Davey's Locker Room gave us an absolutely amazing fishing experience. We rented their premier fishing rods, reels, and tackle, for the day and everything was top-notch. We caught a bunch of different varieties of fish, and I was even competing for the top fish of the day! The boat itself was excellent, and the entire experience was smooth, fun, and memorable. The people on the boat were awesome, and the crew members went above and beyond for everyone. They were respectful, helpful, hardworking, and brought great energy the whole trip. My buddy flew in from Texas for our yearly fishing trip tradition, and this trip could not have gone better. We honestly couldn't be happier and will definitely be back. Highly recommend Davey's Locker Room for anyone looking for a great day of fishing! Thanks capt Phil! What an experience! This was the 3/4 day read more

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Another great day on the Freelance! Mike and Wyatt were always on point to help out anytime they were needed! Caught our limits for Rockfish, Salmon Grouper and Sculpin. Cap definitely knows the right spots!! read more

Captain and crew where on top of everything. Fishing was awesome, even though my son caught more fish then me.made it all worth while.

Good experience Awesome crew they helped out with everything as far as set up your rod, put our fish in our bags , giving us good information on what to use ....... Food was awesome .... Good experience guys thank you Looking foward to my next trip . read more

They advertised 300-500 feet deep sea fishing- yet they were close to the shore. More like 40-90 feet. He could've brought my own fishing pole. He rented their pole and bought their tackles and weights. On hand crew customer service was terrible and not communicative. Fish handling was not it. They did not give him nor his friend's applicable time to take picture of the fish they caught. They walked by while he was reeling the line and they yanked it off and did not reimbursed the weight or the tackle he lost. Overall they made the best out of it- although they were sprayed on while the crew were cleaning the deck. They were not asked to move like the other guys on the boat. read more

3/4 trip Overall, the trip was decent and the crew was very helpful throughout. I've been on over 15 trips with this company, including out of Redondo, Ventura, and San Diego, so I'm pretty familiar with how things usually go. On past trips, they always let you know at the end how many fish you caught and give you a clear breakdown of the fish cleaning cost before doing anything. This trip felt different in a way that didn't sit right with me. At the beginning, they only asked if I wanted fish cleaning, but never mentioned the pricing or how many fish I ended up with. Then at the very end, I was surprised with a $93 cleaning fee. That lack of transparency left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth, especially as a repeat customer. As for the fishing itself, don't expect much variety--they mainly target rockfish, scorpionfish, and whitefish, with a few random catches here and there. They're not really going after anything beyond that. Overall, everything else was fine, but the way the cleaning fee was handled could definitely be improve read more

Davey's locker had great staff and were very helpful and accommodating to the guests on board. We had a 2.5 hour tour and were able to see whales, dolphins, and sea lions. They say that whales are seen only about 10% of the time but dolphins, sea lions, and other sea life are seen regularly. Price per person is around $40 but with larger groups and coupons you can get down to $25 per person. The boat itself accommodates around 50-60 people and there are drinks and snacks on board for purchase (similar to vending machine prices). You are allowed to bring your own snacks and drinks as well. Great pictures are taken on the bottom deck as you are closer to the wildlife. Expect to get some sea spray as you are travelling around. read more

Davey's Locker - common dolphins - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We had the best time with Davey's locker!! We didn't end up seeing any whales but we saw dolphins!!! And we love dolphins! The babies were the cutest. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The boat is so beautiful with a ton of seating and inside booths PLUS a bar and snacks. We had the best time!! read more

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There are moments in life where you have to choose between fear and living--and this was one of them. I'll be honest, booking a whale watching trip with Davey's Locker felt like a risky decision for me. I have a brain aneurysm, and something as simple as getting sick and putting pressure on my brain isn't just uncomfortable--it can be deathly dangerous. But I refuse to live my life scared. Adventure still calls my name, and I came prepared.Dramamine? Check. Ginger candies? Check. Motion sickness goggles that made me look absolutely ridiculous? Double check. (Honestly, if my outfit made someone laugh, even better--whatever it takes to stay nausea-free.) Thankfully, this experience couldn't have been more perfect. The boat is a large charter, which made a huge difference--I barely felt the waves. There are restrooms on board, and even a cozy lounge area that feels like a little restaurant floating on water. It made the whole experience feel comfortable and safe, which meant everything to me.And the wildlife? Unreal. We saw dolphins, whales, and sea lions--all while snacking and soaking in the ocean views. It felt peaceful, exciting, and honestly kind of magical.Best part? I made it all the way back to shore without getting motion sickness. So apparently... cars make me nauseous, but boats don't? Good to know--I guess I'll just be traveling by sea from now on.Another adventure, another day of life, another day grateful. read more

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Wow! Where do we begin. We took a whale watching trip for Mother's Day on the catamaran boat and they provided a significant discount for our entire group of 6 people for Mother's Day. The captain took us out and found a fin whale and kept tracking for over an hour allowing everyone to get numerous photos and videos. We then saw some sunfish before she had to take us back. The staff did a tremendous job. read more

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We decided to go on a spur of the moment and purchased tickets online for the 2pm session. We saw a coupon code from the hotel we were staying at but once we started driving it was actually 20minutes from sunset beach. The check in locations are different depending on when the session is scheduled. We got our tickets and wrote our names on it and once we lined up, we were able to embark quickly. The boat was pretty big in size, it had a little cafe inside and plenty of additional seating upper deck and inside as well. Cafe sold alcoholic drinks, snacks, and candy. There's also two restrooms available. It took about 20 minutes until we reached open ocean and we got to see common dolphins and sea lions. But no whales. We ended up going back and we were ok with the experience. The boat does rock and sway once it stopped on ocean so I did feel slightly seasick. It was nice to try out! I really wished we were one of the boats that got to see the whales! read more

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My boyfriend and I did the Deep Sea Fishing 1/2 Day AM tour with Davey's Locker. We arrived at the parking lot at 5 AM, which left us ample time to go check in to get our gear and fishing licenses. Do note, that if you do need to use the bathroom, you have to wait until boat opens at 5:30. We were on the Patriot, this boat is cash only (which we didn't know about until getting there in the morning, and so we did not bring any cash), and everyone needs to purchase the $3 bag fee. There is an optional $5 that you can pay to enter the jackpot for the biggest fish. The crew rigged up our fishing poles to catch sculpin, and also demonstrated a quick fishing seminar about how to catch said fish that was super informative. We caught around 10 sculpin to take home (5 each) and 2 sand dabs. Another hidden cost we didn't know about was the $3 per fish cleaning service, which we opted in for since sculpin has poisonous spikes that we were not experienced at all with handling, and we were allowed to go to the ATM that was nearby to pay cash for our fish. We made fish tacos at home with our sculpin, and they were delicious! We would definitely come again. read more

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We just finished a whale watching tour and our tour guides Christine and Addison were amazing! We had the VIP package which allowed us to spend all our time with Christine the captain. It made this experience so much more enjoyable. We were able to see the behind the scenes. Couldn't recall his experience more! read more

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I had an amazing experience on the whale watching tour with Davey's Locker. The 2 hour trip with plenty of dolphin and sea lion sighting (sadly no whales) was somehow only around $20 on a weekend morning. Even though I felt a tad seasick, it was all very much worth it in the end. read more

Awesome experience! It was a beautiful day, perfect temperature out on the water even though it's been unseasonably hot lately. Great breeze. Got to see sooo many dolphins swimming with the boat and got some amazing video. Also got to see exactly what the tickets were bought for. WHALES! A mother, her calf, and then another adult close by. Bryce, the captain, was informative and entertaining! 10/10 experience! read more

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We went whale watching today and had the best time!! We've had the pleasure of going whale watching with Davey's Locker a handful of times now and it never gets old. I've seen whales more often than not with them. And even the times that we didn't see a whale we still saw dolphins and sea lions and even mola mola/sunfish! The trips are usually a little over two hours but the time flies by fast! Be prepared for some ocean spray if you're in the front of the boat! We absolutely LOVE Jill, the singing tour guide, as she shares her knowledge and passion of ocean life with us. My son had such a great experience last time I brought him and he was thrilled that we got to see Jill again today. She really enhanced the whole experience for all of us. Today was so much fun and we are really looking forward to returning this summer for another whale watching excursion! read more

Davey's Locker - Our guide Jill! - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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I've been on a few different boat tours through Davey's Locker and it's always a fun experience! Last night me and my fiancé went on a Holiday Lights Boat Cruise during the boat parade. It was a wonderful time, got to experience the boat parade from a whole new perspective, right in the middle of the action! We were on the Catalina Flyer which I love. We paid for the VIP so we could be on the top deck with the best 360 degree view of the whole harbor. It was a great time, I recommend them for any of your boat tour needs. read more

Davey's Locker - The Catalina Flyer all decorated for the boat parade - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Well when I booked our Whale watching trip through Newport Landing I never expected it be foggy outside today but we made the best of it. Our Crew was great on our boat !!! The Crew was very friendly and attentive and helpful, plus very knowledgeable about sea life. Which we greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Unfortunately we did not get to see any Whales today but we did see a spectacular show of Dolphins and Sea Lions Furthermore we got to see a Shark it was small they said but all I needed to hear was SHARK and it might have been Small too them but looked Big too me It was a nice trip and it was colder than we are normally use to because we normally do our whale watching trips in the month of February when there are more Grey Whales migrating in our waters traveling. Thank you too the entire staff a great group of Men! read more

Davey's Locker - The Line Starts Here - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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My coworkers and I went on the 4/23/26 overnight trip. We had a Blast! The crew were very helpful and knowledgeable. We will be going out with them again soon. Thanks to Goofy, Chris, Jarrett and the Captain on the Thunderbird, I will tell my friends to book trips with the Thunderbird in the future. read more

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Where to begin! Thank you so much to the crew for allowing my son and girl friend jump aboard late!! Ella and Tina were fantastic, customer service was outstanding, I can't recommend the whale watching tour enough , if you are looking for a fun family outing with the kids, get out and do it! The boat was spacious, galley well maintained, again Ella and Tina were great, even got to meet Ella's family!! Great way to spend Mother's Day!!! Keep up the good work read more

We went on the Catallac which is smaller and faster than some of the other ferries. We only had 11 people on our cruise and it was nice. The boat has a great viewing area in front but we were warned we would get wet on the way back so we went inside. We saw two gray whales and tons of playful dolphins. The crew was informative and made a point of going around so we saw the whales twice. Highly recommend this on a sunny afternoon! read more

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We got to ride on the 12:30 excursion and Hunter was our boat captain for the day. We saw a humpback whale that actually breached, 2 gray whales swimming up the coast, and more dolphins than you could actually count. He was super knowledgeable about the different animal species and different fun facts like about the migration of the gray whales. The tour was fun and exciting can't wait to go again. I wish Yelp would let you leave a video review . read more

Davey's Locker - Sealions - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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"The trip was terrible. We stayed way too close to shore. 25-90 feet deep into the water. Was told that we would be going about 300 ft water deep. The crew member suck, not much of a help at all One of them had pull my line down and the fish gotten away because he THOUGHT I was stuck instead of asking or even trying to help. The crew just didn't seem interested in working at all. If she would have done a bit more research, I would've told her to have not wasted money on this trip. Save your money and time going to this location. Was inform that the San Diego is much better and that their crew are more helpful too." This was all the information I was getting from my boyfriend and his friends. It was his birthday trip. Only received a 3 star because they made their trip fun for themselves and the experience was alright. read more

A friend got us tickets to the holiday boat parade in Newport Beach, and it ended up being such a memorable experience! I initially thought we'd be on a smaller fishing boat, but we were actually on one of the biggest boats on Balboa Island, which was a fun surprise. The crew from Davey's Locker was fantastic, and our captain made the ride even more enjoyable. I had seen the parade from the island before, but experiencing it from the water was a whole new perspective. Every boat was incredibly festive--there was even a "Wicked" themed boat that was a highlight! The weather couldn't have been better, making it a perfect evening on the water. One of my favorite parts? The drone footage! It captured the parade beautifully and added an extra layer of excitement to the whole experience. Overall, it was a fun, festive, and unforgettable way to celebrate the holidays. Highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance! read more

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Took some kids twilight fishing for sand bass. The crew on the trip was helpful and was able to help the kids with their catches. The boys had a good time hanging out staying up late and catching fish. One tip for twilight fishing, the parking lot nearby is available after 6pm and so you won't have to drive around the neighborhood looking for parking. read more

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Whale whale whale... had a great time at Davey's Locker for both their Whale Watching Tour & Sunset Cruise! Parking: Park either in the medium sized lot adjacent to the Balboa Village (free after 6 PM) or across the street at the beach parking ($4.10/hour during peak season). Check-In & Boarding: Super easy - check in at the desk, fill out a quick name card, then line up right outside to board. Arrive 20-30 minutes early to find parking & check in. In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you're in front or back of line. Once you're aboard, you can move around to see different views. Whale Watching Tour: At check-in, you get option to get some binoculars for $5. In my opinion you don't really need them... though they are fun for kids! Whale sightings are hit or miss... but your chances to see dolphins are almost guaranteed!!! We saw sooo many pods! We saw one whale breach and tried to follow it, but sadly it never came back up. Supposedly they need to breach every 15 minutes or so. Also another adorable guarantee - the sun bathing sea lions on the buoy :) They log their sightings and type of whale of the season on a board outside their store and you can see the ratio - whale sightings that week were like 1-3 per day and dolphins are hundreds to over a thousand! Sunset Evening Cruise: Same boat, different vibe coasting in the harbor area, so no rocky waves. I would dub this the "Fish Watching tour"... oddly... we kept seeing fish leap out of the water! Love this chill vibe cruise for different pace and scenery after a loooong workday :) The boat first drove out to the rocks before the big blue ocean to wait for sunset to set more. Heading back after the big orange sun dropped was GORGEOUS! Pink/orange skies against silhouette palm trees and Newport luxury homes. So relaxing. My fave spot? Bottom deck for a 180 view... perfect for sipping a drink, chatting, or just peacefully self reflecting on the day. Tips: -Grab deals from Groupon, especially with drink tickets! -Grab one of the discount cards on the way out for future whale watching trips. -Feeling seasick? Stay on top deck with some fresh air. read more

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I have experienced whale watching through Davey's several times over the last few years. Whether we see whales or not, the crew always makes it a fun experience either way. The process from purchasing tickets, checking in, and on boards is smooth. Not sure how to identify the boats but we have been on 2 different boats that were all clean and inviting. A few suggestions for 1st timers: Layer up! It can get cold when you are further away from the land, arrive early so you can secure parking & allow yourself time to check in, and don't rely on just the crew to spot activity, there is no way they can catch everything, you need to participate! read more

1/2 Day Fishing Trip Total cost for the day was $166 before extra tackle: One-day fishing license: $22 Pole rental: $22 Chef/check-in and cloth fish sack: $8 Boarding ticket: $72 Parking: $42 Extra 12 oz weights: $7 each The return on that investment was two small fish. Overall, the trip was disappointing. The boat was overcrowded, and lines kept getting tangled because there were too many people fishing in a tight space. I lost weights and hooks because of the constant tangles and had to buy more gear. The boat also spent too much time sitting in dead spots where nobody seemed to be catching fish. What bothered me most was the inconsistency with the fish limit. The skipper told people the rockfish limit was two per person, but I saw people with way more than that. Even the cook appeared to have around six fish himself. For the money spent, the experience did not feel organized, fair, or worth it. I would not consider this a good value. read more

On May 3, 2026, I took my family of six to Catalina Island. Right as we were about to board the ferry, I was told I had to buy two separate tickets for my babies -- a 2-month-old and a 2-year-old. What made it frustrating was that after purchasing our tickets online, the website never clearly specified age requirements for babies or made it obvious that separate tickets would be required for them. I was told it was mandatory because seats had to be purchased, but neither child used a seat. They sat on our laps for the entire one-hour boat ride. For families traveling with small children, make sure you double-check before arriving. We ended up paying an extra $80 round trip at boarding, and that was a frustrating surprise. read more

We had such a great time with Newport Landing Whale Watching! From the moment we arrived, everything was well-organized and smooth. The crew was incredibly friendly, professional, and helpful throughout the trip. You can really tell they care about both the guests and the marine life. The boat itself was clean and comfortable, with a great selection of snacks and drinks available on board. I felt completely safe the entire time, which made the experience even more enjoyable. What really made it special was having a naturalist on board. They shared so much interesting information about the ocean and the animals we were seeing--it added so much depth to the experience! Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking for a safe, educational, and fun day out on the water. We'll definitely coming back, we saw lots of Dolphins!!!! Bring Cash read more

Me and my brother went out yesterday on the 3/4 day aboard the Freelance to do some rock fishing. The weather was great, water was calm. The boat was clean and comfortable. Breakfast Burritos were delicious. The captain and crew were friendly and super helpful. The crew made sure everyone was catching fish and using the best setup to get bit. It was a really fun relaxing day, lots of good taco meat was caught and to make it better my bro won the Jackpot. I would definitely go again and highly recommend the boat and crew, also, I would recommend not getting stung by the Sculpin. read more

I came here for a company event celebration. First of all, do yourself a favor and don't valet at Davey's Locker. They will rip you off and charge you $100 to park for like 3 hours!!! I know parking it a pain in that area, but I rather park anywhere than to park for $100. So be prepared to come earlier so you don't miss your boat. It's worst than paying for parking at Sofi Stadium. The boat leaves from Balboa Island. So it's a nice scenic boat ride leaving the shore. Our boat probably at about 100 people on board. You can hang out inside or at the upper deck. You are allowed to bring food and drinks. They also do serve snacks with purchases. I was really looking forward in seeing some whales since this will be y first time. But what was disappointing was that it was suppose to be for "whale watching", but we actually saw a lot of dolphins than any whales at all. It would have been bad if we saw nothing at all. Our boat ride was about 2 hours and so it wasn't too bad of a ride. I recommend bringing some seasickness pills in case you get sick on the boat. read more

Fin whales mom and baby and many dolphins , captain and crew were very helpful, woman on the microphone was very funny , talented at singing and wise on whales thank u all read more

Davey's Locker - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Stopped by on Monday, 05/12/25 for the first time. Went with my boyfriend. We purchased the 2:30pm tickets: - 2 tickets ($27.50 each) = $55 PROCESSING FEE = $2.20 TOTAL = $57.20 We purchased the tickets from the UCLA website which gave us discounts. We also realized that the ticket prices very depending on the time of day (more expensive in the early morning and late noon time). 2 hour boat ride and we saw a bunch of dolphins as well as the minkie whale! We got lucky as it is very difficult to spot a whale. We also ordered some drinks inside the boat and enjoyed our time relaxing, enjoying nature, and taking pictures. Overall 5/5!!!!! read more

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I chose Davey's Locker to celebrate my dad's birthday with a 1/2 day fishing trip. Worst decision ever. For the price point, I expected an amazing experience, but it was everything but amazing. The crew is so rude and condescending. They act like you should know everything about fishing. I enjoy making my own lures, but I'm still somewhat beginner, so I was taking my time. After a while one of the crew members made a snarky remark telling me "you've been doing that for a while." I did not appreciate the comment. Also, the price does not include you being able to keep the fish you catch. They require you to get a number for a bag if you want to keep the fish, and pay later. I decided to not get a number. Once I finally caught a fish, the crew member "helped" me get the fish, and asked me what my number was. I told him I didn't have one and he just said in an annoyed tone "Well you don't get to keep it." And immediately left with my fish, I didn't even get to look at it or take a picture. We had to chase him down to get a picture. Last, they overbooked the boat. One, they would tell us to "spread out," but it was so overbooked we literally couldn't. We couldn't even fish properly without getting tangled with at least two other people. It also didn't help that they kept the boat on and constantly moving, which made us get even more tangled. On top of that, they would move locations like every 10-15 minutes, and require you to reel your line it before they move. I spent more time reeling my line in that actually fishing. I will never be returning to Davey's Locker again, my money is better spent literally anywhere else. read more

What a fantastic experience whale watching! We saw whales and dolphins, and the dolphins were so close you could almost touch them. They were even doing tricks for us! We did the 5 PM trip and I highly recommend that one -- we got an amazing sunset along with a ton of action. The crew was great, and the captain really knew what she was doing. Overall, an absolutely amazing experience -- highly recommend! Parking is free after 6 pm but you have to pay for it until 6 just a heads up and we found a spot on a busy day very fast read more

Davey's Locker - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Had a great experience! The captain and crew were amazing! We caught a bunch of fish, and had a great time!

We have been on several of their tours and each time learn more about the life and eco systems of the oceans and see amazing natural wildlife! I always get great pictures and videos and our grandkids loves to go out with us. read more

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Just came here for the opening day of their holiday lights boat cruise. We brought the whole family for a early night ride on the ocean. Do not drive all the way into the pier area. Park on the main road of Balboa. There is lots of free parking on the sides of the road. If you park near the center divider you can purchase parking online only. The best way to get there is heading down main street and making a left on the walk way near the ocean. Ticket pick up is easy and quick. There is also a quaint little gift shop to get memorables after the fact. The departure is timely and begins boarding 10 min before take off, so don't be late. It was such a nice peaceful hour plus of smooth sailing, family conversation, and a beautiful display of lights. They have drinks and snacks for purchase on the boat, however, you are allowed to bring your own food and items aboard as well. Our thermos of hot chocolate hit the spot with the light chill in the air. Highly recommend dressing appropriately as you are on the water and will need warmth, although there is a cozy cabin you can hang in. It's only really cold towards the sides of the boat. Very much worth the experience, such peace we had. Only wish it was longer. read more

It's the @light_skin_dragon coming to you live and direct from 2 to 3 weeks ago. Took my family for their first time whale watching! I enjoyed it because at the last minute before we left back a huge whale came right under the boat. And it was an amazing view and day. Well spent with my loves. There was street parking and garage parking as well. And it was right next to the beach so after we went straight to the beach after. Now it's time for the light_skin_dragon to find another hot pick to review next read more

Davey's Locker - Fishing Near Me - Newport Beach, California