San Diego: 3 Hour Whale Watch Cruise with Legacy Whale Watch
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
+13
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Swap city sightseeing for some time on the water with this exciting whale-watching cruise. Avoid the guesswork when trying to figure out where to spot whales, and let the experienced crew take you directly to places known for sightings. As well as whales, you may spot sea lions, sea birds, and sometimes dolphins—with commentary from the naturalist guides who can share plenty of facts about marine life.
- Go on a boat tour with a special focus—to spot whales
- Comfortable vessel with indoor and outdoor seating and onboard restrooms
- Learn from experts: Hear commentary from naturalist guides
- Use a marine wildlife identification chart to enhance spotting opportunities
What's Included
- 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour
- Wildlife Spotting Opportunities
- Restroom on board
- Free Parking
- San Diego Natural History Museum Certified Naturalists
- Indoor and outdoor seating areas
- Marine wildlife identification chart or guide
- Food and Beverages (available to purchase)
- Binoculars (available to rent)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1717 Quivira Rd, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
We depart from Seaforth Sportfishing. Please check-in inside Seaforth Tackle Shop at the top of the dock and then we will all walk down to the boat after a brief introduction. Please do not park in Seaforth Boat Rentals, Seaforth Marina, Marina Village parking lots, as you do risk being towed.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Ticket Redemption Point
1717 Quivira Rd, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
Itinerary
San Diego (Pass By)
Mission Bay Park (Pass By)
Dog Beach (Pass By)
San Diego River (Pass By)
Ocean Beach (Pass By)
Ocean Beach Municipal Pier (Pass By)
Mission Beach (Pass By)
Belmont Park (Pass By)
Pacific Beach (Pass By)
Crystal Pier San Diego (Pass By)
La Jolla (Pass By)
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park (Pass By)
Point Loma (Pass By)
Old Point Loma Lighthouse (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 130 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Robin_R
This was such an awesome experience. We have decided this will be a regular activity when we visit once a year. The cruise it's self was wonderful but it is the staff is what made it a 5 star rating. The staff is super nice and friendly. I cannot say enough nice things about them. The staff in the store and on the boat were fantastic. The staff on the boat were genuinely excited when we came across sea life. You could hear the excited in their voices. It really made all the difference to me. There are all kinds of whale watching adventures to choose from. Some are more expensive some are not. This one is very reasonable. However, you cannot get that kind of staff on every cruise. If you are undecided, pick this one. You will not regret it.
Reviews
4.5
based on 336 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Monica_S, Aug 2026
The staff were friendly and informative. It's amazing to see so many of these animals in their own habitat.
Elazar_K, Aug 2026
We had an amazing time! Crew was friendly and caring. They kept us informed and checked up on all the passengers to make sure we were ok. We saw a lot of whale- a remarkable experience!
MaryLisa_P, Aug 2026
Beautiful day, excellent narration, smooth ride. We saw four fin whales over and over again - really remarkable! On our way back, a school of dolphins swam right by our boat and one leapt out of the water right by us. It was magical. Well worth it, highly recommend.
Douglas_K, Aug 2026
Saw lots of whales. Lots of Dolphins. Crew was fantastic, definitely worth your time and money for sure!
Sharon_M, Aug 2026
We saw maybe 7 different fin whales many times, it definitely achieved our goal. Well worth the trip.
Ronnie_B, Aug 2026
This was the best day! Taking a chance on seasickness, we ventured on to the boat. Hoping to see sea lions, dolphins and whales. We saw them all! There were about 30 whales. It was “epic”! Our narrator and guide Angie was amazing. Her excitement about seeing the whales brought so much more to the tour. Her tender voice was soothing. After reading all the reviews, I worried people would be seasick. No one that I saw struggled. They have the wristbands you can rent for $10. Today worth it. Overall a fabulous fun day.
Richard_C, Aug 2026
Great experience! Was my kids first time and they loved it. Got some great sightings of some Fin Whales. Staff was great. Great family activity. Will be back for sure!
Amber_L, Aug 2026
You don't really get to see whales fully and it is for a very short time. The trip out takes 1.5 hours, and the view time is maybe 10 min. You set with SEVERAL sea sick people. Not worth it.
Brian_K, Aug 2026
So great! We had a great crew and saw a humpback whale and a pod of dolphins! Highly recommend for anyone!
Sailesh_P, Jul 2026
Unfortunately, the trip cut short by an hour do to a medical emergency onboard, but the 2 hours on sea was well worth it. I was happy to see the crew handled the medical emergency with class, care and priority.
In the two hours on the open sea, we enjoyed seeing humpback wales and many dolphins during this trip. The crew did an awesome job narrating and made the experience both educating and fun.
Since the trip was cut short, everyone onboard was offered a free voucher for another trip, but we happily declined. Although, the gesture was very much appreciated, we were satisfied,.so thank you. Respectfully.
Shelly_M, Jul 2026
Unfortunately, they called about two hours before our tour and canceled it. They said a private group had booked the boat, and Viator continued to sell tickets. I’m sure it would’ve been great, but I didn’t take it. I am a little bummed that I only got two hours notice and did not have time to book anything else as it was my last day.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your review, and we're truly sorry that this happened—especially since it was your last day in San Diego.
We completely understand how disappointing it must have been to receive a cancellation just a couple of hours before your scheduled trip with little opportunity to make other plans.
To be fully transparent, the private school charter for that date had actually been booked months earlier, back in February. When we transitioned to a new reservation system in May, that charter reservation was unfortunately not carried over during the migration. As a result, the trip continued to appear available for booking, including through Viator. We didn't discover the scheduling conflict until just hours before departure.
This was entirely our mistake, and we take full responsibility for it. We did our best to rebook affected guests onto other departures and provided full refunds to those we couldn't accommodate. Unfortunately, many trips were already sold out, and we know that wasn't a practical solution for guests visiting San Diego for only a short time.
We're sincerely sorry that we disrupted your plans, and we've since updated our internal procedures to ensure this type of scheduling error cannot happen again.
Arturo_P, Jul 2026
Arrive early , be prepared for sea sickness, and tip the crew they are excellent, my daughters had a wonderful experience.
Mark_F, Jul 2026
The crew is great. We saw hundreds of dolphins in a giant pod. The boat is very clean and there's plenty of space.
Steve_F, Jul 2026
Make sure to check out the condition of the ocean prior to tour. Very rocky ride due to high waves, employee stated worse she’s been on. Probably half the customers were sick. I have four that were nauseated. On a positive note did see some whales and a lot of dolphins. Crew did a great job taking care of customers.
Jake_S, Jul 2026
the captain and crew were all very knowledgeable on marine life. we saw the biggest pod of commoon dolphins, estimated at almost 1,000! amazing, will absolutely be back
Hellen_A, Jul 2026
While we didn’t see any whales we did see many dolphins. It was a really fun experience and I’d certainly go again. Two years ago on this same Legacy whale watching tour we saw two blue whales. So they are out there. 😁
Lucille_T, Jul 2026
The boat ride was a nice experience but there was no marine activity at the time we were out so that was disappointing. But They did give out free passes to everyone.
Helen_M, Jul 2026
Take a light jacket and a hat. Best seat is in the bow. They have snacks and beverages for sale on the ship.
Thomas_C, Jul 2026
The experience was fun and overall unfortunately we did not see any whales we did see a lot of dolphins.
Stephen_A, Jul 2026
No whales at all. We were able to see some dolphins, but paid for a family of 6 to see whales. We live in the middle of the country. We won't get many opportunities to see whales. This was very disappointing. Also, they offered 50%, they should offer a free return for those who didn't get to experience what they paid to see.
Jennifer_W, Jul 2026
We went on July 7. We only saw a “splash,” so the captain said we would get 50% off vouchers. The website said you could book another trip for free if you didn’t see whales, so I was already annoyed. Then, I quickly booked another trip before heading back home, and the vouchers wouldn’t work. I contacted Legacy, and they said we couldn’t use them during the week-because the prices were already cheaper on weekdays. So, I rebooked at FULL PRICE, and once again-no whales. I understand that this is nature and there couldn’t be any guarantees. However, they told us very little during the trip and they mentioned not having sonar and or any other way to find whale. They actually said that they rely on passengers to help spot whales! My kids and I spent two days, six hours, on the water total. All we saw were a lot of people vomiting and a pod of dolphins. We’re so disappointed.
Juan_U, Jul 2026
We planned our trip to watch Whales the crew was Very friendly and dedicated for everyone have the most amazing experience, even though we couldn’t see no whales around, we experienced to seen lots of dolphins and few sea lions, definitely I will repeat this trip again
Fnu_B, Jul 2026
Bored.. there was nothing. 3 hours 30 min literally boring. I was waiting that when we will go back. Staff was good.
william_w, Jul 2026
Took my kids and wife. They were very informative throughout the whole trip. Quick to point out wildlife and very friendly. We didn't see any whales this time but that's how it goes. We did see lots of Dolphins. We will definitely use them again and recommend them to anyone we know!
Rashid_A, Jul 2026
Good experience but we didn’t see any fish whale or dolphins
They give us full credit for that which they don’t have too
Nice of them
TROI_A, Jul 2026
The boat was clean, plenty of viewing locations. Staff were professional. The only reason im rating this a 3 is due to we were 3 hours on the water, saw no wildlife (not the ships fault of course), but staff did NOTHING in way.of entertainment. I would've thought they would provide commentary, jokes, a script in place that staff memorizes. Something.....
Arthur_N, Jun 2026
Bring something for sea sickness. Plan on a relaxing boat trip and a chance to meet new people. Enjoy your day even if you don’t encounter whales. 🐳 😄
Joe_M, Jun 2026
This trip was wonderful. They set up expectations and told us facts while on tour. The captain made sure both side of the boat could see the wildlife. Very fun. Also got to see many points of Interest.
Gary_W, Jun 2026
Absolutely amazing! We saw a whale, dolphins and seal lions!!!
Staff extremely friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely wanted us to enjoy the experience to the max!
Genuinely, highly recommend!
Claudia_R, Jun 2026
The whale watching trip was alot of fun, we got see different wild life, seals, birds, whales, and dolphins! The crew was very nice and knowledgeable. Awesome sunny day. We would definitely recommend for anyone who likes to just explore
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