundreds of dolphin and 5 whale. We also saw many sea lions. We have been on many boat tours and this one has been by far the BEST!! The boat was very comfortable and the staff were great. They knew the every move of the whale and could tell us when we could get the best view of the fluke. It was awesome. You will not be disappointed!!

We enjoyed the Noon Whale Watching tour on the catamaran. The boat was clean and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The captain worked diligently to find whales. We had several great whale sightings that were quite impressive. We also really enjoyed the dolphin pod that we encountered. It was helpful that we did not have a full cruise. It would have been pretty crowded with a full boat. The view from the front of the boat was great and we all enjoyed ourselves. Our trip was pretty choppy, so if you have any problems with motion sickness, you need to prepare for that. The parking lot has a four hour maximum and they do have attendants patrolling the lot, so plan your trip so you fit into that time frame. The company doesn't provide permits for the two hour tours. We almost ran out of time because we had brunch before the tour.

My wife and I had a great time on this tour. We stayed at the bow of the ship (Dana Pride) and were able to catch several sightings of Blue Whales and pods of Common Dolphin. The onboard naturalist did an excellent job of describing what to look for, and in describing the animals themselves. The crew took their time and made sure we had memorable experience. Highly recommended!

The overall trip was good. The Hands where helpful. Trip was smooth and eventful. Come time to leave I ask the deck hand where are the numbers on the sacks. He said I took them off. I asked him how am I suppose to find these 3 bags. Number 10,20 and,39. He replied oh I know where they are. So I said can you get them for me, and he said sure. Then he says I can't find them how many fish are you missing? To which I replied 3. He said someone must have taken them. No kidding I replied. I have been on trips in Oceanside, San Diego and other places too. And they all make sure this doesn't happen. So good trip poor deck hand. I will probably stick to what I am use to in the future. It's ok for catch and release but that wasn't want I was looking for in this trip. Also the other two guys that I was picking up the fish for were not to happy either. I still tipped him 5 dollars.

The guide and crew of the catamaran were great and within about 20 minutes of the trip two Blue whales were spotted along with hundreds of Common dolphins. Our guide was very knowledgable giving us information about the blue whales and the Common dolphins. This was truly a wonderful experience and I would reccomend this two hour trip to anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

had a great time - would recommend

From the initial journey out to open waters, the deck of the Catamaran put us hovering just above the water.. It was moderately windy, so the waves heaved us up and frequently dropped us a good 5-6 meters to be met with sprays. The Captain expertly guided us to close proximity with first a couple of seals, then a few blue whales coming up for air.. He was able to spot and track them with extreme accuracy, as well as, time their surfacing intervals (we came back when they resurfaced). We took a side excursion to play with a couple hundred dolphins. They DID dance and play in a way you would never experience at an aquarium or Sea World. Imagine a couple hundred of them leaping in a row.. row after row, in sync. We then returned to the spot the surfacing whales.. In the wild and open waters.. we were unexpectedly became aware of the amazing and precious life that surrounds us. Seeing the blue whales and it's majestic body coming out of the water.. should make anyone humble and speachless!

This was a very exiciting expidition. I enjoyed everything about this trip. The boat ride in itself was awesome and then to see all the dolphins; literally hundreds of them swimming right in front of and before the boat. Then we followed a blue whale which surfaced about every 10 minutes, just as the captain said. He was very informative.I got some great photos and video. I loved it and can't wait to do it again.