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Sail With The Whales

A special safari combining peaceful sailing & amazing whale watching!

Quick Details

Duration

  • 3 hours
Adults (13 & up)
$75
Child (12 & under)
$50
Infants (up to 12 mo.)
$5

About the Sail with the Whales Safari

Capt. Dave and Mrs. Capt. Dave have always enjoyed sailing. Our long-time guests may even remember Capt. Dave’s former yellow sailboat!

Now, we’re combining two of their passions, sailing and whale watching, into one awesome 3-hour safari aboard our 50-foot sailing catamaran Manute’a.

For about 30 minutes we’ll turn off the engines so you can enjoy the serenity of sailing. Then we’ll spend a couple of hours viewing whales, dolphins, and other wildlife.

Beer and wine will be available to purchase on board the boat.

Note: Due to unpredictable wind speed and direction, it may be necessary to use the boat’s engines while viewing whales and dolphins.

Special Features

  • Sailing!
  • Exclusive Eye-to Eye Underwater Viewing Pods.
    Two “Pods” give you the extraordinary experience of feeling what it’s like to swim with dolphins and whales, underwater, without getting yet!
  • 3 Eye-Spy Dolphin & Whale Tram Nets put wildlife inches below your feet.
  • Space – it’s not just the final frontier! Manute’a carries up to 49 happy passengers with plenty of elbow room and comfortable seating for all.
  • Live narration.
    Knowledgeable marine naturalists explain how these animals live for an ocean adventure that is both fun and educational for ALL ages.
  • A micro museum of dolphin and whale artifacts.
  • And last, but definitely not least, a complimentary triple fudge brownie from Mrs. Capt. Dave’s legendary recipe.

What We’re Seeing

Winter is a great time for dolphin and whale watching! Dana Point is blessed to have moderate weather all year long, and this includes mild winter weather and ocean conditions.

Great Grays: During the months of winter and spring the animal that started the whale watching industry in Dana Point can be seen migrating along the coast. Though the gray whale season doesn’t unofficially kick off until late November, we’ve already seen Dana Point’s first gray whale of the 2018-2019 season on October 31! Don’t be surprised if we see more early-bird gray whales making their way south to Baja California, Mexico.

This time of year we also see playful humpback whales, large and sleek fin whales, and curious minke whales, too.

We’ve had more orca (killer whale) encounters in recent months than ever before. They can appear at any time, without warning, so have your camera ready!

You might even have a rare encounter with pilot whales, false killer whales, or sperm whales.

Hold on to your hats because we’re not done yet! Several species of wild dolphins are seen throughout the year, some in pods that can number up to 10,000. Imagine: nothing but dolphins in every direction as far as the eye can see! And it’s during these cooler months that we see one of our favorite dolphins, the beautiful pacific white-sided dolphin. They prefer cooler water temps, so now is the best time of year to view them! And that’s not all. Over 50 species of pelagic birds, sea lions, seals, and sharks, including the great white, mako, hammerhead, thresher, and more could be encountered.

Join us for the adventure of a lifetime!