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.

Absolutely amazing on how they upgraded all the surrounding areas…read more Lots of new parking with a new multilevel parking structure and new bathrooms and showers for the boaters that have a permit for boat parking to launch their Crafts from Dana Point harbor. Automatically given 4 hours of free parking with quick access to any of the numerous restaurants and gift shops right on the water. This is the spot if you want to go offshore fishing on a charter or whale watching which I did on a couple hour tour it was outstanding. Not to mention all the whales dolphins and other mammals that were seen offshore. Tuesdays they still do half off. If you have not been give it a try it's so much better now with the easy access and plenty of free 4 hour parking. Don't overlook the stunning safe day beaches without the big Surf issues

We went on a family trip together for this Independence Day weekend. My dad suffered a stroke in…read moremid-December last year, and luckily he has recovered quite a bit since then. However, since he still can't travel too far, we decided to visit somewhere close by. So, we booked a hotel in Dana Point and had a wonderful two-night trip. On Saturday, July 4th, we all booked tickets for a whale/dolphin-watching cruise. When I booked the tickets, I asked how long the tour would be, and they said it would be two hours. The ticket prices were $78 for adults and $68 for seniors. At first, my brother accidentally bought all five tickets at the adult rate when three of them should have been seniors. I noticed this on the receipt, so I managed to get a refund for the price difference for the three senior tickets. We bought five tickets for the 12:00 PM cruise and were told to wait at Dock 6 starting from 11:45 AM, but the boat arrived a bit late. Once we got on board, the wind was blowing incredibly hard, and the waves were quite high, causing the boat to rock violently. After boarding, a friendly female crew member gave us a briefing at the front. She kindly advised everyone on board not to run, and said that if anyone felt seasick, it would be better to stay towards the back of the boat rather than the front. She also mentioned that if the motion sickness got too bad, they could provide peppermint or ginger candies, and added that there was a bar and snack counter inside the boat. Come to think of it, I once went sailing on a yacht with my friends a long time ago. For the first 30 minutes, I was clapping, taking photos, and having a great time, but then I got so severely seasick that I had a truly miserable time (the same thing happened to me on a cruise trip before). Still, when I rode a boat at Lake Arrowhead last year, I didn't experience any seasickness at all, so I thought I would be fine this time too--though looking back, that was probably because the lake was so calm. But during this cruise on July 4th, I ended up getting so incredibly seasick that I felt like I was dying. About 10 minutes before we docked, the seasickness got so severe that I even started dry-heaving, and it was just awful. I was dizzy, and my stomach kept churning. Even so, it was really wonderful to see so many dolphins during the cruise, and the crew members were all so kind. When I was struggling with severe seasickness, my brother went to inform the crew. A crew member came over and asked if I wanted a peppermint, ginger, or ginger ale candy. I asked for a peppermint candy, and they handed it to me, saying it was free. When I asked, "Does it work?" she assured me it would. I sucked on the candy while sitting at the back of the boat and fell asleep, but later on, the seasickness became so overwhelmingly intense that I ended up throwing up everything and had a horrible time. Anyone who gets easily seasick should definitely take this into consideration before going on a cruise. Still, seeing so many dolphins was a huge highlight.

Love, love this area of Dana Point. This has been my families spot to learn about the ocean and to…read moreenjoy sea life. We have always come to the Marine protected area when the tide is low and walked along the beach and sand outside the Institute to see all sorts of sea life. It is amazing what you can see, even saw an octopus one time. Just make sure that you know when the tide is rolling in and out to not get caught out on the rocks! On the backside of the Institute there are also benches to sit at and listen to the ocean. The Institute itself is filled with wonderful sea life and is a great learning experience no matter your age. Outside, there is a calm bay area where paddle boarders are all over as well as the educational ships filled with history. There is nothing that you cannot do in this area!

We came to the Ocean Institute for a homeschool field trip and was it ever worth it for waking up…read moreat 6am! The initial lesson part was split into groups and we were assigned to Sydney. She was absolutely delightful! Very knowledgeable and receptive to the questions the kids have! After the lesson, we headed out to the open sea. To our delight we got to see dolphins, sea lions, and even spotter a whale! Overall it was a great experience and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a lesson on ocean mammals!

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

I have cuzzin's here from New Mexico who really wanted to see the whales and dolphins. So I got us…read moretix with Capt. Dave's. We traveled out to sea for awhile and I was really getting discouraged 'cause there was no action, when all of a sudden the oceans God's arrived and we were sitting amongst 1000s of dolphin. They were flying in the air, spinning, breaching abreast 4 at a time. Almost like they knew they were there to entertain our boat. It lasted for long time too. Then as we started to return to the harbor, we spotted the biggest sunfish ever. About 1000 lbs, who just laid right next to the boat the entire time. Never left us. We got back to the harbor a little late because we were all so entertained. The crew was so kind and accommodating and we even got a brownie as we all disembarked. I live very nearby, and I have to admit that hearing all the tourist getting excited with their "oohs, ahh, sqeeels and laughter" was heartwarming for me. The way the world should be. I only remember Capt. Matt's name but wish I remember the rest of the deck members. Truly a Blessed afternoon. Will return soon.

This was an AMAZING experience. I wasn't expecting to see anything, and then there were dolphins…read more Once we got farther out. We saw a few blue always. Amazing! First time for me and my sister. We also saw a Fin whale briefly. All in all, the event was spectacular. I highly recommend it. The Captain and the crew were super and helpful with answering questions. I will be going back when I visit my sister in SoCal! Woot!

3rd year in a row with Chris and he never disappoints. Last year was the best trip to date, landing…read morea monster bluefin. This year was even better with 6 yellowtail and an epic day of fishing with the family. If you want a captain that knows how to fish and is focused on giving you the best experience possible Chris is your guy.

Captain Chris provides a safe and fun experience - I've done 2 all-day trips with him in the last…read moreyear and both were epic! Great time, great dude, and great fishing! Can't recommend highly enough!

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.

Big mahalos to Captain Noah & Patrick for making sure we never came home empty handed. Even though…read moreour backup plan was stopping at the fish market...just wouldn't be the same, right?! Fishermen, you may decide to go budget and save a few bucks by sailing with a large charter of 30-40 people. But then, after paying for boat entry and fees for rod/reel, bait, tackle, etc., not to mention the frustration of crossing lines and catching zero fish, will you really save?! And you absolutely cannot beat the 47' Jersey Luxury "Tartar Sauce! It has all the creature comforts every rugged fisherman deserves! 100% recommend RockenReel Sports Fishing for the memories, and the fish!! Da Hawaiian Crew, Papa Ray, Ale, Koa, Juan & JT

I got to know Capt. Steve last year when I bought my first boat . I had no clue what the heck I was…read moredoing until meeting Steve . Within a short time he train me well enough to operate the boat. It's been a pleasure and honor knowing Cat. Steve. He is a very knowledgeable, patient and more importantly fun guy. If you're in Dana Point and like to have a fun day on the water, look him up.

1 star -- the owner's response to a customer's concern was worse than the rental itself. Wish 0 was…read morepossible and want to warn anyone interested in enjoying their night to avoid this establishment. Sorry for the lengthy review, but there are so many varied reasons to avoid this business. I rarely leave reviews like this, but the way this company handled themselves was so unprofessional that I feel other customers should know. This rental was for my birthday. The experience itself had several issues, including difficulty locating the dock, a malfunctioning Bluetooth system, confusing parking information, and an overall lack of professionalism before departure. The bigger problem started afterward. We were accused of returning late and leaving the boat excessively dirty. We were one minute late, and threw our trash away and checked the boat before we left to make sure there was no mess. I repeatedly asked for photo evidence of the alleged mess. None was provided. The description then escalated from a cleaning issue to claims that we had "thrashed" the boat. The timing allegations also kept changing. We understood the return time to be 7:30 PM. Their own attendant later stated he called us at 7:31 PM, but management subsequently characterized us as about 15 minutes late and charged me 55$ for being 1 minute late. Throughout the exchange, I repeatedly asked that everything remain in writing. I was frustrated, so I actually used ChatGPT to help me keep every response professional, factual, and measured rather than responding emotionally. That effort was clearly not reciprocated. The owner's messages eventually included: "Your out of your mind if you think that's going to happen." When I asked to not be charged a late arrival fee for being 1 minute late. and "Next time go to Newport that's where your kind need to rent Duffy boats." I still do not know what "your kind" was intended to mean, but there is simply no professional context in which a business owner should speak to a customer that way. I was also told that if I posted what they considered a "false review," they would make sure it did not get posted and would make sure my card was charged for the disputed overtime. That was especially concerning. What is most disappointing is that I was not initially trying to attack this business. I asked for evidence, corrected disputed facts, requested written communication, and tried repeatedly to resolve the issue professionally. We could easily have become repeat customers. Instead, the situation escalated into unsupported accusations, threats of additional charges, refusal to provide requested evidence, and increasingly hostile messages from the owner. The lesson here is simple: problems happen. Good businesses resolve them professionally. This one did not. I would strongly recommend choosing another Duffy or electric-boat rental company, especially for a birthday or family event where you want the experience to remain enjoyable. And respectfully, the owner might benefit from using ChatGPT himself before sending messages like "you're out of your mind" and "your kind."

The Duffy we rented was top notch, boat was clean, had a fridge to keep our food cold. The entire…read moreexperience was perfect.

Amazing experience. Tons of fish. Nice boat. Super good guys. Know their stuff. Highly recommended.read more

Capt Anton Faicchio and deck mate Cole turned our fishing trip into a huge success, returning to…read moreDana Point Harbor with 5 trophy sized Yellowtails, 4 Bonitos, and 4 Bass fish. Anton and Cole were professional, very knowledgeable, experienced fisherman, and were happy to share their insights with us. We will return in June 2027 and look forward to fishing with them again. We remain fully satisfied with Pacific Mistress, as they became our Go To fishing charter operator. Thank you so much, Anton and Cole!