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  • 'Whaley' Fun for All Ages!

54th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales

March 7 - 9, 2025
Family-friendly fun, food, festivities, and whale watching!

Quick Details

  • Ages: All Ages
  • Dates: Eco-friendly public safaris and private charters are available 7 days a week. Click on calendar date for live availability and departure times.
  • Capacity: Our Dana Point whale watching safaris are never over crowded. Ample elbow room for guests!
  • Types of Boats:
    • Exclusive eye-to-eye underwater view pods on Manute'a.
    • Dana Point's first and best Zodiac-style (RHIB) whale watching tour.
  • What You Could See: Dana Point is the Dolphin and Whale Watching Capital of the World® and the first Whale Heritage Area in America.

    During the Festival of Whales, you could see a large variety of marine wildlife including gray whales, fin whales, minke whales, and sometimes, humpback whales. Common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins are frequently sighted. Occasionally, Risso's dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins are seen. Fish such as Mola mola (sunfish) and sometimes different types of sharks can be viewed. Various pelagic birds and pinnipeds such as sea lions and harbor seals are often seen too. Orcas (killer whales) are a rare sighting that could happen at any time!

The Dana Point Festival of Whales takes place annually in March. In 2025, the 54th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales will be held March 7 through 9.

Dolphin & Whale Watching During the Dana Point Festival of Whales

Experience up-close wild dolphins, migrating gray whales, playful humpback whales, huge fin whales, silly sea lions, and so much more! Mere minutes from the harbor, the waters off Dana Point are teeming with all kinds of marine wildlife for you to enjoy.

Bring the kids, family, and friends for a chance to connect with dolphins and whales underwater in our exclusive Eye-to-Eye Underwater Viewing Pods on our catamaran sailboat Manute’a. Or, get within arm’s reach of the animals on our fast and adventurous zodiac whale watching safari.

Featured Dana Point Festival of Whales Event

  • Kids 12 & Under Free
From $95 $80.56 per Adult
  • 2 ½ Hours
  • All Ages
  • Hoku Nai’a

Eco-Hero Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari

Kids 12 or younger are FREE with paid adults on Saturday, March 8, celebrating the 54th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales. Enjoy dolphin and whale watching on an upscale power catamaran with local environmental partners on board to inspire and educate future Eco-Heroes. Reserve now!

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Popular Festival of Whales Cruises

We have several Dana Point Festival of Whales cruise options. Whether you prefer to spend the whale festival on a group tour with other like-minded ‘dolphriends’ or on a private charter that’s customized to your preferences. You’ll have a ‘whaley’ amazing experience!

About the Dana Point Festival of Whales

The Dana Point Festival of Whales began over 50 years ago as an annual community event in the coastal town of Dana Point, located in picturesque Orange County, California. During the two-weekend whale watching festival held each March, residents and visitors celebrate migrating gray whales and other marine wildlife with ocean-themed activities and presentations emphasizing education and environmental responsibility.

A wide variety of family-friendly activities will take place and the premier event is, of course, whale watching! With an abundance of year-round whales, dolphins, and other sea life, Dana Point is the Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®.

Dana Point, California, is also an official Whale Heritage Area. A Whale Heritage Area is an outstanding location where cetaceans (whales, dolphins, or porpoises) are embraced through the cultural, economic, social, and political lives of associated communities, and where people and cetaceans coexist in an authentic and respectful way.

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