Dana Wharf Whale Watch

03/25/2025

Three Gray Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins & Common Dolphin! 🐋🐋🐋

Heading north out of the Dana Point Harbor this morning we soon were in dense fog! Fortunately, another vessel was with some Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin a few miles off Aliso Canyon. The pod was likely over 30 individuals and in small feeding groups. In the calm flat seas, several dolphin approached us and we watched as many repeatedly tail slapped! Were they communicating or using this as a feeding technique? Several breached off our bow and others in the distance. On our noon trip, we headed south to find what seemed like a much larger pod of these Bottlenose Dolphin off San Mateo point ~ ten miles south from the earlier group. These dolphin were also feeding and could be seen charging across the water’s surface before diving often simultaneously rising from the depths in tight groups. Our last trip headed south and turned further offshore to find sunshine and a pod of several hundred Long-beaked Common Dolphin in various feeding frenzies across several miles trending north. We left these dolphin hearing a trio of Gray Whales was ahead. These three whales had a longer dive time and stayed close together most of the encounter eventually turning in towards the beach and each one fluked!

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez

03/24/2025

Our 8-hour Ultimate Whale Watch was a beautiful day on the water and began with a trio and a pair of northbound Gray Whales with Long-beaked Common Dolphin just north of the Dana Point Harbor. The group of three regularly fluked. As we headed towards Catalina Island, we got a brief look at an elephant seal before it sunk out. Velella velella or By-the-Wind Sailors were seen throughout the day. A small nursery pod of acrobatic Short-beaked Common Dolphin was seen further offshore. As we approached the southeast end of the island, a small pod of very relaxed Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin cruised with us until Captain Steve circled around and increased our speed and they began breaching and leaping in our wake. Another pod of several hundred Long-beaked Common Dolphin was also in the area. Making our way north towards Avalon, a California Sea Lion was being harassed by several gulls as it was trying to enjoy a California Sheepshead fish meal. Two Mola molas and a small Mako shark were spotted off the bow. While we saw scattered Long-beaked Common Dolphin much of the day, the largest pod was found off Laguna Beach feeding with hundreds of sea birds. We also saw both Rhinoceros and Cassin’s Auklets, Pacific Loons, Black-vented Shearwaters and Brandt’s Cormorants while offshore.

Note: A northbound Humpback Whale was seen on two of our regular whale watch trips! 🐋

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez
Drone 📸 Gavriel Berghouse

03/23/2025

Spring is in the air and on the water. With beautiful conditions the Dana Pride headed straight out of the Dana Point Harbor and about 7 miles offshore we came across a pod of about 20 Bottlenose Dolphin. Traveling up the coast and a bit farther out we found a pod of Common Dolphin. Usually in the hundreds, this smaller pod was quite active with a number of calves in the group. Looking down at the glassy water, we saw a number of By-the-Wind-Sailors floating at the mercy of the currents and breeze. Glassy conditions continued on our second trip. We headed out and south where we found a pod of Common Dolphin full of newborn calves nine miles from the harbor. Our last trip did not find any dolphins. Instead, we had six northbound Gray Whales! They were large adults moving up the coast showing their flukes on numerous dives. They too were far outside in the range where the dolphin had been earlier. Today’s totals: Several pods of Common Dolphin, one pod of Bottlenose Dolphin and six northbound Gray Whales.

Report & 📸 Nona Brinkman Reimer

03/22/2025

Yesterday’s trips saw Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin and massive feeding frenzies with thousands of Common Dolphin and sea birds!

📸 Laura Lopez
📸 John & Cindy

03/22/2025

Morning whale watch trips saw Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin and TWO Mako sharks. This afternoon’s trips saw likely the same mega pod of Long-beaked Common Dolphin found earlier in the day over 7 miles offshore trending north. Captain Frank estimated there were now about two thousand dolphin on our last trip. This pod was spread out over several miles in every direction we looked. Various groups seemed to take turns racing over to bow ride the Ocean Adventures while others got in a line up surfing the stern wake. Plunge diving pelicans were filling their pouches while other sea birds snatched the fin bait right off the water’s surface. California sea lions were feeding as well. Other sea lions were hauled out on the navigational buoys close to the Dana Point Harbor. As we were watching them on our last trip, one sea lion leapt high out the water off our bow. It sure seemed like it was trying to jump on our boat, which delighted everyone onboard!

March is

Report & 🎥 Laura Lopez

03/22/2025

Join us for our 8 Hour Ultimate Whale Watch this Sunday! 🐳 We still have five spots left, join the A team for a wonderful eight hour trip looking for gray whales, fin whales and possibly blue whales!
Go to danawharf.com to book!
📸

03/21/2025

This Sunday, March 23, 2025 ~ Alisa Schulman-Janiger will be our guest naturalist on our 8-hour Ultimate Whale Watch on the Ocean Adventures with Captain Steve!

You can find our more book your adventure here: https://danawharf.com/whale-watching/8-hour-ultimate-whale-watch/

03/21/2025

On this first day of spring our two school field trips aboard the Dana Pride at 10am and noon, enjoyed glassy waters with Risso’s Dolphins, a couple of Bottlenose Dolphin and a pod of Common Dolphin spread out over the waters. The Risso’s were in deep waters several miles off shore and south of the Dana Point Harbor. Also floating along at the mercy of the currents were By the Wind Sailors. These close relatives of the jellies but not a jellyfish were easily visible. Capt. Chad was able to net one so that the students could see it up close. Yes, spring is here when we see the Sailors floating by.

Report by Nona Brinkman Reimer
📸 Laura Lopez

03/20/2025

The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation & Education Foundation school field trip at 10am found a shy Gray Whale passing the Dana Point Harbor about 2 miles offshore. Blowing only once, not fluking, this whale had a 5-6 minute dive time as it traveled north. Feeding groups of Long-beaked Common Dolphin also engaged with the Dana Pride bow-riding and racing alongside our vessel. Our noon trip found a larger pod 4.5 miles offshore also feeding with sea birds. On our afternoon trip on the Ocean Adventures, Captain Steve headed north and we travelled up the coast to catch up with today’s largest pod of several hundred dolphin feeding over a wide area moving north. This pod was the most acrobatic of the day with many young dolphin leaping alongside their mom’s as they approached us while others surfed the stern wake!

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez
Drone 📸 Gavriel Berghouse

03/19/2025

Can you name this beautifully unique Jellyfish 🪼 we encountered on our adventures? So amazing!
📸

03/19/2025

So cool these dolphin welcomed home the astronauts today!

Dolphins came to greet the Astronauts back home right after they splashed down. What an amazing moment! 🐬

03/18/2025

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

We see Common Dolphin on many of our trips! Today we saw truly massive feeding frenzies with Long-beaked Common Dolphin including tiny calves, sea lions and sea birds, spanning several miles in all directions. Purple-striped jelly fish were also seen again this morning. Our first trip found several feeding groups south of the San Clemente Pier about four miles offshore. This aggregation of sea life had grown tremendously by noon! Birdnados were often overhead with mostly Pelicans swooping over us and plunge diving in every direction! Late this afternoon, these animals were now just south of the Dana Point Harbor over six miles offshore! Looking at dolphin, sea lions and birds for what appeared as far as the eye could see, was an exceptional encounter all of us will remember!

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez

03/17/2025

We have happy news and sad news at the same time, after 47 years as our longest employee, lead captain of the Dana Pride and our family member here at Dana Wharf - Captain Tommy White is retiring. His last day will be on Thursday, March 27. Although Tommy is retiring from the full time captain of the Dana Pride, he will still be in our Dana Wharf family and we are so happy for him! Come down and whale watch with Captain Tommy in his last 10 days here at Dana Wharf.

Congratulations Tommy on your retirement!

03/17/2025

One Gray Whale & Common, plus Purple-striped Jelly Fish!

Multiple pods of Long-beaked Common Dolphin were found on our morning and early afternoon trips. Feeding frenzies were encountered from Three Arch Bay to south of the San Clemente Pier. Several Purple-striped Jelly Fish were seen on our morning trips. This afternoon we found our first baleen whale, a northbound Gray Whale off Monarch Bay only blowing once and not fluking. After several dive cycles, this whale began to blow twice and fluking before diving. We ended the day with another stop at the SJR buoy to view the hauled out California sea lions.

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez

03/16/2025

Our young artists drew a breaching Humpback and a good luck Green Sea Turtle during our Wyland art class at 9am. Then, we headed out several miles and down the coast on our 10am trip. We encountered Common Dolphin spread out over a large area. Knowing there is a potential to see so much more, we handed out whale checks to our passengers and encouraged them to return for another ocean adventure. At 12pm, we saw two Coastal Bottlenose at the mouth of the Dana Point Harbor. Again, we found a large pod of Common Dolphin directly off of the Headlands less than 2 miles from the harbor. This was a much larger pod than we saw on our previous trip. We circled them for a long time in hopes that a baleen whale might appear in the area. At 2:30 we headed out of the harbor and up the coast. Once again we found Common Dolphin about a mile offshore of Aliso Creek. Today’s sighting’s were beautiful Common Dolphin and 2 Coastal Bottlenose!

Report & 📸 Nona Brinkman Reimer

03/15/2025

So beyond honored to have our own Donna Kalez to receive Woman of the Year nominee Award and be recognized for Excellence in Business by Assemblywoman Laurie Davies! Congratulations Donna! Laurie Davies read about all the nominees in the press release

https://ad74.asmrc.org/2025/03/14/assemblywoman-laurie-davies-recognizes-2025-woman-of-the-year-nominees-in-orange-county/

03/15/2025

Today marks 5 years to the day that we had the honor of having “Duff takes the Cake” aboard at Dana Wharf!
Duff Goldman and his team made a whale cake for the Festival of Whales and the Dolphin and Whale
Watching Capital of the World! 🌎 🐋 Such an amazing day!

03/15/2025

We are thinking back to last week and the Welcoming of the Whales at the Ocean Institute for the 54th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales with our friends from the Acjachemen Nation , Rev. Adelia Sandoval spiritual overseer ( narrating ) and the Dana Point Surf Club it was magical ! Thank you to the City of Dana Point - Government and Dana Point Harbor for a wonderful Festival . video taken by Mark Kalez.