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    Gone Whale Watching

    4.8 (221 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Fluke of a Gray Whale. These whales chose to come closer to us, the engine was in neutral
    Ashley R.

    Gone Whale Watching is ALWAYS my first choice when going out in San Diego! The boat rides smooth, the team is friendly, and they do a great job finding wildlife, but also prioritize and respect the well-being of the animals. On yesterday's trip with Captain Caitlyn, we saw 9 Gray Whales and a pod of Pacific White Sided dolphins. Caitlyn is so knowledgeable and willing to share great info about the wildlife you're seeing. I've gone out with this company for years and every trip has been a five star experience.

    EPIC MORNING! Go work Gone Whale Watching for a chill day!!!!
    Kristy W.

    Well.... my bestie and I came down for a girls only trip. This has been the highlight of the week! We booked the 6 person only trip as we wanted a more intimate trip for my friends 1st time whale watching... and it was just that!!!! So chill, so fun, SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL OF A MORNING! We were fortunate enough to see 3 Humpbacks and I'll say hundreds of common long beaked dolphins!!!! They swam alongside of us, played, sprayed us and entertained us! As an activist for the Ocean(CPWF) and all that resides within I'd HIGHLY recommend going out this way... with a company that truly cares about the animals. DO NOT GO TO SEA WORLD! See them where they swim wild and are FREE! We will DEFINITELY be back to see you again Dominic and Erica!!! Thanks for a chill ass morning! Mother was definitely with us!!!!

    Humpback whales!
    Michelle C.

    We went in early November which is humpback whale season and were lucky enough to see 9 whales, 7 of them traveling together! In two instances they got too close to the boat on accident (they try to stay a good distance away to not disturb them but doesn't stop the whales from swimming right next to the boat!) but it was amazing to see. There were also literally THOUSANDS of dolphins we got to see swimming all around the boat. The driver and guide were knowledgeable and helpful (Tai and Jess). They recommended coming back in June/July for blue whale season! Overall well worth the $!

    Very fun! Our tour team were very knowledgeable;) We saw three whales! Lots of dolphins too!

    A long overdue review for Gone Whale Watching! I have been on a number of trips with Captain Dom and the rest of his crew over the past 4 years or so and they are definitely my favorite whale watching trips. I have been out with several of their boats with varying captains and crew members, but always had a great time and enjoyed their knowledge and passion for these gentle giants. As a photographer, I really appreciate the smaller boats that really get you in the right spot for the optimal experience and the crew is always trying to ensure that everyone on board gets everything they can out of each trip. You never know what you will see of course, but I've had amazing experiences seeing blue whales, fin whales, breaching humpbacks, orcas, and much more. If you have any interest in whales, I highly recommend Gone Whale Watching for an amazing experience here in San Diego!

    Waiting for the boat
    Sreyoshi B.

    How does one rate an experience that is out of this world? Please give this a try! We had an incredible time celebrating my dads birthday out in the water - spotting 8 grey whales, 2 humpbacks, and a gazillion million dolphins. Pro tip- riding the boat up front may seem like riding a horse, especially on a rough day with choppy waves. Anti-motion sickness medication helps!!

    Savannah S.

    Jess and Michael were awesome! They really went the extra mile to make sure we had a great time. They knew a lot about the animals we saw and got us right in with the dolphins!

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    Such a great day on the water with Tom and Jess! We saw so many blue whales, fin whales and a minke!! We can't wait to come out again!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Gone Whale Watching

    Can my 2 almost 3 year old take this tour?

    It's not for toddlers. They should go on the bigger boats.

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    Review Highlights - Gone Whale Watching

    Captain Dom and Allison were amazing, pointing out everything they saw and showing us how to get the best views.

    Mentioned in 36 reviews

    Read more highlights

    San Diego Whale Watch

    San Diego Whale Watch

    4.7
    (1.1k reviews)
    0.0 mi
    15 years in business
    Free parking

    The Captain, Naturalist, crew and snack bar staff, and ticket area folks were great. I went out on…read morethe Sunset Whale Watch trip and we saw large pods of dolphins. There were many babies jumping with their moms. As many times as I have gone whale watching I still love learning new things. The Naturalist talked about how really young dolphins don't know where their blow holes are located. When the little cute babies jump out of the water they leap very high so they are sure to get their blow holes clear to breathe!

    On 06/19/26, we took the 9 am excursion. Listen to this…read moreadvice..... Upgrade to "THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE "!!! You will not regret it. It will accommodate up to 6 in your group. My Husband and I got in line early to check in. We saw the opportunity to upgrade and we took it! He and I had the whole outside of the Captain's deck all to ourselves! My Husband got to fulfill his childhood dream of whale watching and boy did we see some beautiful wildlife! We saw majestic whales, dolphins, birds, sea lions, and while waiting in line to board, fish and stingrays. I got really seasick and the crew there were so kind to me...they kept checking on me, bringing me bags, peppermints and water. Allison, the wildlife narrator, was especially kind. She was also very knowledgeable and her enthusiasm to educate the public about the local wildlife was evident from the beginning! There was also a very attentive young lady crew member that would often see if we needed anything. She also kept bringing me mints, water and bags...she was even kind enough to throw away my full bag. That takes a special kind of humanity to discretely do that. There was a crew member with a beard who also checked on us. I was so seasick by that point that I failed to get their names, but I hope someone lets them know how much I appreciated their hospitality. The star of the show, of course, was Captain Mike! He came out and talked to us and as he was talking to us about his job, we could hear the sincere passion in his voice! He perfectly plotted our trip and made sure that everyone was able to have a great view of the wildlife. We were impressed by how much love and respect the crew members had for the wildlife and the ecosystem. Captain Mike spotted a Mylar balloon, stopped the engine and the team picked it up! I'm sure a beautiful sea creature was saved that day! Thank you again for the wonderful opportunity we had today! This experience is definitely going in the books!!!

    Photos
    Privateer and Whale
    Privateer and Whale
    San Diego Whale Watch
    Blue Whales off the coast of San Diego. Sept 2, 2011

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    Blue Whales off the coast of San Diego. Sept 2, 2011
    Legacy Whale Watch

    Legacy Whale Watch

    4.7
    (134 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    My family LOVED the sunset tour that left at 5 pm! The online tix purchase was easy and parking was…read morefree, if you follow their specific directions to their lot. Check-in was quick too. The weather was perfect and the crew was friendly and knowledgeable. I'd recommend wearing layered clothes and a jacket because it does get windy in the open sea. We saw plenty of birds, sea lions, and pods of dolphins swimming and diving close to the boat. It was thrilling! Right before we had to turn back, we actually saw a Finn Whale spouting and breaching. So cool! The guide pointed out how rare that sighting was since Finn Whales are endangered. It made the tour so worthwhile. Not to mention the beautiful sunset we witnessed. Overall, I'd recommend Legacy to my family and friends.

    I had a wonderful time whale watching today during the 10am charter…read more The boat is clean and spacious. The staff & volunteers were fantastic. Today's weather was absolutely perfect & the water was calm & smooth. We saw tons of dolphins, sea lions, lots of birds and the highlight was a juvenile gray whale. We saw him surface a few times and he brought all of us joy Whale watching is the sort of activity where you could see tons of whales or nothing, and I certainly felt lucky to see the young male on his journey north. There are bathrooms & a snack bar on the boat and plenty of places to sit both inside and outside. I highly recommend this experience for anyone who enjoys learning about San Diego's many sea creatures and being on the water. Mahalo!

    Photos
    Awesome view
    Awesome view
    Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean
    Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean
    Big pod of common dolphins

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    Big pod of common dolphins
    Big Blue Photo Boat

    Big Blue Photo Boat

    5.0
    (5 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    My family and I had a very enjoyable time on a lovely day at the end of February in the beautiful…read morewaters off the San Diego coast with the crew of the Big Blue Scout boat. Susan and Matthias were friendly and knowledgeable hosts, which made the time with them a pleasure. The boat was comfortable and we cruised along at a leisurely pace on smooth water and did not feel hurried nor bored--it was fun and really worth-while. Being on a small boat made the experience even better. Matthias launched a drone at one point and we were able to follow a grey whale and see it surface several times, plus he let us look at the display and see it lingering there in the water nearby. In addition to the many, many dolphins and the grey whale, we also saw a Fin Whale--the second largest whale and supposedly not-often seen there at that time, and also an unusual bird (a type of Booby) that the boat crew was surprised and happy about, plus two sea lions put on a display called "thermoregulation" where they lay there on their back with their fins in the air--it was neat! Overall I highly recommend the Big Blue Photo Boat for a memorable experience in San Diego! Thank you Susan and Matthias!

    My kids and I went out on their boat in July and we had such a great time! Whale watching in a…read moresmall group in smaller quick boats allows them to cover more water, provides a more intimate experience. Captain Susan was super thoughtful with my kids and snacks, and having a naturalist like Matthias who could answer all of my kids questions was amazing. It was a great experience we will repeat.

    Photos
    Heron!
    Heron!
    Big Blue Photo Boat
    Drone he used to find the whales

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    Drone he used to find the whales
    Pacific Bounty Sportfishing

    Pacific Bounty Sportfishing

    5.0
    (4 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Me and my buddy wanted to try out a charter trip since this COVID thing started and we haven't had…read morea chance to go fishing this year. Get just us and have fun. So on Father's Day I got my dad(who loves fishing) to make this an event. As we got there, we parked in the restaurant parking(free) and waited till the captain showed up. He seemed to have slept in a bit late that day and we got late start but he promised us a great day of fishing and soon enough we found one of the biggest kelp patties you could imagine. Soon as threw our bait in "FishOn!!" 4 of us getting bit and breaking, changed from 25 to 50lbs test so we don't lose them to the kelp. The Yellows didn't mind the 50lbs test line, they keep biting! The irons were getting bit too on the surface with mint color. After the trip I got so tired I forgot my GoPro in the boat. But they were very nice and had it shipped back to my address after we talked on Instagram. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for a character boat!

    Jeff is an incredible offshore fisherman. Wow! We had an incredible day yesterday for Bluefin…read moreand Yellowtail. Jeff put us on a great patty to start the day and all caught a bunch of beautiful grade yellowtail 15plus pounders. We then went down further south and caught a beautiful 90 pound bluefin and then another 170 pounder to end the day. Great day of fishing. Well Done Jeff. you put us on the fish all day. Enjoy the Pacific Bounty and you will not be disappointed.

    Photos
    Yellowtail Fishing at Coronado Islands
    Yellowtail Fishing at Coronado Islands
    Yellowtail Fishing Coronado Islands
    Yellowtail Fishing Coronado Islands
    Pacific Bounty Sportfishing

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    Tiki Time Bay Tours

    Tiki Time Bay Tours

    4.7
    (144 reviews)
    2.9 mi

    I surprised my boyfriend with tickets for Tiki Time Bay Tours for his birthday and had a couple…read morewere friends with tag along as well. Whether you're a local or visiting San Diego this is a really fun activity on the weekend with yummy drinks and good vibes. Originally we were booked for a 10:30am tour that goes out to watch the sea lions out on the bay, unfortunately not enough people booked that one so it was cancelled. Even though our original plan was cancelled Tiki Time Tours went above and beyond to make sure we had a good experience and not only complimentary upgraded our tickets to a more expensive tour, they also gave our party a free round of drinks for the inconvenience! I think this speaks a lot about a company; anyone can be happy with customer service when everything goes according to plan, but the most important times to step up is when plans get cancelled/changed and that's exactly what they did for us! Instead of the sea lion tour we ended up doing the Tiki Live! tour at 3pm. This tour is about 2 hours and while you're out on the water you mingle with everyone else and play games that can win prizes for yourself, your party or the whole boat! The games were fun, interactive and silly. At some points we got close enough to shore and made people on land be a part of our games! Donny was our tiki tour master and he was really funny during the whole tour. In between games he just let the music play so we could enjoy the atmosphere and drinks. My entire group left with nothing but great things to say about the whole experience. My friend even won a free tour for another time so we will definitely be returning for more tiki fun.

    RANDOM SUNDAY -…read moreStunning Views - Drinks + shots - Stunning views - chances to win money and prizes My friends randomly saw this boat and said we should do it for fun. Tickets were around $47 per person for a 2hr water tour around the Bay in a boat decorated in tiki decor. For tourist this tour is great with a ton of fun information about San Diego and stunning views in the water. Minimum 8 people on the boat or there may be cancellation of the tour. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS. The guide will have some friendly trivia for a chance to win good cash prices, free drinks, gift cards, etc I think that was pretty fun to include in while getting a tour. If you are sensitive to getting seasick, I would recommend a Dramamine beforehand. Although the boat was spacious, it still felt the wakes from the other boats and you can go rocking. In addition there were slow times of moving and turning. Or you can just chuck down a few drinks and feel numb to it all! They have a Tiki Bar with a drink menu (no food) to purchase from and if you bring snacks to eat - you can't eat it on the boat. Drinks were good but their "house" made shots were pretty good! We had a couple rounds of those while on tour - paid round by a passenger or a free shot in the house by the staff. The awkward but not so awkward would be mingling with other folks on the boat that you don't know. One of my friends kept interjecting with another party and while they seem to not mind I could tell they were being polite but if it were me I'd probs be annoyed if someone kept interjecting while I'm having a good time with my friends. Although we all got along and occasionally shared cheers with shots. Luckily the boat was near empty with just a few of us to have some space to do your thing. Overall, nice little 2hr time in the water. Would highly recommend the later session to catch the sunset. Until the next review....

    Photos
    Rady's
    Rady's
    Tiki Time Bay Tours
    The Tiki boat.

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    The Tiki boat.

    Gone Whale Watching - whalewatchingtours - Updated June 2026

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