3-Hour Guided Whale and Dolphin Watching Experience in San Diego
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover some of San Diego’s most incredible marine wildlife with the help of a local guide who knows the water like the back of their hand on this small-group boat tour. Try your luck spotting whales, dolphins, sea lions, and more while you enjoy the smooth ride on a former military boat.
- A great San Diego tour choice for wildlife lovers
- Swerve the crowds and tour in a group of no more than six
- Fun for locals and tourists alike
- Don’t forget to dress for the weather — it can get pretty cold
What's Included
- Expert Tour Guides
- Life Jackets
- Gratuities
- SnacksClif Bars available for purchase
- Bottled waterReusable filled water bottles available for purchase
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Adventure Whale Watching1380 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
1. Park in the self-parking lot of the Sheraton hotel 2. Walk through the Marina Tower lobby 3. Exit out the back doors 4. Follow the walkway past the pool on your right 5. Enter the marina gate on the left and walk down the ramp 6. We are located on the water in the floating red roof building!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 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
Daniela_A
It was an amazing experience for a solo traveler! Was able to walk from the airport to the meeting spot, instructions were very clear on where to meet. Now being out on the water. Incredible. Our guide was very knowledgeable. When we found the whales he kept up with them from a respectable distance. The entire encounter was wonderful.
Reviews
4.7
based on 45 reviews
AzureDee_I, Apr 2026
We had such an amazing experience with Rick! The ride felt adventurous but safe and we saw 25 whales! We even went into Mexican waters which was cool. Highly recommend paying the few extra bucks for this very small group (6) and the small boat. Such a unique and special experience!!
Jerry_H, Apr 2026
Great experience! The smaller boat is definitely the way to get close to the Whales. They actually hide behind the smaller rafts to avoid the bigger boats
Sarah_B, Mar 2026
We didn't see whales, but had a fantastic time anyway. One cannot summon whales at will, but no worries, Rick was a great guide, with lots of info about weather, whales, and San Diego's whale life in particular. Highly recommended!
Brian_B, Mar 2026
I did a large boat whale watching tour two days before this one. The small boat is definitely the best way to see the whales.
Daniela_A, Feb 2026
It was an amazing experience for a solo traveler! Was able to walk from the airport to the meeting spot, instructions were very clear on where to meet. Now being out on the water. Incredible. Our guide was very knowledgeable. When we found the whales he kept up with them from a respectable distance. The entire encounter was wonderful.
Steven_B, Feb 2026
Rick was a fantastic guide. I learned so much about gray whales and look forward to going back during humpback season
Nicholas_A, Sep 2025
Great tour. Didn’t see whales, but a bunch of dolphins and sea lions. Captain was awesome, went with my 11 year old son.
Denise_U, Mar 2025
We saw lots of dolphins. Rick was great, taking us way out to try to find whales. We don’t see any today
Kristie_C, Feb 2025
Captain Chris was great! He worked hard to try to locate some whales. Last minute we were able to see a great whale and a pod of dolphins. These boats are surprisingly smooth. We didnt get wet at all. Great experience!!
Kim_K, Feb 2025
As they tell you, dress in layers. It’s gets chilly, but it’s totally worth it. We saw dolphins and sea lions up close swimming right by the boat. Our captain, Rick, was so knowledgeable about the water and the animals. We will definitely book another outing with them. We highly recommend taking a tour with this company.
Dennis_L, Jan 2025
It didn’t really last 3 hours as advertised. The Captain was nice, but was hard to hear as sometimes surrounding noise is loud and he didn’t have a voice that projects. We sat in the back of a six person boat and missed out on his explanation of why whales weren’t around. He did an amazing job of navigating us to see and experience a lot of dolphins.
Lukas_M, Nov 2024
We saw what had to be the biggest pod of dolphins , it left us speechless. Our captain was friendly and polite , very helpful towards my older mother .
Kalissa_M, Sep 2024
Rick was the best captain! He explained the trip and what we could expect thoroughly. His love for mother nature, the science around marine life, and his ability to make sure we knew what we could expect was the perfict mis. We saw 3 different pods of dolphins in 3 entirely different areas of the ocean. His expertise in knowing how to drive and navigate among them led to an exceptional experience in seeing once in a lifetime views of hundreds and hundreds of magnificent dolphins feeding and traveling together.What a great experience!
Maria_o, Mar 2024
Amazing experience, saw a whale and lots of dolphins. The team was very nice and knowledgeable. The people with us were a nice family who we had pleasant Interactions with .
Toby_M, Mar 2024
Unfortunately we were unable to find a whale but it was a blast. The boat was a 6 seater zodiac which in itself was fun. We did see a dolphin and many sea lions close up. The captain, Kyle, was informative and humorous. I highly recommend
Terri_T, Mar 2024
This was a phenomenal experience . Captain Rick was determined to find us whales and dolphins and he did not fail. We got very close to 4-5 gray whales and were able to see them very close up. Then he found hundreds of dolphins - Bottle Nose and the very rare white Risso dolphin. The Captain said he only sees the Rissos 4 times a year. The boat is fast with only 6 passengers and is a lot of fun ( but cold). I would highly recommend Captain Rick- he found these rare animals on his own instinct and was very knowledgeable.
LORNA_R, Feb 2024
Got really lucky the day we went out with Captain Bree! She was fantastic giving us just the right amount of information, ensuring our safety, and getting us as close as legally possible to the sealife. Ride in the Zodiac was a thrill, too!
Shannon_V, Jan 2024
Our Captain Kyle was amazing…. Made the most out of a rainy day and challenging conditions. He found us our whales and dolphins and a boat called Orca!!! Soaked but overall an amazing day! Thank you….
Mita_M, Jan 2024
We saw a baby and mama grey whales, dolphins and sea lions! It very funny experience! Really recommended
Likely to Sell Out
From $169.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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3-Hour Guided Whale and Dolphin Watching Experience in San Diego
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