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    SoCal Charters

    5.0 (14 reviews)
    Open • Open 24 hours

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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.”

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Newport Landing - Blue Whale on whale watching cruise

    Newport Landing

    (88 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.

    Our experience was so excellent! Dani, our captain, and Jill, our guide, made this whale watching…read morecruise unforgettable. We saw ridiculously scenic coastline views, which added to the magic of the trip. While we only saw bottlenose dolphins (tons of them), the cruise was still spectacular and definitely worth the ticket price. Plus, due to a last minute change on their end we happened to get upgraded to the higher end smaller boat with less people. There were lots of moments of sheer joy (we geeked out pretty hard) at getting to visit the dolphins up close in their natural environment. Others around us expressed feeling similarly. What also set this cruise apart was Dani and Jill. Their extensive knowledge about local marine life and its patterns enriched our experience significantly. They shared fascinating and often hilarious insights (Jill is a character - in all the best ways) about the dolphins and the surrounding ecosystem, which made the cruise both highly entertaining and educational. Their genuine excitement for marine wildlife is so evident and it really made the experience all the more enjoyable and fun. We had a great time, and we can't thank Dani and Jill enough for their dedication to making sure everyone had a memorable adventure. Highly recommend this cruise to anyone looking to get out of their head and spend time soaking up amazing views! Ps. Don't be an idiot like me - remember to wear sunscreen because a boat can't outrun the sun (obviously... ‍) Pss. Rent the $5 binoculars

    Capt Dave's Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari - Grey whale bone vertebra.

    Capt Dave's Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari

    (889 reviews)

    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.

    Paddle Pub - Newport Beach - Don't forget to pedal

    Paddle Pub - Newport Beach

    (48 reviews)

    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.

    Terrible service! We booked this boat for 13 girls for a bachelorette party where we all traveled…read morefrom out of state. They confirmed our reservation multiple times and called us less than 24 hours before to cancel for no reason. They said they could no longer do business in Newport which seems very shady. Do not book here! Tiki boats is way more professional and we're able to accommodate us on such short notice.

    SoCal Charters - whalewatchingtours - Updated October 2026

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