Southern California is one of the few places where whales are off the coast in every month of the year. Not the same whales, which is the part most people get wrong. The animals change over halfway through the year, so the month you pick decides what you are likely to see far more than the harbor you sail from.

Dana Wharf has been running trips out of Dana Point Harbor since 1971, when it became the first whale watching company in Orange County.

Why this coast, and not others

Most whale watching destinations get a season. A few weeks when the animals are passing, and a long quiet stretch either side. Southern California gets two, back to back, because two different things happen here.

In winter, gray whales use this coastline as a highway. In summer, the water warms and a krill bloom pulls in the largest animals on earth to feed. Between them they cover the calendar, and the resident dolphins fill any gaps.

The winter season: gray whales, December to April

Gray whales make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, roughly 10,000 miles round trip between the feeding grounds of the Arctic and the calving lagoons of Baja California. Southern California sits in the middle of that route.

They travel close to shore, which is what makes them the most dependable animal on the local calendar. The southbound run peaks around January. The northbound run through February and March is the one many people prefer, because mothers bring calves with them and move slower.

The summer season: blue and fin whales, May to October

From late spring the water warms and krill moves up the coast. The rorquals follow it.

Blue whales, at roughly 80 to 100 feet, are the largest animals that have ever lived, and Southern California is one of the more reliable places on earth to see them. Fin whales, the second largest, are here across the same stretch. Humpbacks and minke whales turn up through the summer too, and humpbacks are the most visibly active of the group.

Dolphins, all year

Common and bottlenose dolphins live off this coast rather than migrating through it. Pods here run to the hundreds and sometimes into the thousands, and they will often come to the boat rather than the other way round.

Where along the coast to sail from

Dana Point sits at the south end of Orange County and holds the Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World® trademark. Dana Wharf sails from Dana Point Harbor, right off the 5 freeway and Pacific Coast Highway.

If you are coming in from elsewhere along the coast, these cover the drive and what to expect when you arrive:

Whale watching in Orange County
Whale watching near Newport Beach
Whale watching near Huntington Beach
Whale watching near Laguna Beach
Whale watching near San Clemente

Picking a month

If you want gray whales and calves, come between January and March. If you want blue whales, come between June and September. If you want the best odds of a large dolphin pod, almost any month will do. If you are visiting once and have no preference, late winter and late summer are the two stretches with the most going on.

What a trip is actually like

The standard Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour runs about two hours. The Epic 4 Hour Adventure and the 8 Hour Ultimate Whale Watch go considerably further offshore, which matters most in summer when the larger baleen whales are working deeper water. Private charters are available for groups, and there is a pelagic birding trip for anyone who wants the seabirds as much as the whales.

Dress warmer than the parking lot suggests. It is cooler on the water and cooler again once the boat has speed. Flat shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen whatever the season. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before you board.

Book a trip

Trips run daily, year round, from Dana Point Harbor. Use code WW20 for 20% off.