Chris and Molly took our 11 people group out on a private charter. It was spectacular. We followed…read morea humpback whale for a while. After that, they found a family of dolphins and we spent over a half hour following them. The dolphins got as close as 8 ft from the boat. At the end of our trip, we got within touching distance of sea lions. Thanks, Chris and Molly, for creating memories for my family! I highly recommend them.

An Absolutely Incredible Experience!…read more We had the most amazing time with Newport Coastal Adventure! Captain Dave and Sarah were absolutely wonderful--friendly, welcoming, incredibly knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do. They got us out to a pod of dolphins so quickly and efficiently, and it was absolutely breathtaking! Then, thanks to their years of experience and expertise, they managed to find not just one, but THREE whales in such a short amount of time! It was truly an unforgettable experience. I would HIGHLY recommend Newport Coastal Adventure to anyone looking for a unique and exciting adventure on the water. It was well worth the money and so much more personal than being on one of the large, crowded whale-watching boats. The smaller group made the entire experience feel intimate, comfortable, and special. This is such a fun adventure for the whole family, and Captain Dave and Sarah made the experience even better with their professionalism, and wonderful personalities. Five stars all the way! We will definitely be back!

My broworkers and I were planning a joint team outing for our teams. Most other duffy boats have a…read moremaximum of 12 people and we had a bigger team than that so we searched for a larger option and stumbled upon the Paddle Pub that fits a maximum of 16 passengers. The 90 minute Private Brew Boat ($590) which includes a captain and a deckhand, bluetooth speaker on the boat for you to play your jams, and you can bring your own brews, limited to closed canned beverages. Good times! They have a parking garage, no validation offered, but the majority of us just lyfted/ubered down for safety. Prior to the event, we were provided the waiver links to share with our team. Everyone had a change to review the waivers and sign prior. On the day of the event, they ask that everyone arrived 15 minute early, and they will be checking IDs to confirm the names of the waivers signed. We had Lily as the deckhand who was helping us for the day. After we were all checked in, we were lead into their docks and boarded the board, where we met Captain Joe. Captain Joe started off with a safety speech, and from there we were ready to party. Keep the boat fairly balanced, don't all run to one side, not too many people at the front all at once, the front is on the opposite end as the Captain. There were 10 pedaling seats and an area in the front. There was one broken pedal. This boat has a motor so the pedaling is optional but it's for funsies. One of the pedal seats were broken and not in operations. Also these bike like seats were not very comfortable. After the first hour folks got off and stood around, but they were over-it with the bike chairs. Good for groups of 12-16, but if we had a smaller group I would have prefered the standard size duffy boats. It was hard to mingle since you were essentially stuck in the seat and spread pretty far out from everyone. Still a fun time, but I just had better. Also remember to Tip. They have their venmo information up, or afterwards they send you an email asking you how your experience went, and there is an option to tip after that fact if you were unable to on the day of the event.

Terrible service! We booked this boat for 13 girls for a bachelorette party where we all traveled…read morefrom out of state. They confirmed our reservation multiple times and called us less than 24 hours before to cancel for no reason. They said they could no longer do business in Newport which seems very shady. Do not book here! Tiki boats is way more professional and we're able to accommodate us on such short notice.

Perfect experience for a special occasion. Captain Andrew delivered! He was knowledgeable and so…read morefriendly. Definitely recommend this private excursion.

Awesome experience with capt. Andrew and missy. We booked the mayflower for a 5pm sailing on the…read more4th. Not only is the boat amazing, but everyone was taking pictures of it as we passed by! The crew wore masks whenever they were within 6 feet of us. Everything was clean - we felt very safe. I highly recommend booking a trip with the lively schooner if you are looking to enjoy a day on one of their amazing boats. They are taking covid-19 seriously, and I am grateful for that!

Are you kidding me? This is soooo fun! Did it on the 4th of July, the driver was patient with our…read moredrinking loudness!!! We had an amazing time!

Came out with some friends to celebrate some birthdays, and was not disappointed! The directions on…read morefinding the tiki were clear, boarding was a breeze and Nico was a great captain for the night. We did the 7:30-9pm time slot and it was perfect, we boarded as the sun was finally setting and were able to cruise around as the night was taking over. Nico was knowledgeable about the area and should us some points of interest. There is a sushi restaurant and a place where you can order burgers and other food right next to where you board the tiki. It can get quite busy to make sure you get there with plenty of time to spare if you plan on ordering food to take out on the water with you. Sodas, ice, and some water bottles are provided for you, but make sure you have a good playlist of music ready so you can connect to their bluetooth speaker.

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.

My husband just got back from an awesome fishing trip with his buddies. I was a bit apprehensive at…read morefirst because this was for my hubby as a surprise and I didn't know what questions to ask other than I knew they wanted to catch fish and drink beer. The person I talked to at Epic was very polite and most importantly helpful. He took the time explaining the different kinds of trips offered and the pricing breakdown for 3/4 day versus a full day. I was really glad they offered full service for lunch and beer since it meant I didn't have to do any work or shopping myself!! He and his friends went on a full day trip and fished Catalina Island. He said it was one of the best days he ever had other than being with me haha~ The boat looked brand new and fishing captain Jazz and the other captain Tim did all the baiting, hooks and gear so all they had to do was reel them in. They caught plenty of fish and my husband said they fileted all of them and ziplocked them for him and his friends. Very professional operation and we'll definitely be using Epic Charters again!!!

A group of 16 of us, adults and children, went to Balboa Island in hopes of taking out a couple of…read moreDuffy Boats, as we have done before. The company where we had planned to go was gone for the day, and we wanted to find another way to tour the bay without treking back to our cars and driving to another Duffy Boat business. I contacted Tim, who was working in his office. He was welcoming and friendly. He listened to my problem and offered to take our group on a tour of the bay in his boat. His girlfriend responded to the boat and they gave us a great price. They offered to take us out longer than we had planned so that we could see whales and dolphins; however, one of the girls started getting sea sick so we made it back to dock after a fulfilling trip. Tim and his girlfriend catered to our sick teen as if she was their own. They played music, provided drinks, told us interesting facts about the area and made it a great afternoon. I can't say enough good things about them. Everyone whom went, to include the woozy teen, said that it was a great activity. Thank you Epic Yacht Charters!

Dustin is the Best Captain!…read more We had an absolutely incredible time! Dustin was right on time, professional, friendly, and extremely attentive to everyone in our group from start to finish. Dustin went above and beyond to make sure we had an unforgettable day. He even found whales for us out in the ocean, which was such an amazing experience! Afterward, he got us set up in the bay with paddle boards, a lily pad, and goggles so everyone could get in the water and enjoy themselves. If you're looking for a captain who genuinely cares about making sure everyone has an amazing experience, ask for Dustin. 10/10 experience and easily 5 stars. We will absolutely book with him again!

This was the best experience I've had out on the water. Perfect for a birthday or other celebration…read morewith a small group. We saw tons of dolphins, sea lions, and a whale and we were super close. I said "wow!" the most I ever have in my life during this excursion. Dustin was super accommodating and knowledgeable. Thank you for such a memorable time with my friends.

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!

Paid by card online. Capt. Dave's is located by the harbor and offers a lot of parking. I was…read moreeasily able to book online for the 2.5 hour 8 am tour, for my child and me. When we arrived at the harbor, we went upstairs to check in and got the passes to get on the boat. The staff was super friendly at check-in and on the boat (Capt. Matt, 1st mate, Mike, and photographer, Andy.) Everything about the experience was well-organized. The boat was clean and comfortable so it was an enjoyable ride. We saw about 400 dolphins and 1 humpback whale! It was such an enjoyable excursion! I would recommend you bring your own snacks and/or drinks on board if you don't have a chance to eat beforehand, since snacks and drinks are not provided on the 2.5 hour 8 am tour. There is a small snack shack upstairs where you check in if you forget to bring things to eat and drink. I would recommend this tour and would go back.

Best day ever caught my first yellowtail 15# Won the…read morejackpot. Was there with my son and my brother we had a blast got plenty of fish thank you to the captain and crew for making it all possible we were abord the freelance on Wednesday 26 of August. Already planing the next trip can't wait so much action thank you again

We had a great time here on Sunday on the whale watching tour! We opted for the 5pm tour and wow…read morewere those waves huge heading out and coming back in. We set off out into the ocean and we quicky encountered a mama whale and her baby. They hung out around the boat the whole time we were there and we even had some seals come our way. The ride was rough due to the high waves and it made some people sick. There is plenty of seating, snacks / drinks for sale and the staff was friendly and informative. I totally recommend this tour and we got very lucky to have seen two whales out in the wild! So much fun!

Such a great time on our June 11th tour with Capt. Dani and her crew. We has a very successful trip…read moreseeing 3 species of whales (humpback, fin, and minke), tons of common dolphins, 1 sea lion in the water and many of them on a buoy. All throughout, Dani was aptly guiding the vessel and explaining the strategy of her decision-making from protecting the whales to not encouraging the common dolphins to unnaturally ride with the boat by slowing down to let them pass. Though success is not guaranteed, this crew knew where to go and how to navigate it! We chose the mid-level cruise option and loved it.

Our experience was so excellent! Dani, our captain, and Jill, our guide, made this whale watching…read morecruise unforgettable. We saw ridiculously scenic coastline views, which added to the magic of the trip. While we only saw bottlenose dolphins (tons of them), the cruise was still spectacular and definitely worth the ticket price. Plus, due to a last minute change on their end we happened to get upgraded to the higher end smaller boat with less people. There were lots of moments of sheer joy (we geeked out pretty hard) at getting to visit the dolphins up close in their natural environment. Others around us expressed feeling similarly. What also set this cruise apart was Dani and Jill. Their extensive knowledge about local marine life and its patterns enriched our experience significantly. They shared fascinating and often hilarious insights (Jill is a character - in all the best ways) about the dolphins and the surrounding ecosystem, which made the cruise both highly entertaining and educational. Their genuine excitement for marine wildlife is so evident and it really made the experience all the more enjoyable and fun. We had a great time, and we can't thank Dani and Jill enough for their dedication to making sure everyone had a memorable adventure. Highly recommend this cruise to anyone looking to get out of their head and spend time soaking up amazing views! Ps. Don't be an idiot like me - remember to wear sunscreen because a boat can't outrun the sun (obviously... ‍) Pss. Rent the $5 binoculars