San Diego Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise
Recommended by 91% of travelers
San Diego, USA
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Encounter some of Earth's most magnificent creatures on a 2–3-hour whale-watching cruise in San Diego. The voyage departs right from Mission Bay, so you’ll be out into the open Pacific Ocean and looking for animals in just 10 minutes. Expert Guides and Naturalists on board help you spot whales and dolphins and learn about their lives in the deep blue sea.
- Venture out into the open ocean on a San Diego whale-watching cruise
- See whales, dolphins, and other marine life in their natural environment
- Learn from a skilled captain and onboard expert guides and naturalists who know the best places to find wildlife
- Cruise across scenic Mission Bay with a convenient departure point
What's Included
- Expert guides identify wildlife and landmarks in real time over the microphone.
- Galley with Food & Drink options for purchase
- Restroom on board
- Free Parking on Quivira Road
- Alcoholic Beverages - Available for purchase after 3 miles
- Soda/pop/snacks - available for purchase
- Optional Gratuities
- Parking Fees - Free Parking on Quivira Road only
- Priority Boarding available upgrade for $10.00 a person
- Binocular Rentals available for $6.00 a pair
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1617 Quivira Rd, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
Ticket booth / Check-in: Look for a grey shed with a blue awning facing the water. Located between H2o Jet Ski rentals and the Fish & Chips Restaurant. https://maps.app.goo.gl/1P1Qt8Uea5m8ZpM56
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
South Mission Beach Park (Pass By)
Ocean Beach (Pass By)
Mission Beach Boardwalk (Pass By)
Belmont Park (Pass By)
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- 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
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Great experience and very informative. Very friendly and knowledgeable crew. Highly recommend this excursion !
Reviews
4.6
based on 1,772 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
105 reviews
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Travelers praise this whale and dolphin watching tour for close, extended marine wildlife encounters and the captain’s expertise in locating animals safely. Guides and naturalists enhance the experience with knowledgeable, engaging commentary. The tour is noted as family-friendly and enjoyable for all ages. While many appreciate extras like priority boarding as good value, some consider the price high relative to the wildlife sightings and overall experience.
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This was a great experience and all of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. They all seemed to love their job and wanted everyone on board to have a great experience. Forgive me as I cant remember the one girl that was commentating the trip was very informative and helped everyone see as much wildlife as possible. Although we did not see a whale we did get to experience 2 different pods of common dolphins, sea lions, flying fish, and 2 sharks breaching the water. One of the pods of dolphins also had a baby that still had wrinkles.
For all the nay sayers who you say you won’t see any whales- then all I can say is they didn’t pick the right company to take them! The crew was incredible and YES we saw several whales and so many dolphins we couldn’t count them all! Shout out to the crew that took us out to see all this beautiful wildlife! Sarah you’re the best!
The staff was great, fun and knowledgeable..highly recommend. Get the photo package. Had to see everything, but the Captain found dolphins and a whale.
Do not purchase the photo package at the end of the ride. It does not work. I have been going back and forth with the company requesting a refund. And it is falling g on deaf ears. I sent them picnics and explanations and they are not budging I tell them repeatedly it does not work. I am not throwing $30 away
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your review, Stephanie. We are sorry to hear about this experience and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
We would love the opportunity to look into this further. Please reach out to us at contact@sdwhalewatch.com with your booking details and we will make sure someone follows up with you directly.
We appreciate your patience, Stephanie.
You will see whales and dolphins how many depends on how many happen to be passing by! Awesome experience! I am in the top 10% of people who have seen a whale. I have now seen them on the west coast abd had already seen them in the east cost out of Boston Harbor!
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your review, Eva! We love that you can now say you have seen whales on both coasts! We are so glad we could be part of your west coast experience. We hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Such an incredible experience. We loved the guide and she kept it really fun and informative. We saw whale really quickly and stayed with them for over an hour. I highly recommend!
Crew was informative & very interactive! We got to see amazing whales and beautiful views. No bad seat on the boat.
Amazing and enthusiastic staff. You will see some amazing wildlife. Whales, dolphins and sea lions!!
This trip was amazing! The entire crew was friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable. We saw 4 different whales as well as some seals.
It was a nice experience. It was my kids first time on a boat. All staff was informative and nice. I would definitely recommend to others
We saw 4 blue whales which normally we would’ve never seen, but due to weather and El Niño, I guess they wanted to come say hi. The crew did an amazing job getting us all good views of the whales.
We saw a whale right from the start! We also saw several types of whales. There were plenty of dolphins swimming around as well. The highlight was seeing the tail in the air! I wasn’t able to catch the photo but the photographer on the boat did! We were a family of four with two boys ages 3 and 5 who all had a blast.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you, Elizabeth! Sounds like the perfect family day on the water! We love that the little ones had a blast too. We hope to welcome your family back on board again soon!
It is worth it to pay $10 each extra at the ticket booth to have priority boarding. We saw a lot of flying fish, a shark, sea lions and finally a humpback whale as we were returning to the dock. It stayed surfaced and gave a nice show. There was a smaller whale identified afterwards by staff, but not visible to most on the boat. Even if a whale wasn't found, it would have been a nice 3 hours at sea.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you, Cynthia! We love that you enjoyed every moment!. We hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Got some great pictures of two humpback whales. Great crew!!! For those prone to motion sickness be prepared. I was fine but several people were seasick
The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Also, very attentive to any needs that may arise. We did see very close up a whale for quite a while, no dolphins 😞
This was such an amazing and special experience! No whales or dolphins because we got nothing but Killer Whales! We were told how rare it is especially with it being our first time doing something like this. The crew was exceptional. Full of knowledge and very accommodating, it made this experience truly magical!
If the tour guide says to take motion sickness meds DO IT!!!!
No whales seen, but did have a huge pod of dolphins around the boat and 2 hammerhead sharks.
The crew was really great, we didn’t see any whales or dolphins, but we did get 2 tickets to do it again.
This was absolutely amazing! I was happy with just the three hour boat ride in the beautiful San Diego weather. But the mega pod of dolphins made my entire San Diego trip perfect.
It was a beautiful day on the bay. Our marine biologist was very natural in discussing the habitats of and characteristics of whales and dolphins in the area. Although we didn’t have any sightings on this tour, we can come back another day with the complimentary passes we were given. A great afternoon.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you, Sheri! Glad you still had a beautiful day on the water! We look forward to welcoming you back with those complimentary passes and hope the whales and dolphins put on a show for you next time!
Amazing experience, staff was amazing, Sara was especially caring that everyone was enjoying the experience and especially attentive to those that got motion sickness.
Loved the experience of seeing the dolphins and getting a glimpse of a whale. My crew was great. Colleen kept watch for us as she explained everything. Take a jacket cause the wind on our return trip was crazy. Don’t bother doing your hair cause it will get blown but the tour was worth it no matter what. Thanks for the opportunity
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you, Judy! We're so glad you had a great experience with us! And we are taking notes on the hair and jacket situation! We hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
May not see whales but enjoy the ride the great boat staff and if you get seasick take the meds available on board.
Friendly group of people for the staff. The ride out to the pacific was really nice and relaxing. We did find whales and sea lions.
We had the best time! It was a 3hr ride and the best part was able to see baby dolphins. It was an incredible experience! I would definitely recommend it with your partner or family!
We saw whale(s) several times, and over 30 dolphins. The issue was the captain, who made about 75-80% of the boat seasick. I’ve been on boats all my life, I’ve NEVER been seasick, and I was on this excursion. Most of the boat was throwing up. Overall not worth seeing the wildlife, and I’ll never go with this company again…
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review, Juan, and we are glad you got to see whales and over 30 dolphins!
We are sorry to hear the conditions on the water made for an uncomfortable experience. Ocean conditions can be unpredictable and we understand how overwhelming seasickness can be, especially when it affects a large portion of guests on board. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will be sharing your feedback with our team.
We hope to have the chance to welcome you back under better conditions. Feel free to reach out to us if you would like to discuss your experience further.
I had a fun time. I'm from Kansas so the whole experience was mesmerizing. I'm glad we were able to sit on the top level of the boat. I bought the anti-motion sickness patches which helped. We didn't get to see any whales but we did see dolphins which was still amazing! I'll remember that experience the rest of my life. 🤩😍🥰.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review, Heather! We are so glad you had a wonderful time and hope to welcome you back on board the next time you are in San Diego!
Definitely bring sunscreen along. We didn't see any whales but all the dolphins' swimming along the boat made up for it! Crew was very knowledgeable and made sure everyone was feeling ok as ocean was a little rough during our tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you, Liane! Dolphins swimming alongside the boat on a rough ocean day is still a pretty magical experience and we are glad the crew kept everyone feeling taken care of throughout. And great tip on the sunscreen! We hope to welcome you back on board again soon and fingers crossed for whales next time!
Great experience!!! Didn’t see whales but saw other sea life and the crew was so engaging and helpful. Took care of everyone
Knowledgeable and personable staff/crew
Pleasant trip! Loved the dolphins!
Sorry we missed the whales but still worth it!
Member Pricing
From
$67.45
per personWas $71.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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San Diego Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise
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