I've gone whale watching with Oceanside Adventures more than a handful of times and every single time has been fantastic. We've seen countless dolphins, whales & sunfish. The crew has always been super sweet and knowledgeable. Only once did we go on a tour without seeing any dolphins/whales and we were able to come back another for free as a result. read more

I went on the tour with my family and we all loved it! I highly recommend! It's amazing to see the huge pods of dolphins and other sea life. The kids and myself also enjoyed the little educational segment presented by staff as the boat took off from the harbor. Awesome staff, awesome activity, & they have drinks and snacks available for a minimal fee! On another note, I'm that person that get dizzy on swings and trampolines and gets car sick easily. I took my non-drowsy Dramamine before we headed out and I was 100% fine. Some other people onboard audibly were not... The waves definitely move the boat up and down the entire time (but not aggressively). read more

Oceanside Adventures - Front of boat, seating and viewing area - Boat Charters Near Me - Oceanside, California

This is my third time going on Oceanside adventures over the course of twelve years or so, and I just love it. I have yet to see a whale, but I've never not seen hundreds of dolphins- and the tour guides are so lively, knowledgeable, and fun. The banter and jokes don't feel canned; they are all genuine human beings that just enjoy being around other human beings. We giggled the whole time. They're also supreme customer servants. My daughter was cuddled up shivering at one point and one worker hurried to bring her a jacket. My nine year old son kept up a steady stream of questions and another worker never tired of answering them. Hugely impressive and applause worthy. And the dolphins, of course, get a standing ovation! There's nothing quite as magical as hundreds of dolphins jumping along mere feet below, joyfully catching the wake. read more

Oceanside Adventures is the premier dolphin and whale watching outfit in Southern Cal. How lucky that they are located in our beautiful Oceanside Harbor. The staff is friendly, professional and very knowledgeable about whales and dolphins, and make the trip very interesting, fun and educational. I have done this 2-hour boat trip three times and still am thrilled to see of all the wonderful creatures that live off our beautiful coastline. The largest population of Common Dolphins in the world are just a few miles out. read more

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Amazing afternoon with Captain Chris and deckhand Tikhon watching a young humpback whale in glassy seas. The captain even stopped and turned the boat so everyone could watch the epic winter sunset. Boat was clean, crew friendly and they even have drinks and snacks for sale. read more

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Chris, TConn and Samson were amazing! Always patient with our never ending questions. We were treated very well! We saw super pods of dolphins on 2 of our 3 trips! We will be back! read more

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The crew is always super friendly and knowledgeable and if there is wildlife to be found they are going to deliver! We go year after year to enjoy the ride and beautiful Oceanside weather. This year 2024 we were surrounded by 800+ dolphins! Thanks for the amazing day for me and my girls! read more

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Took our family of 5 (out for whale watching this morning and we all had a blast. We saw 1 mink wale, 2 fin whales and lots of dolphins. Captain and Crew (Saxson) were very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

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Took my first local whale watching tour a year ago. We took my 1 year old at the time but unfortunately, she fell asleep and missed all the dolphins! I wanted her to experience some sea life in their natural habitat so I vowed to come back. Unfortunately, while this time she was awake, we didn't see anything but birds in the sky and a few sea lions. It was a bummer, but the view was scenic and it was a nice day out. To my happy surprise they gave us return tickets to come back since there was nothing to see this time around. Looking forward to my next trip! Bring a jacket, snacks, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. You must arrive 30 minutes early to check in. It's best to arrive early and stand in line for the boat as it's first come, first served in terms of seating. You can also get coffee from the coffee shop a few steps away. Bathroom on board along with snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Bring cash for snacks/drinks and tips for the crew who took you out! read more

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I had such a great time with Oceanside Adventures, so much so I went back a second time! Sadly the first time we didn't see whales but it wasn't really the season. We saw sooooo many dolphins though. The crew was also fabulous! read more

This was a beautiful experience. The ship was clean, safe and very comfortable, the staff were great and it was a wonderful experience to be in the middle of hundreds of dolphin and gorgeous seabirds. Mother Nature is unpredictable and we did not see a whale on this trip. However, the gorgeous ocean, fresh ocean air, the frolicking dolphin and other creatures we saw all made for a memorable day. One of the things that I liked best about this excursion, which departed from Oceanside at 5:00 pm, was that there was no music playing or anything else to distract from the joys of nature and the participants on the excursion enjoying their time with each other. read more

Had an incredible adventure with nephews and my brother September 2021. Didn't see whales but we experienced a once in a lifetime SUPER POD OF DOPHINS!! Could have been a seasonal migration of the dolphins. There were also hundreds of sea lions everywhere especially piled on the bouys. We will be going out with Oceanside Adventures this Friday afternoon. Can't wait to breathe the salt air and see the marine life. read more

My first whale watching tour and we saw a blue whale!! The largest animal on earth! What a treat and apparently not a common siting when whale watching around here. Even the boat captain seemed pretty excited. We also saw a giant sunfish...I've never seen one before and was amazed by its unique appearance. Also got to observe a very large pod of common dolphins...striking color, graceful and fast. So it was a very successful tour and I would recommend everyone go at least once in their lifetime. The guide/captain was very informative and the ticketing/ boarding process was a breeze. The boat felt safe/secure/stable, minimal rocking but it was a pretty calm sea...even glassy at times. There is a bathroom on board as well as a small snack bar (I didn't use either). You are free to walk/sit/stand anywhere, there is some shelter from the wind inside behind clear vinyl sheeting. I was up front the entire time and the wind was not bad at all. Definitely dress in layers, secure your hat, wear shoes with traction. Other things to pack...sunscreen/water/chapstick/sunglasses/binoculars/camera. read more

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We had such an amazing time! The captain and crew were super knowledgeable and friendly. We saw SO many dolphins! If you are ever in Oceanside, this is a must! read more

A last minute decision while waiting for family to arrive and What an amazing experience!! We saw many many dolphins and a few seals. The guides on the boat (Chris, Saxon, and TCon) were absolutely awesome. They were so patient, explained everything, and seemed to be just as in awe as the passengers. I would absolutely recommend! read more

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We had a great time on the whale and dolphin cruise! We saw dolphins, blue whales, a humpback whale, a mako shark, and a bunch of sea lions. But even if we didn't see that much it would have still been a great time. Chris and Saxon were very knowledgeable and told us where to look but also taught us about the animals. They answered all of our questions and were a blast! Drinks and snacks were available on board (cash only) which we also enjoyed. The instructions in the conformation email were perfect. We followed them and had no issues with parking and checking in. Would recommend this tour to anyone. We are already planning on going back and bringing more friends. read more

Best whale watching trip I've ever experienced. Saw 10 whales! Chris and T were awesome!

Me, my husband and our 23 year old son went on Oceanside Adventures this past Tuesday (January 18, 2022). It was a few days after the tsunami advisory. Luckily for all of us, there was only about 10 other people on boat. Captain Chris was enjoyable, informative and not only was he so knowledgeable about finding whales and keeping the distance so not to chase them away, but we followed one grey whale for almost an hour. The whale would dive deep for about 5 or 6 minutes and then resurface with 3 or 4 shallow dives and then showing off it's tail before deep diving again. The other 2 bottom members were friendly, helpful, funny and informative also. We have been whale watching many times before and besides Hawaii, this was the best experience we have had. Thanks so much Captain Chris and rest of crew and staff at Oceanside Adventures. Definitely telling all our friends. read more

Oceanside Adventures - Happy seals right next to boat. My hubby has whale pictures and has not sent to me yet. Will post when I get them. - Boat Charters Near Me - Oceanside, California

Saw at least 5 whales and a dolphin, wasn't that expensive and wasn't overly crowded. Definitely worth the trip. Also booked on the website, easy read more

So much fun! This was such a fun experience for what I'd consider to be a really reasonable price! First the staff on this boat were so amazing and friendly. From chatting with the passengers to doing what they can to locate some animals for us to see, they were amazing. They made it a fun experience making everyone laugh and give us knowledge on the local wildlife from aquatic creatures to the birds you see in the harbor. While we didn't see a ton of animals, they can't control that and did everything in their power to make it happen. We saw two types of dolphins and some sea lions and it was just a fun time. Boat is also very comfortable. Has seating around all the edges but you can also stand whenever you want! Just gets a bit rocky. Also wear shoes you don't mind getting wet cause sometimes the waves come up. Overall amazing experience, I'll definitely do it again and I'll definitely go out with them again! read more

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All of the staff was friendly and knowledgeable! We had an amazing time on our tour and will definitely be booking again! read more

Oceanside Adventures - Dolphins! - Boat Charters Near Me - Oceanside, California

We had a great time on our 2 hr cruise! We didn't see any whales, but that's ok. We had a magical dolphin show!! The water was perfect, the weather was perfect, the salt air was perfect, and our crew was wonderful and knowledgeable, and educational, and funny! We will definitely do this again!! read more

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This is our go to place whenever we have guests from out of town come to visit. The crew is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly; the captain keeps you informed of what is ahead. On our many trips out, we have seen dolphins, sea lions, and humpback whales. Even on the trips where no whale is seen, you can be assured of dolphin sightings and not just one hundreds. It's an easy check-in and both vessels are comfortable and well equipped. Remember to bring a jacket...it can get cool at sea and enough cash for any snacks or drinks you want. And please don't forget to tip. These folks work hard to make it a pleasant 2 hours! So don't be cheap! read more

Trip went swimmingly--tickets easy to buy online, boarding was organized--OA doesn't overcrowd the boat. We enjoyed Nala, their new catamaran--while we didn't see whales, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins loved racing the boat, and swimming in the open center of the craft. It was a joy to see these super fast, intelligent creatures close up. There were several young calves with the bottlenose, and the antics of the common dolphins were wonderful. Swimming upside down, and jumping into the air.... Crew were great, and overall experience excellent. read more

So worth the price. Nala was a treat to go on. Though we didn't see whales we saw and were surrounded by a superpod of dolphins which was amazing! About 800 of them by the Captain's estimate. Really friendly staff on board, clean boat, nice ride! Get there extra early for parking.​ read more

Oceanside Adventures - Boat Charters Near Me - Oceanside, California

Easy to book, well organized with a knowledgeable captain and crew. I learnt a lot about the gray whale that we saw! I'll definitely go out again before I leave Oceanside. Highly recommended, great value for money. read more

This was my second trip with Oceanside Adventures and I plan to keep going! The staff is great - thanks to Chris, Texan and Ivy for an unforgettable whale-watching experience! read more

Oceanside Adventures - The two blue whales that swam around our boat! - Boat Charters Near Me - Oceanside, California

Took myself on a whale watching cruise for my birthday. Everyone was so nice and informative. We didn't end up seeing any whales or dolphins but it was still a wonderful time on the water. We were all given a ticket to come back since we didn't see anything. Fantastic customer service. Will definitely be back many times. read more

Nice excursion while spending the week in Oceanside. The boat captain and guide were super friendly and knowledgeable. The boat was nice and provided a great view no matter where you were on board. We saw sea lions and dolphins. We saw no whales but it's nature, you can't control it. Great experience! read more

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We saw lots of whales and dolphins. So fun. Beautiful boat too. Knowledgeable staff.

Great day seen a whale and dolphins! Recommend wearing a jacket! It's a bit cold if sun isn't out. Great tour guys read more

We lucked out and ended up on a morning whale watching tour with only 6 other guests on the boat, so it was very quiet and peaceful, and the boat is comfortable. Everyone was friendly and informative, and it was nice talking to them while we spent some time on the ocean and watched a pod of common dolphins. We'll definitely do this again! read more

I had a friend visiting from Kentucky. We did the 2 hr whale watching and loved it. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable. We saw a finback whale and many pods of dolphin. I will be back. I may begin coming once a month. read more

Great Experience. Will try again later with family at different season. This time saw only whales, need to see dolphins read more

First the good: Clean boat Saw a few dolphins Saw one sun fish Then the bad: Two hours on the water and only saw a few dolphins during the first thirty minutes. The rest of the time motoring around. NO WHALES (check their log of sightings at the office before you book) The guide was the guy behind the wheel who you could hardly hear over the PA and was giving you the bare minimum. Wake up!! The only staff visible was the girl at the snack bar selling beer at 8 bucks a bottle and a guy holding a tip box as you got off at the end of the trip. Five of us each paid $64 for little more than a boat ride. I found it to be an over priced tourist trap. Pass this one up. read more

Really great crew that made our cruise adventure lots of fun! Highly recommend! We would do it again for sure!

Went on this tour in hopes of seeing a whale. Although I know that can't be promised I was still disappointed we didn't get to find one. We did see several dolphins and were able to get some good photos of them. The water the day we went was very chopping and it did give some people sea sickness so just be careful of that. The guides on the tour were very knowledgeable and were friendly read more

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The emails they sent before the event were great. We arrived early and ready to go to just wait a bit longer to get on board. The boat was full of people ready for dolphins and whales. The boat was super clean and well set up. We had some issues getting the bathroom door to work but we figured it out. My son got sick and the assistants were great at helping. read more

My family and I went whale watching today with Oceanside Adventures. Chris and Saxon were awesome. Very knowledgeable and friendly. We saw 5 humpback whales and a ton of dolphins. It was a fun, relaxing experience! read more

This was such a fun cruise and so glad we finally decided to go after living here for 4 years. The crew did not stop until we found something to see, and we were not disappointed when we came across a mega pod of dolphins! One of the most amazing things I've ever seen! Would highly recommend this tour. My teenagers even put their phones down to watch! read more