Dana Wharf Whale Watch

Dana Wharf Whale Watch Year round opportunity to see many whale and dolphin species right here in Dana Point, CA And just like that, whale watching was born.
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The story of Dana Wharf:
In 1958 While running several sport fishing boats off the San Clemente Pier,Don Hansen, decided to take children out on a whale watching excursion at the urging of friend and local educator Philip Grignon. For years Hansen and his fellow captains had been watching Gray Whales pass by them but no one was really watching this majestic Whales at the time. Some years later, H

ansen moved the operation to Dana Point Harbor when it opened in 1971. This was where the West Coast Whale Watching industry originated - not only for school field trips, but the public Whale Watching excursion was born in Dana Point. Don's love for the Gray Whale inspired people from all around the world to come and see for themselves the friendly Gray Whales as they migrate past Dana Point. Dana Wharf Whale Watching, the first whale watching company in Orange County, is a year-round whale watching facility in Southern California. Interacting with thousands of whales during the Gray Whale migration in the winter and Blue whales in the summer plus year round whales such as Fin , Orca, Minke and Humpback . In addition to whales, thousands of dolphins, sea lions, sea faring birds and even sharks are found in the beautiful waters right off Dana Wharf. There is always plenty of wildlife to experience, as you will see in this video. Today Dana Wharf sits in the heart of a busy, flourishing harbor and continues to be owned and operated by the Hansen family.

10/06/2025

Our 8 Hour Ultimate Whale Watch was one for the books yesterday!
🐋 ✨ 🌊
During our encounter with Six Humpback Whales lasting almost three hours, the behavior of these whales shifted from feeding, resting, socializing and traveling!  One massive tails throw, lob tailing, rolling, combined with hearing vocalizations including bellowing and trumpeting made this a truly remarkable encounter!
🎥 & report by

Bottlenose & Common Dolphin were enjoyed on our regular whale watch trips today! These dolphin are often found feeding ...
10/06/2025

Bottlenose & Common Dolphin were enjoyed on our regular whale watch trips today! These dolphin are often found feeding along the ledge off our coast. This change is elevation allows for upwelling of nutrients to the surface which feed the baitfish which in turn feed the dolphin!

📸 John & Cindy

10/06/2025

Today’s Ultimate 8-hour Whale Watch sightings included 8 Humpback Whales with two just off the Dana Point Harbor, 6 Humpbacks over 22 miles offshore, two pods of Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin, four pods of Long-beaked Common Dolphin and two Osprey!

Complete trip report, videos & photos coming soon!

🎥 Laura Lopez ~ Check out one of these Humpback Whales surge and head lift at 26 secs!

10/05/2025

🌊🐋 What an incredible day in Dana Point! Yesterday, we witnessed a very slap-happy humpback whale putting on a show, slapping its fluke on the water’s surface with such enthusiasm! 🎉 It’s truly humpback season, and every moment is filled with surprises. You just never know what these magnificent creatures will do next!

A big thank you to our Naturalist Nona Reimer for sharing her insights and narrating this unforgettable experience. Join us for more adventures on the water! 🌟

They say good things come to those who wait. It did on our first trip. At 10am, we came almost to the end of our tour ...
10/05/2025

They say good things come to those who wait. It did on our first trip. At 10am, we came almost to the end of our tour before we found a pod of Common Dolphin off of Laguna Beach. The nursery pod made our quick visit so enjoyable to watch, but we were a long ways from home and needed to head back to Dana Point Harbor. As we approached the harbor we could see the splashing of a Humpback Whale just off of the Headlands. Time was already gone, but we stayed to see several peduncle throws as this juvenile Humpback slashed the waters with its tail flukes. Then, as we left, the whale headed closer to shore and breached several times. At noon we relocated this Humpback still near shore but off of Aliso Creek Beach. It would surface 2-3 times before going under for almost five minutes or more. After several cycles, we turned to go farther offshore when our passengers saw another Humpback come up near our port side. This Humpback stayed down for eight minutes/cycle before it would surface with a few blows and then showed its flukes low to the water’s surface. Home we headed having watched two Humpbacks off of Laguna Beach. At 2:30 we headed straight out from the harbor, dropping off the first edge of the continental shelf, into waters approximately 2,000 feet deep. This sudden change in depth is an area where upwelling occurs; where nutrient-rich water rises to the surface and stimulates food production through the food chain. There we found a pod of about 30 Offshore Bottlenose dolphin. They were happy to jump in our stern wake as we sped up and left them. Next we found Common Dolphin chasing down fin food. This pod was spread out over a mile. We could see the anchovy jumping out of the water trying to escape the accurate bite of the Common Dolphin. Echolocating dolphin makes them extremely accurate predators. Always a great day when we see both baleen and toothed cetaceans! Today’s totals: 3 sightings of Humpback whales (one Humpback seen two times and one other Humpback), two pods of Common Dolphin, one pod of Bottlenose, and one curious sea lion swimming with the Humpback whales.

Report & 📸 Nona the Naturalist

We’ve enjoyed incredible conditions all week with sunny skies, warm weather, and calm seas. Despite searching over 10 mi...
10/04/2025

We’ve enjoyed incredible conditions all week with sunny skies, warm weather, and calm seas. Despite searching over 10 miles on our morning trip, the waters were quiet except for a few flying fish seen off our bow, so our passengers received “whale checks” which is a free ticket to come back anytime and never expires. At noon, we headed more than 8 miles straight offshore from Dana Point Harbor where we encountered an open-ocean pod of at least 500 Long-beaked Common Dolphin spread out across several miles, traveling westward. Many raced to our bow, surfed alongside Ocean Adventures, while others played and rolled in the swell as they rode our stern wake.

This afternoon, a large pod of over 100 Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin was sighted along the drop-off, actively feeding from Monarch Bay to north of Aliso Canyon. They displayed dramatic tail slaps and throws, a powerful hunting technique used to stun prey. Multiple calves were among them, with several making close passes off our bow. On our return, we watched a raft of more than 40 California Sea Lions porpoising north off the headlands, while many others were swimming in the harbor. The Osprey was perched in its usual spot on the jetty marker and took off before immediately returning.

Report Laura Lopez
📸 Laura Lopez & Ernie Leal

Dr. Lei Lani Stelle’s summer research students at the University of Redlands worked hard all summer and did a great job ...
10/04/2025

Dr. Lei Lani Stelle’s summer research students at the University of Redlands worked hard all summer and did a great job explaining their findings at the summer research poster session!

Dana Wharf Whale Watch has been collaborating with Dr. Stelle and her students for 13 years. Studying the marine mammals off the Southern California coast primarily focusing on Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin and California Sea Lions, these students observe, photo and gather data about these marine mammals in an effort to understand human impacts.

Thursday was a terrific day of dolphins off of Dana Point Harbor. Our 10am trip found a pod of active Common Dolphin no...
10/03/2025

Thursday was a terrific day of dolphins off of Dana Point Harbor. Our 10am trip found a pod of active Common Dolphin not too far offshore of San Clemente. They were feeding on small “fin food / anchovy” joined by the birds also feeding. At noon, it took a good deal of time to finally find life. It was more Common Dolphin but our time was limited so we whale checked this trip. We want these passengers to come back and hopefully see more marine life on another ocean adventure. At 2:30, we went up and out from the harbor. About 4 miles off of Aliso Creek we found a large pod of Bottlenose dolphin. As we circled to leave, the Bottlenose joined us leaping high out of the stern wake. Today’s totals: Two pods of Common Dolphin, one large pod of Bottlenose Dolphin, and resting sea lions on the navigational buoys and harbor jetty.

Report & 📸 Nona the Naturalist

Today several of our passengers were surprised to learn that Long-beaked Common Dolphin are in fact carnivores! These h...
10/02/2025

Today several of our passengers were surprised to learn that Long-beaked Common Dolphin are in fact carnivores! These highly skilled hunters rely on their sharp teeth to catch small baitfish like the abundant anchovy in our waters before swallowing them whole. Preferring fish, they will also consume small squid and crustaceans along with other invertebrates.

Our morning trip found a small group of Common Dolphin just outside Dana Point Harbor. At noon, Captain Steve took us more than 12 miles offshore spotting splashes in the distance where an open-ocean pod of hundreds of Common Dolphin was spread across a vast area complete with calves, moving west while feeding on schools of anchovy below. With sunshine and crystal-clear water, we watched as these fish tightened into bait balls alongside the Ocean Adventure with the dolphin in pursuit.

Back at the jetty, California Sea Lions were hauled out or patrolling the waters along the jetty which is now an almost daily sighting in the same spot. Perched on the jetty marker, the Osprey gave us excellent views both at rest and soaring overhead as it surveyed the harbor!

Report & 📸 Laura Lopez

10/02/2025

KELPING Humpback! 🌊🐋💚 Another look at this beautiful juvenile Humpback whale kelping This playful behavior happens when whales roll around and drape themselves in kelp—sometimes for fun, sometimes to help scratch off dead skin. Such a special encounter here in Dana Point! 🌿✨

🎥

10/02/2025

Sushi Buffet in front of the Dana Point Harbor! Another bad day to be an anchovy!

🎥 Laura Lopez

Address

34675 Golden Lantern
Dana Point, CA
92629

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 10pm
Tuesday 6am - 10pm
Wednesday 6am - 10pm
Thursday 6am - 10pm
Friday 5am - 10pm
Saturday 9am - 10pm
Sunday 9am - 10pm

Telephone

+18005909994

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Our Story

on our trips : Visitors can take a voyage with Orange County’s original whale watching company. Riders on one of Dana Wharf's 17 vessels often see whales, dolphins and sea lions while embracing the majestic coastline of DanaPoint, all these excursions are narrated by expert naturalists . In addition, Dana Wharf is endorsed by renowned wildlife Artist Wyland.