I had a great time with Captain Steve. I actually did two whale watching trips this January hoping to see the orcas. The first time, I went with Harbor Breeze on their big boat, the second was with SoCal Whale Watching on a much smaller rigid inflatable boat. The pluses are that you covered more ground and therefore have a chance to see more animals. I think Captain Steve covered about x5 the distance on his boat in comparison to the much slower big boat. You are also down low and next to the water, which means you can see the animals up close. The main downside is that it is not as comfortable as the bigger boat and you have to remember to bundle up really warm. Don't worry about getting sea sick though. Big boats tend to roll a lot, whereas this little boat was surprisingly smooth. You have less of a chance of getting sea sick on this little boat. We had some chop and a fair swell, and it didn't affect me at all. It is not uncomfortable or bumpy, but there is no cabin or restroom like on a big boat. Captain Steve was friendly and knew his marine biology really well. He answered questions and explained things as we went. On our trip, we got to see a giant pod of common dolphins, a big fin whale, and the two gray whales. We started out due west and made it about halfway to Catalina, and then went northeast and ended up off of Palos Verde. We covered a lot of square miles. Unfortunately, no orcas, but I was very pleased with the trip. read more

SoCal Whale Watching - Sea lions - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Long Beach, California

Phenomenal experience! They gave us memories for a lifetime. We saw multiple whales (although we know this cannot be guaranteed), and so many dolphins. They were very knowledgeable and worked hard to ensure they delivered a remarkable experience. read more

Beautiful adventure- amazing memories!! Fantastic and knowledgeable crew! We will definitely be back read more

SoCal Whale Watching - Sea lions - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Long Beach, California

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Whale watching trips with SoCal Whale Watching has become a tradition in our family. We always have a great time and I bring my mom every time she is in town. Can't wait to get on the water with you all again soon! read more

Signed up for the 930am boat ride. Just like captain Steve mentioned, wear layers. When the sun is out, it feels great as the boat is speeding, but it can easily get too warm when the boat is just floating. When the clouds were out and the wind was blowing in your face, it was cold for this CA valley girl. Captain Steve was well informed about the best spots to likely spot sealife. He also provided our boat with information on the migration and sea depth. During our 3 hour ride we saw pods of dolphins, a fin whale, and a sea lion. All of it with a close up view. Definitely a fun adventure with some great views. I only took a few photos. Most of what I have are videos of dolphins and the whale emerging. read more

SoCal Whale Watching - Water - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Long Beach, California

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What an experience! Never rode in a small boat like that in the open ocean. Once in a lifetime experience. Did not see whale but the waves were bigger than the boat and saw thousands of dolphins! Various kinds of dolphins (the common dolphin, bottlenose, etc.), sea lions, harbor seals, and birds galore (gulls, pelicans, cormorants, herons)! Captain Steve and crew (I think her name was Jasmine) were wonderful! They were skilled and knowledgeable. Once in a lifetime experience, as I said earlier. We loved it! read more

AMAZING! My family and I had an amazing time with Captain Steve. He made sure we all had a good time. He was very informative. Steve knew exactly where to go to see a wide range of sea life. Great thing to do with family and kids. The boat is very private so you get the joy of all being together. Thank you once again Captain Steve. It's always a pleasure to have you as a captain. read more

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While our whale-watching adventure didn't yield any whale sightings, I'll give Steve an "A" for effort - We get it, it's not like he can call the whales and be like "Hey, hi..we're coming out can you come up for a bit?" We did see sea lions and enjoyed a brief encounter with dolphins after 2+ hours at sea. As for the boat, it's a raft. With small bench seats that are rough on the tush after 3 hours, otherwise it's a fun ride that felt safe. Dress in layers. We were wearing jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets with our own blanket draped over our lap and were still cold. Rechargeable hand warmer was useless, get the disposable ones, maybe consider some for your feet and a face covering too. As for amenities, Websites $88 Premiere trip says "Blankets, towels and refreshments provided Bluetooth speaker provided." We saw one blanket that another passenger found at her feet, didn't see (or need) towels, but no refreshments or any kind of Bluetooth speaker. Bring your own snacks and a beverage with a cap. Keep it simple. It'd be tough to do a charcuterie board or picnic basket while on the move. Consider bringing binoculars too. Weather was clear, temp was 57 at the dock, parking at the building adjacent to the Aquarium was ample at 9 A.M. and cheap at $9. read more

SoCal Whale Watching - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Long Beach, California

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This was just perfect! I gifted the exclusive whale watching tour to my husband for his birthday. We had tried whale watching in the past without much luck. Captain Steve is super knowledgeable and with him we got to see everything we could have wanted: sea lions, seals, dolphins, sharks and, yes, whales! Captain Steve's boat is the perfect size to be comfortable while also being swift and nimble: we could move fast and get close to the marine life in a way bigger boats couldn't do. We had a wonderful and special experience. So much that we want to go back and we definitely recommend it to anyone! read more

Absolutely AMAZING. I am so glad I opted for the smaller raft style boat to do whale watching instead of the larger charters. It was EXHILARATING to be so close to the water. Captain Steve was super knowledgeable on all items on the ocean. The 200+ dolphin pod whipping around us, fingertips away, was beyond anything I could have imagined. Also, we saw a BLUE WHALE!!! I would book this again and again. Also - big shout out to the entire socal whale watching team in accommodating my specific schedule as a solo traveler. read more

Everything about this tour exceeded my expectations. Captain Steve was a wealth of knowledge about the sea life and the geography of the sea floor in the area we explored and was incredibly respectful of the animal life we encountered. The small group of max 6 people made for a much more intimate, personalized experience. We encountered a group of 6 or so fin whales and saw sea lions and harbor seals. I cannot recommend booking with SoCal Whale Watching enough, and hope to take another tour at some point in the future! read more

Fantastic! This small boat carries only six passengers and gives you a different feeling that a large boat. This is the way to do whale watching! And dolphins, and sealions etc. read more

Captain Steve was knowledgeable and fun! He was honest that the whales had been hanging out near San Diego and assured us we would see plenty of wildlife. We saw plenty of dolphins, both bottlenose and the common dolphin as well as sea lions and harbor seals. It was a fun boat ride that was informative and fun. I would recommend Captain Steve's guide to anyone looking to have a personalized tour of the ocean in LA. read more

Great experience. Saw a huge pod of dolphins and a humpback whale. Captain Steve was so knowledgeable and accommodating. I definitely recommend Socal whale watching over the larger boats. Gives you a chance to get close up to the marine life. Thank you Steve for a great afternoon. read more

Steve was our boat driver! We went for a whale watching tour at 2pm. We hit some huge waves, some great speed and seen more dolphins than I have ever seen in my life! At least 30 dolphins in a pod! Very thrilled. A perfect anniversary gift for my husband and I! Thank you Steve! read more

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If I could click 10 stars I would!!! When I signed up for a whale watching tour for my husband, I had no idea HOW INCREDIBLE this tour would be!!! Blue whales, seals, dolphins, sea lions, and fin whales. The driver was very informative and funny. This whale watching tour is something I recommend to everyone!!! #BESTTRIPEVER read more

Highly recommend SoCal Whale Watching! I live in SC where whales are few and far between. I had one free afternoon on this trip to CA and knew I wanted to spend it whale watching. After researching ALLLLLL the different whale watching companies, I knew SoCal Whale Watching was it... and I was not wrong! We went straight to a pair of Fin Whales then he spotted another whale...a Blue Whale! After watching them for a while, he gave me the option of looking for Dolphin or staying with the whales. I opted to stay! Found a couple more then headed back in. So glad I chartered this boat...and you will be too. Extremely knowledgeable. Extremely courteous. Extremely safe. read more

We had an amazing time with Captain Steve! He is super knowledgeable of the marine life as well as the area that they inhabit. Captain Steve has got the eye of an eagle. If there is life in the water to be seen, Captain Steve will take you too it. Thank you so much for an unforgettable experience! read more

We took our granddaughter out on the one hour tour . It was an incredible experience for her as the dolphins came long side our boat and joined us in our ocean adventure The captain was engaging and took us out to where the seals are at read more

Steve was great. Had a lovely day in the ocean. He was talkative without being overly chatty letting us just enjoy the experience. This was our second time and we highly recommend it. Much nicer than the bigger boats. We could lean over and see the dolphins swimming with the boat. Great underwater go pro video! read more

Great outing!! Captain Steve has interesting knowledge of the coastline and of the different sea animals. I highly recommend this worth taking ocean adventure! Thank you Captain Steve !! read more

Thank you Captain Steve for a magical time! As a SoCal native I can't believe I had never done this before and I was amazed at how close we were to the beauty in our own back yard. The intimate size of the boat and limited amount of people made the experience exceptional. I am still smiling like a kid! read more

We had the most incredible time with SoCal Whale Watching! We saw dozens of dolphins, sea lions, seals and the most amazing up close and personal grey whale encounter!!! While I had considered another company with larger ships, I'm so glad we went with SoCal because we never would've gotten as close as we did to the whale with any other company (check out the pics!). Captain Steve was also very knowledgeable and clearly loves what he does. read more

Truly disappointed! We booked for a morning whale and when we showed up at our confirmed day and time there was no one to be found. We called the number we were provided and were completely ignored. We had planned for this day for so long and we're completely at a loss for what to do so we walked down the board walk. There was a blue ticket booth that was open for another whale watching company, harbor breeze whale watch. They SAVED our day. Not only was the boat bigger with bathroom and snacks, but the tickets were almost HALF THE PRICE WE PAID THE OTHER COMPANY. Later, the SoCal whale watch captain finally contacted and said he had an emergency, but after talking to people I found out he frequently does this especially on his morning trips! Save yourself the heartbreak...AND THE MONEY ! Never recommending SoCal Whale watch even to my worst enemy. read more

Great couple of hours out in the ocean. We saw three grey whales, a massive pod of dolphins, seals, and sealions! Capt. Steve was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I can't recommend this more! The boat fits around 6 people so it isn't a large tourist boat that you may see around which makes it even better! read more

We had a great time with Steve. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. We got lucky and saw a whale on our time out on the ocean. He knew a lot about the whale we saw which was great. Our time didn't feel rushed. I really enjoyed the small group instead of the big boat. It felt more personalized. Definitely recommend!! read more

Would like to say that my husband and I went to the whale watching on Friday and I would like to say that Steve did a great job couldn't ask for a better captain thank you so much we will be doing it again hopefully soon. It was very private and awesome read more

This trip was OK (reference ATT commercials) at best. We saw all the dolphins one could ever see. No whales. What I am not pleased about is that after talking to several people from the area, they indicate this isn't the time to see whales. They are up north in Alaskan waters. What made this trip special is being with my daughter and out on the water for a couple of hours. Not happy about being duped by these companies when they know there is no chance to see whales. read more

Captain Steve was very professional, fun and knowledgeable about the sea life. Very accommodating to the adults and kids on board. We all had a wonderful time seeing the dolphins and seals up close. We will be doing the Catalina trip next time! read more

It was a wonderful time on the water. Saw lots of dolphins. Steve was very knowledge about sea life. He found a big pod of dolphins for us. I highly recommend this whale watching trip. He found a Mylar balloon and took it out of the water. read more

Great experience all around. Best whale watch i've ever been on, and I've been on a lot of them, for field trips or when friends visit. Usually, you're stuck on some icky giant boat with too many people, and there are no whales, and anything else you might see is too far away to matter. this was a totally different experience. the boat is tiny, and capt steve seemed like a great guy. it was fast-paced, and fun, and there we were surrounded by hundreds of dolphins! I want to go again next week! Highly recommend. read more

My girlfriend and I wanted to go whale watching while down in la for the weekend. We were deciding between socal whale watching and another provider, I'm so glad we decided to use socal whale watching, we were right on the water next to tons of dolphins, we were so close we could reach down and touch the water as the dolphins jumped along beside the boat. read more