What an amazing trip!!! Erica and Sarah were such amazing guides!!…read more We saw whales, a shark, and lots of dolphins!!

We had an amazing trip with Sarah and Erika. They were knowledgeable and fun and made for a great…read moreexperience. We saw a whale and hundreds of dolphins and sea lions. Boat was comfortable. 10/10 will be going again!

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.

This was by far the worst whale watching tour I've ever taken. I've done whale watching multiple…read moretimes before -- in Boston and other locations -- and every other tour actually went out into deeper waters where whales are usually found. This tour, however, barely left the coastline. If whales could be seen that close to shore, I could have just stood on the beach and saved my money. The trip was advertised as 2 to 2.5 hours, but it only lasted about 1.5 hours. Most of that time was spent heading back toward the harbor, and then we sat near the harbor entrance for around 20 minutes just watching sea lions. I honestly don't understand why anyone should pay $50 per person just to look at something you can easily see from the shore. It felt misleading and disappointing. The boat never seriously attempted to go offshore, where whales are actually located. What made this even more frustrating was that I specifically asked the staff before booking whether we were likely to see whales, and they assured me we would. Do not waste your money on this tour.

BEST DAY EVER ON THE WATER!!! I wanted to do something special for my son for his 15th birthday…read more I called SoCal Charters and arranged to take my son and some of his fiends out on a private whale watching trip and we had THE BEST TIME EVER!!! Captain Jeff was just fantastic. He gave us a great tour of Newport Harbor pointing out the various points of interest along the way. Once we cleared the harbor and opened the throttles up and really started to fly across the water. The whales are still enjoying the warm waters and we saw some amazing marine life. The boat is really nice and holds up to six passengers and has an amazing Tuna Tower where the kids had a great time hanging out and looking out for whales. I would definitely recommend SoCal Charters to anyone looking for a private whale watching trip, harbor cruise or maybe even a romantic dinner cruise (without the kids, of course)!

Wow! What an amazing day we had with Jeff at SoCal Charters. I called a day in advance and reserved…read morea whale watching trip for my hubby and I the next day. It's been on our bucket list for years and I was looking for something more intimate than the larger boats I've seen before. Jeff was very easy-going, nice and professional.. The boat was exceptionally clean and comfortable and I loved the name, "wasabi". Within the first hour Jeff spotted a huge Blue whale! We were able to view it multiple times. I appreciated that he took his time for it to re-surface, and asked us whether we were okay moving on in search of other things. Shortly after we ran into a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins, and after that a huge pod of Common Dolphins that played right along his boat. We will definitely be back. Thank you again for the five star experience!

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 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.

Captain Jonny was honestly the reason this trip was so good. We've rented boats before, but having…read moresomeone who's personable, experienced, and genuinely enjoys what he does makes a huge difference. He made everyone feel comfortable right away, answered all of our questions, and knew the harbor inside and out. You can tell he cares more about everyone having a great experience than just getting through another charter. He pointed out cool spots around Newport, had some great stories, and never made anything feel rushed. It was just a really relaxing afternoon on the water. If you're booking with Newport Beach Baywatch Boat Charters, definitely ask for Captain Jonny. He's professional, easy to talk to, and made the whole experience feel effortless. We'd book with him again without even thinking twice. Highly recommend.

Epic Time in Lake Tahoe worth it Our Captain Michael was amazing and our friends had an incredible…read moreexperience I would highly recommend Bay Watch for your next adventure on Lake Tahoe

Epic boat trip! We saw two humpback whales and they were so active! One breached over and over! The…read morecrew was wonderful!

We've been taking Harbor Breeze Cruises for many years and have probably been on the Long Beach…read moreHarbor Tour more than a dozen times. Whenever we have family or friends visiting from out of state or overseas, it's one of our favorite activities because it's a relaxing way to see the Port of Long Beach, the Queen Mary, and, if you're lucky, the sea lions. We brought another group yesterday, and everyone enjoyed the tour. The only downside, in my opinion, is the boats used for the harbor tour. Yesterday we were on the Kristina, and in the past we've also been on the Caroline, which we chartered for my mother's ash-scattering ceremony about 14 years ago. Both vessels are showing their age. I also think the marketing could be clearer. The photos on the website and many travel sites prominently feature the newer catamarans, which gives the impression that those are the boats used for the harbor tour. I actually called ahead to ask and learned that the harbor tours use different vessels. While I appreciated getting the correct information, many first-time visitors probably wouldn't think to ask and may expect the newer boats shown in the advertising. The harbor tour itself is still worthwhile, and we'll likely continue bringing our guests because we genuinely enjoy the experience. I just hope Harbor Breeze considers updating or refurbishing the harbor tour vessels and making the marketing a little clearer so guests know exactly what to expect.

Nicky is a superstar!! She served our large group and was SO sweet and really took care of us. Both…read moreNicky and the photographer had such great energy. The cruise itself is a great deal (they also have Groupons!) because it includes unlimited mimosas, breakfast, and some nice photo spots. Was pleasantly surprised by the food variety and quality! I think the service at the tritip station could be a little more energetic, or we were just so used to the energy of Nicky and the photographer, that it seemed a little off and not as welcoming. My favorite items were the petit four cakes, tritip + horseradish, and chicken tenders! A lot of people in the group loved the smoked salmon bagels. Our drinks were always topped off and Nicky was always around in case we had any questions or needed something else. Would go on another city cruise!

Fun time with friends, beautiful Newport Beach weather. Staff was very friendly & accommodating…read more Service was top notch. Boat was a triple decker, and extremely well kept. Brunch buffet had a nice variety of food, and bottomless mimosas a nice touch.