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Los Angeles Whale and Dolphin Watching Cruise from West Harbor

Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Los Angeles, USA
Popular pick
Booked 10+ times last week!
  • 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7
·
· Erika_F ·
Mar 2026
Fun time and snacks/drinks available on board! Clean bathroom! Loved the experience overall. Would recommend!
· Erin_W ·
Jan 2026
We saw multiple whales and lots of dolphins!!! Definitely worth the money. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience.

Overview

Head into the Pacific on a guided whale-watching cruise led by local captains and onboard educators. This tour focuses on responsible wildlife observation, combining expert interpretation with eco-friendly vessels designed for comfort and stability. The experience offers a calm, educational way to observe marine life in its natural habitat while learning about ocean ecosystems and conservation efforts.
  • Educational focus adds depth beyond simple sightseeing
  • Experience encourages responsible, ethical wildlife observation
  • Quiet vessels enhance whale-watching conditions
  • Suitable for all ages, including first-time whale watchers

What's Included

  • Expert educators from the Aquarium of the Pacific with over 30-years whale watching experience
  • Custom built state of the art catamarans, offering amazing stability and comfort
  • Inside and outside seating with climate controlled interiors
  • Multiple restrooms
  • Live English narration plus a captivating and engaging MC onboard
  • Ultra-quiet, low emission engines means whales and environment are not harmed or disturbed
  • Sealife Guarantee If no sealife is seen, we'll issue you a free Voucher to join us in the future
  • Upgrade option to include GA Ticket to the USS Iowa Battleship Museum
  • Food or Beverage (available for purchase on board)
  • Parking

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 550 S Harbor Blvd, San Pedro, CA 90731, USA

    Our ticket booth and boats are located on the right side of the Maritime Museum

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Ticket Redemption Point

550 S Harbor Blvd, San Pedro, CA 90731, USA

Itinerary

The Port of Los Angeles (Pass By)

Navy Way (Pass By)

600 E 5th St (Pass By)

706 S Harbor Blvd (Pass By)

San Pedro (Pass By)

Angel's Gate Lighthouse (Pass By)

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Sealife Sightings are not guaranteed but if we don't see any Sealife you can come back in the future for free
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Martin_T
Huge pod of Dolphins and a few whales. Beautiful weather that day. The crew did an awesome job. Super knowledgeable about the wildlife.

Reviews

4.7
based on 61 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

No Sightings of Whales or Dolphins

Ken_T, Mar 2026
There were NO Whales or Dolphins found to view on this excursion. Very disappointing to the family and not worthy of the price paid

Disappointed

ROCHELLE_B, Mar 2026
We recently went on this whale watching tour and unfortunately didn’t see any whales, which we understand isn’t guaranteed. However, what made the experience more disappointing was the lack of engagement from the guide—there was little to no narration, education, or interaction during the trip. Even without sightings, we were hoping to learn more about the area, marine life, or what to look for. The boat itself was fine, but overall the experience felt underwhelming. With a more informative and engaging crew, this could have been a much better trip.

Good times and cool dolphins!

Erika_F, Mar 2026
Fun time and snacks/drinks available on board! Clean bathroom! Loved the experience overall. Would recommend!

Great day!

Suzette_B, Mar 2026
It was a great ride though we seen no whales. We seen schools of dolphins a couple different types and we seen hundreds of them. The person was very knowledgeable that was speaking about the species we seen. We also seen sea lions.

Awesome trip to enjoy

Martin_T, Mar 2026
Huge pod of Dolphins and a few whales. Beautiful weather that day. The crew did an awesome job. Super knowledgeable about the wildlife.

We saw multiple whales...

Erin_W, Jan 2026
We saw multiple whales and lots of dolphins!!! Definitely worth the money. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience.

Loved it and everyone was so nice!!!

Irma_M, Jan 2026
It was so fascinating to see a whale come up like 8 times and the workers were so nice and I was so happy they had clean bathrooms on board!!!

Best thing I did in LA!

James_R, Oct 2025
This was amazing. We saw hundreds of dolphins and several whales. It was much better than I ever expected!

A must do activity in La

Jay_D, Sep 2025
Its not easy to find and directions are not clear but we did make it in time. If you get motion sickness take a dramamine before, the ocean is rough and they go a ways out and they go pretty fast. My gf got motion sickness walking into the gallery but on the bow she was fine. We did get to see a ton of dolphins at the end right out of the window. The ride back is much calmer just HANG ON on the way out. The crew is very friendly and helpful. It was overall a great experience besides my girl getting sick on the ride out

Great time!

Jennifer_N, Aug 2025
While we didn’t see any whales, we saw several groups of dolphins. There wasn’t very many people on the boat so that was also nice also Great time- plus it was kind of romantic

There was No whales on...

Stephanie_P, Aug 2025
There was No whales on this trip but lots of dolphins. It was incredible. I highly recommend. I had a great experience.

I had a blast!

DrGigi_S, Jul 2025
I highly recommend the whale watching & dolphin cruise! So much fun! I love dolphins and I truly enjoyed watching so many of them during the cruise.

It was a memorable...

Ana_T, Jul 2025
It was a memorable experience for us all. We didn’t get to see whales but we saw hundreds of dolphins. Definitely an unforgettable experience.

Would’ve been fun, but…..

Nikki_C, Jul 2025
Well, it probably would’ve been fun but we were told when we got there it had been cancelled. No notice from Viator at all. So super disappointing and now hopefully we get a refund.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

So sorry the cruise was canceled but unfortunately there was a last minute issue. Even though it doesn't happen often, Guests can rest assured they will always receive refunds for any cancelled cruises

Nice to be on the water

Siddharth_D, Jul 2025
Saw pod of dolphins. No whales were visible. Still a nice outing on a stable catamaran. The weather was lovely

Christopher

Gina_P, May 2025
Once we found the location we had a great time. I would recommend better instruction for actual location and parking. It happened to be fleet week but even without that the instructions for parking were hard to find.

Family trip

Elianne_S, Dec 2025
Very impressive and beautiful, we went with the family and had a great time, I would repeat it again, very good attention and dedication in their work , we managed to see the dolphins and my girl liked them very much
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From $45.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 10 days in advance.

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