San Diego Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise
Description
Set sail from scenic Mission Bay and encounter some of the ocean’s most awe-inspiring creatures on a 2–3 hour whale-watching adventure in San Diego. Time can vary based on the season and locations of sightings. In just 10 minutes, you’ll leave the bay behind and be out in the open Pacific, scanning for whales, dolphins, and other fascinating marine life. Led by an expert guide and naturalist alongside a skilled captain, every moment is an opportunity for an extraordinary encounter.
Tour Options
Itinerary
South Mission Bay Park sits at the southern tip of the Mission Beach peninsula in San Diego, right where the ocean meets the bay channel. The Ocean Front Walk begins at the South Mission Bay and runs north/up the peninsula for biking, jogging, or strolling. Fire pits make this a nice spot for an evening bonfire by the beach.
After setting sail from Mission Bay, you'll head towards the open Pacific Ocean. In just 10 minutes, you'll pass through the jetties and enjoy a scenic view of Ocean Beach's famous Dog Beach and the iconic Ocean Beach Pier before venturing into the vast blue waters.
Set sail from Mission Bay and slip past the Mission Beach Boardwalk—surfers, skaters, and the Belmont Park coaster off the beam—before we head into the open Pacific to find whales.
Palm-lined promenade, volleyball courts, and the Belmont Park coaster in view
Enjoy a pass-by view of Sunset Cliffs—golden sandstone bluffs, sea caves, and surfers below.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please arrive 30-45 minutes prior to your departure time
- Children ages 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual. The ocean is between 10°-15° cooler than the bay
Reviews(1,699)
This whale and dolphin watching tour was fantastic from start to finish! The crew members were friendly and informative. Our naturalist guide on the microphone kept us informed and alert for sightings. As we started our cruise, we saw a sea lion, a seal, and lots of birds hanging out hoping for a snack from the bait barge. Our next encounter was a pod of about 50 bottle nose dolphins swimming alongside the boat. It was amazing to see them up close! The highlight of the evening was when we crossed paths with a stampede of common dolphins! They swam alongside us, breached, and even jumped into the air. There must have been 300-400 or more! Finally, as we were headed back to shore, we saw a beautiful sunset with a rare green flash! It was the perfect way to end our anniversary trip to San Diego. The boat was clean and well maintained. The restrooms (heads) were also very clean. The food and drinks were reasonably priced. 10 out of 10 — no notes! I would definitely take this cruise again.
It was a great! We got to see a lot of beautiful dolphins. Unfortunately the whales were no where to be found but we had a fantastic guide and crew!
Highly recommend this trip! Crew was awesome! Sights were great on the sunset tour. Definitely bring a jacket and/or blanket for cooler temperature and sea spray.
It was a wonderful day. We got to enjoy dolphins playing while enjoy the waves and our host wwere all fantastic
Omg this ship the captain the whole crew they go the extra mile to be sure u see the whales I went with them In the morning and because we did not see any they invited us to go back
We saw a bunch of whales, dolphins and sea lions. It was spectacular! The best boat trip I have ever been on!
The dolphins running next to the boat was amazing, Had a great time until getting back slapped with a vomit bag, followed by complete sedation once we arrived back at the hotel, laid down at 5pm woke up groggy at 7am with headache, but we didn't get seasick
This was our first whale watching tour! We’ve done others but this has been by far the best one we’ve done. The crew were interactive and funny. It was a good time! We were able to see dolphins and humpback whales. It was a great time!
Make sure and take a jacket just in case! Put on some sunblock too or at least take some with you just in case
Did a whale watching tour the morning of 6/13/26 with my family. We had an amazing time. All of the crew were so friendly and helpful. Recommend paying the extra $10 a person for the priority boarding as we got to be one of the first to board the boat and pick the best seats for us(there was around 100 people on this tour). We chose the very back corner on the lower level of the boat and it was perfect for us. Got to have a great view but not get splashed and deal with extra choppiness like the front of the boat. We all took some dramamine before the tour and it really helped. We got lucky and saw so much wildlife. We saw multiple sea lions, bottle nosed dolphins, and multiple humpback whales. I would absolutely recommend taking this tour!
Thank you, Melissa! We're so glad you had a fantastic family outing on June 13th! We'll pass your kind words along to the crew. We hope to welcome your family back on board again soon!
