Quick Details
Additional information:
- Safe and never crowded.
- Entry into the Underwater Viewing Pods requires the use of ladder-like steps. Persons with a disability or limited mobility may have difficulty.
See Dolphins and Whales Up Close in our Underwater Viewing Pods!
Hi! If you have come across this page, it probably means you were looking for a whale watching Groupon or Captain Dave’s whale watching coupons for our one-of-a-kind tours. At this time we don’t have any Groupons. But don’t leave just yet! We offer amazing adventures. Please give us a chance to tell you a little about why we are awesome. You won’t regret spending an extra minute here with us, however, you may very well regret the two hours you spend on a cramped boat with the other guy.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon or “Cattle Boats
✔ Spacious and Comfortable Seating
Captain Dave’s boats are never crowded with a maximum of 49 passengers. Some of our vessels carry even fewer, for a very intimate whale watching experience.
Your family deserves better than to spend the afternoon packed like sardines while trying to cram your head over 200 other passengers to look at a whale.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon or “Fishing Boats
✔ Eco-Friendly Dolphin and Whale Watchers
You won’t be aboard a fishing boat that’s doing whale watching on the side. Our eco-friendly vessels only offer dolphin and whale watching, 7 days a week, all year round.
There is nothing wrong with sport fishing, however, there is unintended by-catch that can result in injuries or death to other marine animals.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ Award-Winning Customer Service
We offer the best customer service, and that reflects in our five-star ranking on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook, and Google.
We have been a recipient of Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice award since its inception in 2010 (prior to 2020, this award was known as Certificate of Excellence).
We’re an eight-time medal winner for “Best Whale Watching” and a medal recipient for “Best Harbor Recreation/Excursion” for over 10 years in the Dana Point Times Best of Dana Point People’s Choice Lantern Awards.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon or Hidden Fee
✔ Transparency and Free Parking
No hidden fees or fuel surcharges! Our prices are what you pay.
And parking is free, too.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ Dedicated Marine Naturalists
Our staff of knowledgeable marine naturalists is dedicated to helping whales and dolphins (some are part of Orange County’s whale disentanglement team; more on that below). During your safari, they will explain how these animals live, while you see and touch our collection of whale and dolphin artifacts, for a fun and educational oceanic adventure.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ Triple Fudge Brownies
Almost as sweet as the wildlife you’ll encounter aboard your trip is Mrs. Capt. Dave’s triple fudge brownies. Her homemade recipe is a fan favorite and served to you as a special treat upon return to the harbor. Our little way of saying “thank you”!
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ Customized and Upscale Vessels
Captain Dave specially outfitted his catamarans to provide the best dolphin and whale watching possible. All of our vessels have cushioned seating and each boat has unique features to maximize your fun and enjoyment.
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ Exclusive Features
You can feel what it’s like to swim with dolphins and whales underwater, without getting wet in our two exclusive Eye-to-Eye Underwater Viewing Pods on Manute’a.
There is no other boat, and no other experience, quite like it!
✘ No Whale Watching Groupon
✔ We Give Back!
Giving back to the oceans with whale disentanglement, to the beaches by hosting clean-ups, and to the community by arranging meal packing events are just a few of the ways we try to do our part and keep the environment beautiful and healthy for future generations.
For 20 years we have proudly supported local non-profits, schools, and similar organizations. We’ve donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in free trips to help nonprofits raise funds for their organizations.
We Don’t Just Watch Whales, We Rescue Them Too
Captain Dave organized Orange County’s first whale disentanglement group in 2008. Alongside other members of the rescue team network, he has been involved with several rescues, including that of Lily the Gray Whale’s disentanglement that made national headlines. Captain Dave has been featured on the Ellen Show and CBS Morning News for his conservation efforts and his success in disentangling whales.
In addition to our hands-on whale rescue efforts, we also support other wonderful organizations that help both animals and people! A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Captain Dave’s book and documentary go to Kids Around the World. And the entire Dolphin Safari team helps pack meals! We also host special whale watching trips for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, with a portion of the trip’s proceeds going directly to Sea Shepherd.
Captain Dave is a “pied piper” for whales and dolphins. You can get cheaper BUT you won’t get any better than Dave’s!!!
I first heard about Captain Dave & Whale Watching Safari a couple of years ago when I saw a video he made using his drone to capture a bird’s eye view of a whale and of a dolphin stampede. I was hooked and going out whale watching with Captain Dave went on my bucket list. On August 29 and 30th we did 2 back to back morning trips. Both were wonderful and offered very different experiences. Monday we did not see any whales but saw large pods of Common, Short Beaked and Long Beaked Dolphins. We got the rare experience of watching 2 pods merge into one and the happy party time expressed by the dolphins with meeting up with old friends and family.
The second day we found ourselves in the middle of a huge pod of Common Dolphins numbering between 1200 to 1500. Dolphins as far as one could see when looking in any direction. It was so very cool. But then Dave announced the sighting of a whale spout and dang if we did not get to see a Blue in all her/his glory. Dave even launched his drone so our trip and sighting might have a video to document it ! Craig, the Naturalist and photographer was most informative on both trips as was all of Dave’s staff.
My friend and I did a cheaper Whale Watching trip Monday afternoon out of Newport Beach. Boat was larger but it was basically a boat ride with the viewing of only 1 pod of Dolphins. We never traveled out of the sight of the Orange County high rises! You can get cheaper but it will not be the wonderful family like experience you get with Dave’s. We will be back for many more adventures. Make sure to check out his Facebook page as well as his YouTube channel. These guys and gals really care about the whales and about the ocean as well as donating $ to help people in Africa! Oh and Mrs. Dave’s brownies are wonderful!!! – Via TripAdvisor
sls986
We Don’t Just Watch Whales, We Rescue Them Too
Captain Dave organized Orange County’s first whale disentanglement group in 2008. Alongside other members of the rescue team network, he has been involved with several rescues, including that of Lily the Gray Whale’s disentanglement that made national headlines. Captain Dave has been featured on the Ellen Show and CBS Morning News for his conservation efforts and his success in disentangling whales.
In addition to our hands-on whale rescue efforts, we also support other wonderful organizations that help both animals and people! A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Captain Dave’s book and documentary go to Kids Around the World. And the entire Dolphin Safari team helps pack meals! We also host special whale watching trips for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, with a portion of the trip’s proceeds going directly to Sea Shepherd.
Whale Watching Reviews from Past Grouponers
After an amazing afternoon aboard the Lily, my family and I shared our photographs and commented on how wonderful our time was on Captain Dave's upscale, quality, whale watching experience! I was very tempted to purchase the Groupon to use for the other whale watching tour in dana point- but I'm so happy I didn’t because we saw the other boat out at sea and it was sardine jam packed… where we had indoor seating, covered seating, deck seating, etc. Everything was really great! The information was really my favorite thing! The crew knew so much about whales and about the dolphins that it made the experience even better.
– Cristabella C., Yelp
We had a fantastic time. The crew was great with our kids, 10 & 6. We saw whales and dolphins. The viewing pods let us see and hear the dolphins swimming underwater which was a whole new experience for us. We'll definitely do Capt Dave's again. It was much better than the trip we did last year from Newport Beach.
– Sere74, TripAdvisor
All I can say is wow! Out of all the things I have done in my life with my children, after leaving the catamaran at the end of our trip… My son told me this will be one of his best memories with me ever!! I completely agree. If you take this trip I strongly suggest to take the smaller boat called the MANUTE’A. It’s an awesome catamaran that only seats 49 people unlike the other large boats that carry approx 150. You get the experience almost eye level with the Dolphins/whales, up close and personal, and the kids think it’s the coolest thing ever. I know it’s a little more then the places you can find on Groupon. I’m a Groupon-er myself but spare no expense on this trip or your sell yourself short. 5 Stars no doubt. You won’t be disappointed! Thanks for the wonderful hospitality guys! We will definitely be back.
– Des M., Yelp
If you want to see Sea life including Whales, Dolphins and friendly Sea Lions Captain Dave knows where to find them . My Family asked if I wanted to join them on a tour in San Diego ( they had arranged a Groupon) so I reluctantly agreed . I never had a rougher ride Had to hang on to the rail all the way or get thrown about. We did not even see one whale or dolphin. The biggest attraction was birds. They did offer a coupon of 50% off next visit but why bother ? Dana Point is a better launch point and no one is better than him for knowing all the active spots. Whenever you see clips of Whales it is from Capt. Dave's boats. He is the Man ! His knowledge is unsurpassed. Afterward you can walk around the Dana Point Harbor and enjoy shopping and dining ! This is a "must do" experience at least once!
– beachbabelagunabeach, TripAdvisor
I had friends from out of town that are real ocean, whale and dolphin watchers. We went to Dana Wharf tours the day before and the tours were night and day. The crew on Captain Dave's were fantastic. The main guide Tom was fantastic, funny and knowledgeable. This is an outfit that is here to make a difference for the ocean with big hearts. This is the tour I will now use over and over again. The boat was fantastic, smooth, clean and far nicer than other tours I have been on. Being on the catamaran net you could almost touch the dolphins and the under water pods were a fantastic experience. Tom got the kids involved and excited. Truly a great experience.
– Amy H.
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. If my wife didn't have some physical challenges we would be out on their Zodiac trips. This is their oldest but also most popular boat with underwater viewing ports in the bow and counting the net area, comfortable room for ~25 people in the front. There's shaded seating for those who need it. Hope we can make it more often. Our oldest daughter & son-in-law loved the experience when we treated them 2 years back, and we plan to treat our youngest daughter & spouse when their schedule allows & they're back in SoCal. 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. It can be chilly, but this time was unseasonably mild. Superpod of over 100 dolphins which we've seen each of our trips. 4 gray whales cavorting for a while seen on our way back. No other whales this time but need to plan our calendar better. They had sighted a blue the week before our trip. Their photographer is good; portrait/photo collage (us in the center surrounded by actual shots of the dolphins and whales we saw) is produced on the return trip so if you decide to buy it you can take it with you. ($15 for 8-1/2x11) You can also buy the digital download when you get home if you want more prints. These folks have put the pressure on the other businesses to up their game, but they're still way ahead of the pack. They offer special extended trips regularly, and even private charter events. Check them out!
– kelpzone, TripAdvisor