Aaron made our boat rental experience a breeze! He was very thorough in walking us through all the…read morefeatures of the boat and its controls, as well as all the safety equipment on board. The boat is fully equipped with state of the art navigation and fish finding equipment, and Aaron familiarized us with the harbor, bait shop, and fueling station. Highly recommended! We've already booked our next trip!!

Boats... clean and new and ready to fish. Aaron was super helpful. It really was a flawless…read moreexperience. BTW huge bait tank....lots of flow. Kevin Tustin

Best experience I never knew I needed!…read more On July 18th, 2026, I went out on a boat with Captain Maria, First Mate Janelle, and Second Mate (photographer) Hannah. They were lovely, helpful, and gave good info. The boat was choppy, which I enjoyed, but I felt 100% safe the entire time. Of course, the main attraction was the dolphins (& sea lions); it was amazing. We must have seen at least 500 of them, jumping in and out, in Sync with the boat and each other. Earlier this year I completed one of the three items on my bucket list (yes, only three), which was to see the Aurora Borealis (In Lapland, Finland), and I have to be honest, today's experience topped that by far (also much less cold). To sum it up, thanks to Captain Maria, Janelle, and the lovely Hannah, I had the best experience I never knew I needed to experience! P.S. Item #2 was also completed earlier this year. P.P.S. Item #3 is still waiting (for 36 years now).

Located at the Dana Point Harbor, Capt Dave has dedicated parking lot. No bathrooms in the building…read morebut 2 bathrooms a skip away. They depart from the building towards the boat 15 mins beforehand so they want you to check in 30mins before (and on weekends/holidays, check in 45mins before). The boat departs on time at the scheduled time, so make sure you are here in the building 15-30mins before your booked time. We booked at 1pm and that's when the boat left the dock. We were gathered at the office at 12:45 to head towards the boat and unfortunately a couple missed their slot because they were not even in the parking lot at 1pm when the boat sailed. Don't make their mistake, just make sure you are parked at least 15mins before the booked time. They were willing to wait 5 mins, but not 30 mins, so timeliness from guests is important as we had almost 30 people on board. As you are led from the building to the boat, they have a pit stop at the bathroom as they warned that the boat's bathroom that can't take toilet paper and can easily clog. Unfortunately the ocean waters was unusually warm when we booked on 7/03 for whale/dolphin sighting so we didn't see any but they have a sighting guarantee so they gave us all a voucher to come back again for free. They gave out a delicious brownie at the end too, so I'm excited to come back for the brownie!

My friends and I were in the area a few weeks ago, and thought it it'd be fun to go kayaking at…read moreDana Point harbor. We found this spot on Yelp that does kayak and SUP rentals. You'll find them under a canopy by their launch area. The staff were friendly, and we were able to get same day rentals. We came on a Saturday morning around 10:30am, and it was a breeze. I do appreciate that they care about your safety. I originally wanted to try SUP, but the team recommended kayaking since the winds were really strong for first time SUP. Prices here were pretty good. We did a 1-hr rental each. There are bathrooms right in front of the rental area, and they have storage bags for you to store clothes, keys, etc. Kayaks were good quality, and life jackets felt secure.

Dana Point Harbor is always my favorite Paddle Boarding spot. I've been coming here for years…read more Peaceful, quiet and just straight up zen. Easy on and off of the board. Right at baby beach, in case you fall off returning the board (like me) you can just walk straight to shore

First-time visitor to this harbor…read more The harbor was beautiful, clean, and relaxing The walking and biking trails were well maintained, and the grassy areas were perfect for sunbathing and picnics. Free parking is available throughout the harbor, and clean restrooms are available as well

One of my favorite places to stroll. They are revitalizing dining and shopping here but I'm…read morereviewing just strolls on the harbor. I recommend this to everyone. Walk along the harbor, look at the boats, and spot birds and sea lions. You'll see them lounging on the dock or boats and hear them barking every night. Be sure to walk down to the bridge and cross over. There are nice, grass areas with benches, picnic tables, etc. It's a beautiful view. Enjoy the beauty! There is a ton of free parking, clean public bathrooms, and the beautiful coastline. Then add in the dining, shopping, whale watching tours, paddle boarding, canoeing, sailing, and wading at Baby Beach.... This is a wonderful place to visit.

They delivered! A private excursion with music of your choosing, complimentary Hors d'oeuvre,…read morechampagne, roses and an onboard photographer to capture all of your special moments. J.D.

Last month for my mom's 80th birthday we tried to come up with a fun adventure to celebrate with…read moreher. She said that rather than a limo to dinner, she would prefer to go out and see some dolphins! My sisters were skeptical about how she would do out on a boat, but Captain Jori was amazing. Tucked in the front seat, wrapped in a blanket, we set out! Not only did we see hundreds of dolphins, spiraling and jumping, we also got to see two whales up close and personal. For Jori, this is so much more than a business! She made each of us on the boat feel so connected to this incredible experience and carefully attended to every need. She was unhurried as we idled with dolphins and watched them play in the wake of our boat. My mom exclaimed the next day that it was among "the most memorable experiences of her life." Thank you Jori and TOP TIER LUXURY! You truly are the best!! M Hawkins

Absolutely amazing on how they upgraded all the surrounding areas…read more Lots of new parking with a new multilevel parking structure and new bathrooms and showers for the boaters that have a permit for boat parking to launch their Crafts from Dana Point harbor. Automatically given 4 hours of free parking with quick access to any of the numerous restaurants and gift shops right on the water. This is the spot if you want to go offshore fishing on a charter or whale watching which I did on a couple hour tour it was outstanding. Not to mention all the whales dolphins and other mammals that were seen offshore. Tuesdays they still do half off. If you have not been give it a try it's so much better now with the easy access and plenty of free 4 hour parking. Don't overlook the stunning safe day beaches without the big Surf issues

We went on a family trip together for this Independence Day weekend. My dad suffered a stroke in…read moremid-December last year, and luckily he has recovered quite a bit since then. However, since he still can't travel too far, we decided to visit somewhere close by. So, we booked a hotel in Dana Point and had a wonderful two-night trip. On Saturday, July 4th, we all booked tickets for a whale/dolphin-watching cruise. When I booked the tickets, I asked how long the tour would be, and they said it would be two hours. The ticket prices were $78 for adults and $68 for seniors. At first, my brother accidentally bought all five tickets at the adult rate when three of them should have been seniors. I noticed this on the receipt, so I managed to get a refund for the price difference for the three senior tickets. We bought five tickets for the 12:00 PM cruise and were told to wait at Dock 6 starting from 11:45 AM, but the boat arrived a bit late. Once we got on board, the wind was blowing incredibly hard, and the waves were quite high, causing the boat to rock violently. After boarding, a friendly female crew member gave us a briefing at the front. She kindly advised everyone on board not to run, and said that if anyone felt seasick, it would be better to stay towards the back of the boat rather than the front. She also mentioned that if the motion sickness got too bad, they could provide peppermint or ginger candies, and added that there was a bar and snack counter inside the boat. Come to think of it, I once went sailing on a yacht with my friends a long time ago. For the first 30 minutes, I was clapping, taking photos, and having a great time, but then I got so severely seasick that I had a truly miserable time (the same thing happened to me on a cruise trip before). Still, when I rode a boat at Lake Arrowhead last year, I didn't experience any seasickness at all, so I thought I would be fine this time too--though looking back, that was probably because the lake was so calm. But during this cruise on July 4th, I ended up getting so incredibly seasick that I felt like I was dying. About 10 minutes before we docked, the seasickness got so severe that I even started dry-heaving, and it was just awful. I was dizzy, and my stomach kept churning. Even so, it was really wonderful to see so many dolphins during the cruise, and the crew members were all so kind. When I was struggling with severe seasickness, my brother went to inform the crew. A crew member came over and asked if I wanted a peppermint, ginger, or ginger ale candy. I asked for a peppermint candy, and they handed it to me, saying it was free. When I asked, "Does it work?" she assured me it would. I sucked on the candy while sitting at the back of the boat and fell asleep, but later on, the seasickness became so overwhelmingly intense that I ended up throwing up everything and had a horrible time. Anyone who gets easily seasick should definitely take this into consideration before going on a cruise. Still, seeing so many dolphins was a huge highlight.

We had the BEST time cruising Newport Harbor with Duffy Electric Boats! The whole experience was so…read moreeasy, fun, and such a perfect way to spend the day on the water. The boat was clean, comfortable, and had plenty of room for our group, snacks, and drinks! The Newport Harbor views were absolutely gorgeous, especially around sunset. Whether you're celebrating something special, planning a date, or just looking for a fun day with friends or family, this is such a great experience. We're already talking about when we can come back for another Duffy day! Highly recommend!

After leaving a review and a voicemail regarding my customer service concern, I received a phone…read morecall from Brianna who is managing the employees at Duffy rental. She was incredibly kind and helpful. She acknowledged my concerns, validated how I felt about the experience, and assured me that improved staff training would take place so that these kinds of interactions are eliminated in the future. Brianna restored my faith in Duffy rentals, but I still would not go back if Shirley is the face of the company at the boat dock. I was disappointed with how she handled a conflict during our experience. Rather than remaining calm, listening to the concern, and working toward a reasonable solution, the interaction felt unnecessarily confrontational and poorly managed. I understand that difficult situations can arise in any customer-facing business, but employees--particularly those placed in positions where they are expected to resolve problems--should have the training and professionalism to de-escalate conflict rather than contribute to it. My concern isn't that there was a disagreement; disagreements happen. It was the way the situation was handled. Better communication, maturity, and conflict-resolution training would have made a significant difference in our experience. But, again... thank you to Brianna for taking my call on a weekend.

Small location but very close to Dana Point harbor where my boat is locked. When they have what I'm…read morelooking for it's very convenient. Stock and selection is limited by the Small store size. Prices are typical for west marine which is to say somewhat higher than average, but worth it for the convenience factor. I'll be back.

Always have a great experience here. Today was an exception. Very rude employee named Jeff. The…read morestore can reach out if they'd like details. I'd like to know if it was my business.

We just went on the Curlew this past Sunday for a burial at sea…read more Everything went perfectly! The crew was thorough with their instructions, answered all the questions we had, kind and empathetic. The boat was well maintained and clean. I couldn't have asked for a more special way to say our goodbyes to our Dad. I will definitely recommend them to my friends and family.

the Curlew is immaculate. she is 100 years old and in near pristine condition. 82 feet long with a…read morecrew of 3 caring and knowledgeable people that understand sailing and attend to every detail. I chartered this boat for a burial at Sea for my daughter. She loved the Ocean and watching Whales. Her last request to me was to be buried at Sea. We had 14 guest and one 7 month old baby on board. Everything was done with precise accuracy. What a beautiful ceremony. Simple and to the point. Definitely a experience to remember. Highly recommend! .

Raffy and Kiwi are hands down the smartest, most professional and proficient boat mechanics in…read moreSoCal. Our boat was in need of significant repair and after several boaters and businesses in Dana Point Marina referred us to OCO we knew we were in good hands. We received frequent video updates and a valuable lesson in basic boat maintenance. It's tough to find mechanics you can trust, look no further for all of your boat repair needs.

You can find someone better, not worth the risk…read more They ended up damaging by boat and didn't fix the initial root cause of the issue i took it in for.. they called the previous owner of of the boat (30 years) and his mechanic a liar. When I got the boat back I had smoke from the engine bay on my first trip out 1/4 mile from harbor. Luckily sea tow and no major damage. It shifted smooth when I dropped it off, didn't shift after getting it back. Dangerous and incompetent to say the least.. ef these guys.. So i purchased an old but new to me 25' Flybridge with a 7.4L MPI mercruiser.. 30 year owner, very well cared for.. the engine shook when I bought it.. seemed like engine mounts.. I took it to Orange County outboards since they're a mercruiser shop in my area.. what a mistake.. after they rebuilt my stern drive they said just live with the shake... they said the guy I bought it from was lying.. it wasn't a reman'd engine cause it didn't have the tag (mercruiser stopped putting tags on remans) my first time having the boat back it almost burned down SERIOUSLY. Smoke from engine bay 1/4 quarter mile outside the harbor... I had to get sea towed back in.. I immediately let them know, they said they'd send techs out (their shop was full all of a sudden) and that was the last I heard of them.. Absolute garbage.. they took 4 months for 20 hours of billed work.. the work they did do was sound.. but for some reason they wouldn't fix the engine.. So next I took it to another shop, they fixed the engine mounts and the shake is gone.. amazing right!? the reputable shop also found the water pump had failed (mysteriously?) and also the shift cables that worked fine when I dropped it off were stuck when I got it back.. the new shop replaced the cables and it shifted smooth as butter again.. AVOID THIS SHOP IF YOU DONT HAVE A 35' dual engine cabin cruiser.. The mechanic at oc outboards seemed full of himself.. they also said I need to change the oil every 20 hours.. what a joke.. this is my 2nd boat, and I spend about 100 hours a year on the water and this will be my 6th season fishing socal.. I am very disappointed with them and I am considering seeking legal reparations because they almost burned my boat down do to negligence and caused damage.. We'll see.