Eco-Friendly Dolphin and Whale Watching Safaris

I have been on several whale watch tours in Newport and Dana Point, but this trip on July 2nd, 2020 was really enjoyable even with the COVID requirements. The catamaran provides a close up view of marine mammals and an opportunity to get some great pictures. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly a great day on the water!

I’ve been to Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios—all for much more money. I ALWAYS GET MORE THAN MY MONEY’S WORTH. I’ve brought friends, family members, colleagues from work, Rotarians, etc. Each time I knew everyone would enjoy themselves—and they have. I’ve seen my stoic girlfriend break out in giggles the first time she saw a dolphin. I’ve seen my 30+-year-old son who is “too cool” to be impressed with anything anymore, grab my hand and point to several blue whales with great excitement. I could write volumes about my experiences on Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari. The adjectives I would use are: GREAT, WONDERFUL, SPIRITUAL, INVITING, INFORMATIVE, PEACEFUL, ADVENTUROUS, FUN, FRIENDLY, and who can forget the great brownies at the end of the trip?

This experience was way better than the dolphin watching out of Newport! The crew, the boat, the info, everything was great! The trip I went on was kind of a fundraiser for Ric O Barry's Dolphin Project to help stop the dolphin hunt in taiji japan. Happy to have participated. Cant wait to go back.

Great people who are very friendly and determined to find you marine mammals on the tour. At the same time they’re respectful of the wildlife and if say a whale shows signs of being distressed they will back off. They maintain a respectful balance between curiosity and education and conservation on these tours. Best whale watching in SoCal.

Our 2/28/2020 morning trip on the Manute'a is our third time, and we plan to return. Our trip's Captain Craig and the crew were first rate and the experience just can't be topped. We've gone to other companies at both Dana Point and Newport Beach, but Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari are the gold standard for consistent experiences. The crew knowledge is impressive. The narration and easy Q&A provide new information every trip we've taken. I enjoyed the viewing pods with my daughter last trip, but just delighted staying topside with my wife this trip.

This was the.best.day.ever. We saw so many dolphins. We were lucky to see a humpback whale over and over. We also saw sea lions. Everyone was helpful and professional! Would love to to this again. Highly recommend .

Wow!! What an amazing time with Captain Dave and his team. We loved every second of our tour! We got to see so much. The dolphin were amazing and the underwater viewing area just blew my mind. The whales were incredible. We also learned so much from the team. I especially enjoyed Dave's wife telling us all about the positive effects of negative ions being out on the water. Can't wait to go again next time! I highly recommend Captain Dave's. I promise you won't be disappointed. Book a tour! They'll even give you a homemade cookie when you get back to the dock!

We loved everything about Dave's dolphin Safari. The crew Capt Steve, Grayson & Buck were awesome. This was our first time whale watching. We saw so many dolphins & several humpback whales, sealions. The boat was very nice. We enjoyed the underwater viewing pods. We had considered taking the kids to Sea World, but I'm glad we opted to do this instead. So awesome to see these beautiful sea creatures in the wild. Oh and delicious brownies at the end. Such a wonderful experience all around

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful adventure. I've been out with the Captain Dave crew 4 times now, and each time has been better than the one before! It was the very first time out for my fiance (her first time ever on the ocean, in fact), and what a way to get started! Everyone involved were knowledgeable, professional and fun. We'll be back!

The Manute’a catamaran was a comfortable and fun ride. The midship seats are covered, at the back they are open, and the bow is open with a strong webbing next between the hulls. The crew advised about where to stand to get wet or not, and where to sit for the smoothest ride. The catamaran gives a much more stable ride than a monohull, and there is plenty of room for the 50 or so passengers on board. Captain Marie and Steve are knowledgeable and informative, and knew where to take us to see the mammals. We saw a large group (60-100) of dolphins, a sea lion, and a pod of 3 or 4 grey whales, plus the sea birds. The underwater viewing pods are popular, the crew made sure everyone had a chance to use them but didn’t rush you out. They give a good view of the dolphins swimming (like an aquarium window) but aren’t very deep: only the floor level panel is under water most of the time. It’s a nice addition but the trip would have been worth it even without the underwater pods.

My family had a wonderful time on the tour today! We saw a pod of 200+ dolphins and a blue whale. The dolphins swam with the boat, and we were able to view them up close and personal! The underwater viewing pod was an added bonus because we got to see them swimming under water. The blue whale was amazing and majestic. We saw him about 4 times, the last few times near the end of the trip. Captain Steve was kind enough to extend our tour so that we could get an additional glimpse of the majestic creature. Overall, I was impressed with the captain's skill and tenacity in finding the dolphins and whales, and with the crew members' humor and knowledge about the animals. I liked the little nature talk that they gave at the end where we got to handle whale baleen and whale's tooth. While researching whale/dolphin tours, I came across another tour in Newport Beach. It was cheaper, but didn't get very good reviews. I decided to go with Captain Dave's because of the outstanding reviews, even though it was a bit pricier. I am so glad I did, because the experience was worth every penny.

Capt Dave’s was an amazing experience!! My boyfriend and I were visiting Dana Point for the weekend and came across this place. From the moment we bought our tickets we knew it was going to be great. The lady at the ticket booth provided extraordinary customer service and was very friendly to us. Then, the actual tour began and it was just incredible. We did the sunset tour and the views were spectacular along with our captain Daniel he was just so nice and so friendly as well. We felt so comfortable during our entire experience, we didn’t want to leave! I highly recommend it 10/10. Also, the brownies they give at the end once you get back to the dock are delicious. I can’t wait to go back! It made our trip to Dana Point worthwhile and truly an unforgettable experience.

Absolutely amazing experience! We saw pods and pods of dolphins and I felt like I was swimming right next to them! There were times I could have touched them. The underwater glass pod blew my mind too. We saw a Fin whale also!! Then sea lions and a Mola Mola (sun fish ) basking in the sun. Just wondrous. Our captain worked hard to ensure we saw all this sea life and was kind, conscientious of everyone's needs and preferences too. The staff are sincere and dedicated to a top experience. I'm coming back for more and bringing all my friends here. Totally loved this!

The best of all the whale watching services on the southern California coast