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    SoCal Charters

    5.0 (14 reviews)
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    Ilyn M.

    We had so much fun today during our 1st ever whale watching trip! My son toward the end of our trip whispered to my ear that he wants to do it again! Thank you Captain Jeff for making my son's birthday a memorable one. He even played a birthday song for us! What a wonderful socially distanced way to celebrate an event.

    Captain Jeff helped create an amazing whale watching experience for my birthday. We received all the services as advertised and then some. A 5 star rating isn't enough to describe the fun filled exciting day my family and I had out at sea. The boat was a perfect size for 6 people, everything was neat and clean, and Captain Jeff was fun and engaging. He knew how to read the ocean and took us to see plenty of wild life for a long period of time. He was very easy going, kind, pleasant, and friendly. To say we had a blast is an understatement. If you're looking for a good family experience or just outright fun for yourself, this is the charter to contact. We will definitely be back sooner than later. Thank you Captain Jeff!

    So close you can almost touch them
    Cathy G.

    What an amazing day we had on our Whale Watching trip with Captain Jeff. Starting with his vast knowledge of all the homes and boats we passed as leaving the harbor...Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall's home, John Wayne's boat to name just a few. Once we got past the jetty and on open water the fun began. Almost immediately we came across a pod of dolphins and stayed with them for about a half hour. We actually like the dolphin pods more than the whales as they are so playful and remain visible the whole time. We did not see any whales though, wrong time of year (late June). When we weren't running with the dolphins we would stand at the bow of the boat and ride the waves. Captain Jeff knew we were having fun and would turn into the wakes of the other boats so we would have bigger waves!! The boat itself was immaculate and we had plenty of room. My brother spent most of the trip in the tuna tower and said that in itself was an experience. We can't wait until the whales are migrating again to take this trip over and over

    So cal Charters

    I had a great day with friends, saw many dolphins that Captain Jeff knew Exactly how to bring Them closer to the boat. Captain Jeff is personable & very knowledgeable about Newport Harbor . I highly recommend SoCal charters and plan on being a repeat customer in the near future.

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    Review Highlights - SoCal Charters

    The boat was a perfect size for 6 people, everything was neat and clean, and Captain Jeff was fun and engaging.

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    Newport Coastal Adventure

    Newport Coastal Adventure

    4.9
    (462 reviews)

    After stumbling across Captain Erica Tik Tok's page, we wanted to book an adventure. We have been…read moreon other whale watching adventures in Newport and Newport Coastal Adventure is by far the best. We are hooked and will ONLY go on their adventures now. Went on a 2 hour tour with Captain Erica and Molly, down in Newport Beach. They were absolutely the best. Captain Erica was knowledgeable and friendly that we were able to enjoy the whole ride. We saw a momma grey whale and baby and hundreds and hundreds of bottle nose dolphins. As Captain Erica said, we must have had lucky people on board to experience both on the same tour. Molly got some awesome and amazing shots that she was able to share with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the surfing dolphins that were created by the wake from our boat. The conditions were perfect, and the experience was worth every penny. We're already planning our next tour for the upcoming season and can't wait to book an Oxnard adventure with them. Hopefully we can get this dynamic duo again. Can't speak highly of Captain Erica and Molly. Total worth it. See you guys soon.

    This was by far the worst whale watching tour I've ever taken. I've done whale watching multiple…read moretimes before -- in Boston and other locations -- and every other tour actually went out into deeper waters where whales are usually found. This tour, however, barely left the coastline. If whales could be seen that close to shore, I could have just stood on the beach and saved my money. The trip was advertised as 2 to 2.5 hours, but it only lasted about 1.5 hours. Most of that time was spent heading back toward the harbor, and then we sat near the harbor entrance for around 20 minutes just watching sea lions. I honestly don't understand why anyone should pay $50 per person just to look at something you can easily see from the shore. It felt misleading and disappointing. The boat never seriously attempted to go offshore, where whales are actually located. What made this even more frustrating was that I specifically asked the staff before booking whether we were likely to see whales, and they assured me we would. Do not waste your money on this tour.

    Newport Landing

    Newport Landing

    4.2
    (86 reviews)

    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.

    This was by far the worst whale watching tour I've ever taken. I've done whale watching multiple…read moretimes before -- in Boston and other locations -- and every other tour actually went out into deeper waters where whales are usually found. This tour, however, barely left the coastline. If whales could be seen that close to shore, I could have just stood on the beach and saved my money. The trip was advertised as 2 to 2.5 hours, but it only lasted about 1.5 hours. Most of that time was spent heading back toward the harbor, and then we sat near the harbor entrance for around 20 minutes just watching sea lions. I honestly don't understand why anyone should pay $50 per person just to look at something you can easily see from the shore. It felt misleading and disappointing. The boat never seriously attempted to go offshore, where whales are actually located. What made this even more frustrating was that I specifically asked the staff before booking whether we were likely to see whales, and they assured me we would. Do not waste your money on this tour.

    Capt Dave's Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari

    Capt Dave's Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari

    4.8
    (874 reviews)

    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.

    Highly recommend going out with the Capt Dave's crew!…read more Had an amazing time out on their Manute'a boat. Cannot say enough about how cool it was to view the wildlife through the underwater viewing pods. It was an unbelievable experience to come nose to nose with wild bottlenose dolphins. We visited on a busy day on Memorial Day weekend, and the crew still took time to make sure that everyone on the boat was having a good time and getting their questions answered. I also brought along my rambunctious 2 1/2 year old son, and felt totally safe on the boat, which felt very secure for kids. On our cruise we saw dolphins, a fin whale, a sun fish, sealions, and common dolphins. A great day. Special thanks to Matt and Amanda for all their fun facts and knowledge sharing! We will definitely be back later in the year to look out for blue whales and white sided dolphins.

    Paddle Pub - Newport Beach

    Paddle Pub - Newport Beach

    4.5
    (48 reviews)

    This was a wonderful time and all of our friends enjoyed it! I would 10/10 recommend anybody doing…read morethis! Caroline and Gordy made the trip!!

    My broworkers and I were planning a joint team outing for our teams. Most other duffy boats have a…read moremaximum of 12 people and we had a bigger team than that so we searched for a larger option and stumbled upon the Paddle Pub that fits a maximum of 16 passengers. The 90 minute Private Brew Boat ($590) which includes a captain and a deckhand, bluetooth speaker on the boat for you to play your jams, and you can bring your own brews, limited to closed canned beverages. Good times! They have a parking garage, no validation offered, but the majority of us just lyfted/ubered down for safety. Prior to the event, we were provided the waiver links to share with our team. Everyone had a change to review the waivers and sign prior. On the day of the event, they ask that everyone arrived 15 minute early, and they will be checking IDs to confirm the names of the waivers signed. We had Lily as the deckhand who was helping us for the day. After we were all checked in, we were lead into their docks and boarded the board, where we met Captain Joe. Captain Joe started off with a safety speech, and from there we were ready to party. Keep the boat fairly balanced, don't all run to one side, not too many people at the front all at once, the front is on the opposite end as the Captain. There were 10 pedaling seats and an area in the front. There was one broken pedal. This boat has a motor so the pedaling is optional but it's for funsies. One of the pedal seats were broken and not in operations. Also these bike like seats were not very comfortable. After the first hour folks got off and stood around, but they were over-it with the bike chairs. Good for groups of 12-16, but if we had a smaller group I would have prefered the standard size duffy boats. It was hard to mingle since you were essentially stuck in the seat and spread pretty far out from everyone. Still a fun time, but I just had better. Also remember to Tip. They have their venmo information up, or afterwards they send you an email asking you how your experience went, and there is an option to tip after that fact if you were unable to on the day of the event.

    City Cruises

    City Cruises

    4.0
    (322 reviews)

    I was adamant that my bridal shower be something different and unique and my mother and I stumbled…read moreacross City Cruises. From the moment we reached out until disembarking the yacht, the staff at City Cruises went above and beyond. The boat itself was gorgeous. The food was delicious. The service was impeccable. I swear every time I turned around our server, Geri Lynn was there to refill my glass. When my group of guests wandered upstairs to the top floor, I overheard the manager alerting the staff that we were moving... I didn't know what that meant until they all popped upstairs to make sure that everyone up there was still having their glass of champagne refilled and bringing us anything we needed. I have never had so many compliments on an event in my life! Thank you so much to everyone at City Cruises for the amazing experience. I will remember it forever!!

    Nicky is a superstar!! She served our large group and was SO sweet and really took care of us. Both…read moreNicky and the photographer had such great energy. The cruise itself is a great deal (they also have Groupons!) because it includes unlimited mimosas, breakfast, and some nice photo spots. Was pleasantly surprised by the food variety and quality! I think the service at the tritip station could be a little more energetic, or we were just so used to the energy of Nicky and the photographer, that it seemed a little off and not as welcoming. My favorite items were the petit four cakes, tritip + horseradish, and chicken tenders! A lot of people in the group loved the smoked salmon bagels. Our drinks were always topped off and Nicky was always around in case we had any questions or needed something else. Would go on another city cruise!

    Paradiso Yacht Charters

    Paradiso Yacht Charters

    4.9
    (557 reviews)

    After doing extensive research found the Paradiso Yacht for my 50th birthday. The service with…read moreTanya was easy and professional. It did take a bit to get the premium bar menu to review - and I really wanted good champagne on the yacht to be served all night long, but they only had prosecco and we weren't able to work together to order nice bottles ahead of time. There was a 2 bottle maximum that was allowed to be brought on board with a $35 corkage - but they allowed me a few more bottles on board which was nice. But would have been nice to know ahead of time vs the day before. I wouldn't say anyone went above and beyond - but service was professional, courteous. Drinks for the premium bar were definitely on par with CA prices. They provided a list of caterers and for my milestone where I wanted French food - recommended Tom's Catering. He has been doing food on board for 20+ years and the food was PHENOMENAL. Guests devoured the food and everything was absolutely delicious. Boat has 3 levels and was able to fit the party nicely. The main floor had the bar and upstairs is where we played games. all in all - everyone had a lovely time, nobody got sea sick.

    I highly recommend Pradiso Charters for a truly first-class experience. I had never used them…read morebefore booking an event in April 2026, and I was incredibly impressed from start to finish. Their team was attentive, professional, and went above and beyond to help coordinate every detail. They assisted me in arranging a meaningful military tribute, including having members of the Army present for a flag folding ceremony and the playing of Taps at the end of the day. Every element was handled beautifully - from the roses to the full-service yacht experience. The office staff was equally helpful and responsive throughout the entire process. Everything about this experience was first class, and I would highly recommend Pradiso Charter to anyone looking for exceptional service and care Thank You All Jerry F.

    SoCal Charters - whalewatchingtours - Updated July 2026

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