SAN DIEGO · DOLPHIN WATCHING
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 11 dolphin watching tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Watch dolphins and whales at sunset on a San Diego cruise from Mission Bay, with an informed crew, ocean views, and practical tips for your trip.
“This was the highlight of San Diego! So fun seeing whales and dolphins. Staff was extremely nice as well”
Review of San Diego’s 4-hour whale and dolphin cruise, with wildlife tips, seasonal advice, price value, accessibility, and practical details.
“Went on Aug 5th, 2019 with family of 4 (two daughters 6 and 3 years old) Saw three pods of dolphins with largest pod around 50 dolphins. The dolphins swam and zooped around the boat for quite a bit. The girls enjoyed ‘em. We did not find any Blue whales this time around but the cruise team gave everyone on board vouchers to come back and try again! These vouchers are good until end of 2020 so we can plan to come back.”
Review of City Cruises San Diego whale watching, with gray whales, dolphins, sea lions, practical tips, pricing, timing, and honest drawbacks.
“Had a great experience! Captain Rick was wonderful at finding whales that we could view. The Fin Whales came up close to the boat and we were able to stay and see them for a good amount of time. Fully enjoyed it and we will do it again.”
Review of San Diego’s small-group whale and dolphin tour, with wildlife sightings, safety tips, pricing, boat details, and booking advice.
“Had a fantastic time on the tour with Captain Ray. The absolute highlight was running across a large pod of standard dolphins followed by a large pod of bottlenose dolphins. The bottlenose dolphins were interacting with the boat. Racing along side, jumping out of the water and at times splashing and chatting at us. It was an amazing experience.”
Review of San Diego’s private whale and dolphin tour, with Captain Rich, a six-passenger boat, wildlife odds, comfort, value, and tips.
“Captain Rich was a fantastic host and this was a great experience for my family. We found multiple pods of dolphins as well as a humpback whale during the trip. The boat was great, the ride was smooth and we felt safe the whole time. Will definitely do this again next time we come to town. Highly recommend.”
Review of San Diego’s $70 sunset whale and dolphin cruise, with wildlife tips, timing, value, comfort advice, and booking guidance.
“Was hoping for a whale but got to see False Killer Whales (dolphins) instead. Hearing and seeing the crew geek out over it and explain how rare it was made us realize how lucky we were to experience that. 5 out of 5 stars, would absolutely recommend this to everyone visiting the area. Truly incredible.”
Review of San Diego’s Peregrine whale and dolphin cruise, with wildlife odds, comfort details, seasickness tips, price value, and booking advice.
“Great experience. No whale sightings but found a super pod of dolphins! Very cool! Cam from the crew was very helpful. I started to feel sea sick inside the boat, suggested I go sit outside the cabin on a bench, immediately felt better. Thank you Cameron 😉 As long as you go into the experience knowing you may not see any whales ( or honestly anything other than seals), it’s a good deal 👍🏾”
Review of San Diego’s small-group whale and dolphin tour, with practical advice on wildlife, pricing, weather, guides, and what to expect.
“Great tour. Didn’t see whales, but a bunch of dolphins and sea lions. Captain was awesome, went with my 11 year old son.”
Review of San Diego’s 3.5-hour Peregrine whale-watching tour, with dolphins, sea lions, expert guides, comfort, pricing, and practical tips.
“Staff members were super nice, the boat tour was great and we have seen three grey whales and a lot of dolphins!”
Review of San Diego's six-person whale and dolphin speedboat tour, with seasonal wildlife, pricing, comfort tips, and honest advice.
“Spend the money for the smaller tour. Boat is much faster and can cover much more ground and the crew is amazing!”
Review of San Diego’s $199 speedboat whale tour, with seasonal sightings, dolphin encounters, group size, value, tips, and booking advice.
“Had an amazing time! Very cool views, got to see tons of cool sea life! The dolphins love to swim next to the boat and it’s really cool to watch.”
Pick a coast, or pick the kind of morning you want.
