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!

August 10 sailing day. Weather was great, wind pretty calm, but made for a very relaxing day…read more Captain Bryan is an excellent people person and a very patient, calm teacher! Would absolutely recommend him and hope someday to sail with him again!

We had the best time sailing with Captain Bryan. He explains everything prior to setting sail; all…read morenecessary information due to any sort of emergency. We sailed on a beautiful and clean 35ft sailboat with all the necessary amenities. The winds were perfect and the water was quite choppy but the boat sailed smoothly and we learned so much. We were 6 adults on the boat and we all can't wait to do it again.

Dana Point Harbor is always my favorite Paddle Boarding spot. I've been coming here for years…read more Peaceful, quiet and just straight up zen. Easy on and off of the board. Right at baby beach, in case you fall off returning the board (like me) you can just walk straight to shore

Review is for their sailing camp!…read more This was our second year attending Westwind Sailing, and once again, it exceeded our expectations! My boys absolutely love this camp -- the sailing, the teamwork, the fun -- it's all top notch. This year, we ran into an unexpected situation where one of my sons wasn't able to attend, even though we had signed up well in advance. Based on the camp's policy, Westwind could have easily told us there was nothing they could do -- but they did the opposite. They were quick to respond, incredibly understanding, and went out of their way to accommodate us. In a world where customer service can be hit-or-miss, their compassion and professionalism really stood out. Another lovely moment: during the "practice capsizing" day, my elderly parents came to watch. Without us asking, the amazing staff brought out chairs for them so they could sit and enjoy the event comfortably. That kind of thoughtfulness is rare and speaks volumes about the team behind this camp. We're so grateful for everything Westwind Sailing offers -- from the wonderful instruction to the truly kind and caring staff. Highly recommend this camp to anyone considering it!

One of my favorite places to stroll. They are revitalizing dining and shopping here but I'm…read morereviewing just strolls on the harbor. I recommend this to everyone. Walk along the harbor, look at the boats, and spot birds and sea lions. You'll see them lounging on the dock or boats and hear them barking every night. Be sure to walk down to the bridge and cross over. There are nice, grass areas with benches, picnic tables, etc. It's a beautiful view. Enjoy the beauty! There is a ton of free parking, clean public bathrooms, and the beautiful coastline. Then add in the dining, shopping, whale watching tours, paddle boarding, canoeing, sailing, and wading at Baby Beach.... This is a wonderful place to visit.

This is such a beautiful Harbor when are they ever going to get rid of the horrible old restaurants…read moreand rebuild this place already. There's tons of money floating away. Why is the Harbor project taking so long? So much money is being wasted.

They delivered! A private excursion with music of your choosing, complimentary Hors d'oeuvre,…read morechampagne, roses and an onboard photographer to capture all of your special moments. J.D.

Last month for my mom's 80th birthday we tried to come up with a fun adventure to celebrate with…read moreher. She said that rather than a limo to dinner, she would prefer to go out and see some dolphins! My sisters were skeptical about how she would do out on a boat, but Captain Jori was amazing. Tucked in the front seat, wrapped in a blanket, we set out! Not only did we see hundreds of dolphins, spiraling and jumping, we also got to see two whales up close and personal. For Jori, this is so much more than a business! She made each of us on the boat feel so connected to this incredible experience and carefully attended to every need. She was unhurried as we idled with dolphins and watched them play in the wake of our boat. My mom exclaimed the next day that it was among "the most memorable experiences of her life." Thank you Jori and TOP TIER LUXURY! You truly are the best!! M Hawkins

So this was part of my husband's surprise birthday Sunday, where he had no idea where we were going…read morestop after stop. This will stop number three and my thought is even if we never see a whale. It's always a pleasant way to spend a few hours out on the water.. Everyone on the boat was super professional and informative. We really appreciate Laura spitting facts at us and making sure we knew what was going on. At one point, I was standing in front of the boat and I was about to go sit back down, but Laura told me to stay because she knew we would see something soon and we saw a Fin whale, which we stopped for a while to watch come up and down and no matter what it's always magical. We ran into a bunch of dolphins and watching them chop and play as always fulfilling. There's no way you can go wrong with this excursion, especially with a discount. They seem to always be offering. They also give all the birthday people a drink cozy. Highly recommend a great way to spend a few hours..

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.

The Duffy team was great. The boats were clean and worked well. The entire team made us welcome and…read morethe day was just beautiful.

Renting a Duffy boat was one of the highlights of our day! The boat was spotless, easy to operate,…read moreand perfect for a relaxing cruise on the water. The staff was incredibly friendly, gave clear instructions, and made the entire rental process quick and hassle-free. We loved spending time with family and friends while enjoying the beautiful views. It was peaceful, comfortable, and such a fun experience. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a memorable day on the water. We'll definitely be back for another cruise!

Always have a great experience here. Today was an exception. Very rude employee named Jeff. The…read morestore can reach out if they'd like details. I'd like to know if it was my business.

Small location but very close to Dana Point harbor where my boat is locked. When they have what I'm…read morelooking for it's very convenient. Stock and selection is limited by the Small store size. Prices are typical for west marine which is to say somewhat higher than average, but worth it for the convenience factor. I'll be back.