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Dana Wharf Blog

Whale Watching

Blue Whales Spotted in Dana Point!

Dana Point, California— June 2022 —It’s going to be a “BLUE, BLUE, summer!! Blue whales have been spotted off the coast of Dana Point! It’s leading up to an exciting summer! The largest mammal known to ever exist on EARTH has been viewed by our crew and guests! Blue Whale season runs from May until November as they migrate in the summer and generally gather in small groups! Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching have spotted 6 so far in the month of June!! It’s also been a magical month of witnessing pods of Risso’s and Common Dolphins, Fin Whales, Minke Whales, and a few Humpbacks!! It’s time to go WHALE WATCHING this summer!! Since Father’s Day, our passengers have seen many mothers and their calves. Recently, they saw a calf that was rolling under the surface next to the 95ft….

Wyland’s Art Lessons In The Wild 2022 WINNER!

Dana Point, California— June 2022 — Marine Life Artist; Wyland and Dana Wharf Whale Watching presents, Wyland’s Whale and Dolphin Adventure Art Lessons in the Wild Grand Prize Contest Winner announced. CONGRATULATIONS to 8-year-old William Lyerla of Irvine, California. He has won the 2022 Grand Prize framed and signed artwork by Wyland called “OCEANS”; which…

Dana Wharf Whale Watching—Earth Day 2022

Dana Point, California— April 2022 —Dana Wharf Whale Watching to hold an Earth Day Celebration on April 22, 2022, and then invites you to join a special Beach Cleanup and Lunch & Learn with Stand Up To Trash on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Dana Wharf established Whale Watching in Orange County in 1971 and will…

Wyland’s Whale and Dolphin Adventure Art Lessons In The Wild 2022

Dana Point, California— January 2022 — Marine Life Artist; Wyland and Dana Wharf Whale Watching present, Wyland’s Whale and Dolphin Adventure; Art Lessons in the Wild starting Saturday, January 22nd through April 23rd, 2022. Dana Wharf established Whale Watching in Orange County in 1971 and is endorsed by Wyland (Artist of the Sea). The renowned marine…

Camp Pendleton Marines from Kabul security battalion treated to holiday cruise!

Marines and their families from Camp Pendleton’s 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines – the unit from which 10 of 13 service members killed in the bombing attack at the Kabul airport came – had some “Reel Fun” this weekend as part of the 46th Annual Dana Point Boat Parade of Lights. They and members of the…

Rare sight: Killer whales show up 4 miles off Orange County coast

At first glance, Dana Wharf captain Tommy White thought the marine mammals in the distance were dolphins, a regular sight off Orange County’s coastline. But he soon realized it was a much rarer sight: A pod of black-and-white orcas were hanging out just a few miles from Laguna Beach’s coastline. “That’s something different,” he recalled…

Dana Point Duo Establishes City as a Whale Heritage Site

Dana Point Duo Establishes City as a Whale Heritage Site By Astgik Khatchatryan | Orange Coast Magazine  Once bitter rivals, Donna Kalez of Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Gisele Anderson of Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari worked together to have Dana Point recognized as the first Whale Heritage Site in the…

The Great Gray Whale Migration

The Great Gray Whale Migration By Captain Todd Mansur Imagine what life would be like traveling from the Bering and Chukchi Seas all the way to Baja Mexico, and sometimes adding a few miles if you decided to start a little bit further north because the food was better? That’s clocking in 5,000 to 7,000…

Rare Salmon Shark Spotted off Catalina Island

Rare Salmon Shark Spotted at the East-End of Catalina Island Dana Wharf Whale Watching saw a very rare salmon shark on Friday, March 26th while on an 8 Hour Ultimate Whale Watching Trip   Dana Wharf’s Eight Hour Whale Watching trips are so fun and we do them once a month. The target is always…

Thank You Don Hansen for the Festival of Whales!

The Festival of Whales is celebrating 50 Years, THANK YOU Don Hansen! The milestone of the Dana Point Festival of Whales reaching 50 years is so much more than a new logo or the celebration itself for me. Having grown up at Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching and retelling my family’s story is a…