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!

We went on a watch yesterday and Mark and Dave couldn't have been more knowledgeable and…read moreincredible! We saw hundreds of bottlenose dolphins & a humpback whale!! Mark was able to use his drone for us and get us a beautiful shot of the whale with a rainbow!! Magic!!! Love this team and would ride time and time again with them!

Great Captain and crew in the Thunderbird! Jeff, Carmello, Jose, and Jared all provide great…read moreservice and put us on the fish.

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

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.

This experience was incredible! Courtney was super helpful and accommodating, and Taylor (our…read morecaptain) was amazing! We saw tons of dolphins, some sea lions and a minke whale. We had the best time, I highly recommend this business and we'll be back!

Are you interested in a thrilling trip across the sea to adventure and awesome natural wonders?…read more From the moment we left the dock until we returned I was completely enthralled. The booking is easy, Captain Nick is a total pro. His presentation is knowledgeable and entertaining and he is funny! We saw whales dancing off the Newport Pier, we saw a massive pod of common dolphins. The spray in my face the wind in my hair! I loved every minute. I enthusiastically recommend this immersive ocean-going adventure!

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

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.

This is the 2nd time me and my 8 year old son have done this 1/2 day pm trip on the Western Pride…read more Both times were excellent and so much fun. He caught a ton of fish, mostly bass and most too small to keep, but he had a blast! He loves the fight! We had a few both trips to take home. We are newbies, but everyone on the crew was super nice and helpful to us. Bobby was exceptional. He helped my son so much and really looked out for him when he got a little sea sick. Another crew member gave him a little lure and talked to him about it, such a sweet guy! We've learned a lot from these trips and we will definitely be back. Thank you!

Boat was too crowded-- had in excess of 50 people. I love the idea that the company fosters--…read moreexposing kids to ocean fishing at a lower price point, but on this trip there were many small children(kids under 12 yo) that wandered aimlessly around the stern of the boat throughout the day. It seemed to me to be risky for them, as the majority of the time the boat was recommending that we use metal jigs with treble hooks to catch bonito and bullet tuna. MANY of the guests were casting these jigs blindly without looking behind them to ensure that nobody was in harms way!! Fortunately, nobody was hurt on this trip but potentially things could have been different. Perhaps limiting the casting of jigs to the bow of the boat exclusively might have been a consideration that could have reduced the risk to the small children(and adult passengers as well). Otherwise... the trip was enjoyable. The boat was kept clean. The crew were attentive to the needs of the passengers(although 2 crew members for 50+ people was not ideal) and the whole experience was positive.

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!

I have been to a bunch of Whale Watching Tours before but the Harbor Breeze Whale Watching &…read moreDolphin Tour is the BEST! I highly recommend this business to all my friends and family. Keep up the good work and may God bless you all!

I've been dolphin watching in San Francisco, but it didn't compare to Harbor Breeze!…read more We chose the daytime 2.5-hour tour, and from easy online booking, text/email updates, to the amazing dolphin sightings, everything was perfect. Beautiful scenery, an unforgettable adventure, and memories we'll cherish. Thank you, Harbor Breeze!

Great place to rent a boat. The staff did a nice job as well. We have used them now for years.read more

With the Groupon rate you can't go wrong…read more Come early and look for street parking if you're not in a time crunch. From there the signs are helpful as to where to check-in and complete your waivers ahead of time. The boats are really nice and it's a really nice outing for a group of 12 or less. I didn't realize the Newport Harbor was as big as it is. The electric boat is easy to drive and note the map is much smaller than the actual size. Workers were helpful and we'll definitely plan a return visit!