Ocean Safari: Whale and Dolphin Watching in San Diego
4.7
35 Ratings
San Diego

Experience an exclusive and intimate whale and dolphin watching tour in San Diego. Get up close to these majestic creatures on a fast and safe boat with 360-degree views.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Adventure Whale Watching San Diego Tours - Leave behind the slow, crowded vessels and set off on an exhilarating 2.5 to 3-hour wildlife safari with prime seating for all the action! The tour takes you out into the ocean to spot whales, dolphins, sea lions, and other marine creatures. Participate in one of the daily public tours, or book the entire…
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What's Included
  • Life Jackets
  • Expert Tour Guides
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Snacks
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

Experience close encounters with whales and dolphins in our year-round ocean expedition! Our exhilarating, small-capacity boats, carrying 6 to 10 passengers, offer the most private and personalized guided tours in San Diego!
Our former military vessels are the swiftest and securest, offering the greatest probability of spotting marine life with the added…

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Location
Adventure Whale Watching San Diego Tours
Harbor Island Drive
1. Park in the self-parking lot of the Sheraton hotel 2. Walk through the Marina Tower lobby 3. Exit out the back doors 4. Follow the walkway past the pool on your right 5. Enter the marina gate on the left and walk down the ramp 6. We are located on the water in the floating red roof building!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(35 Ratings)
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Nicholas_a
Sep 21, 2025
Great tour. Didn’t see... - Great tour. Didn’t see whales, but a bunch of dolphins and sea lions. Captain was awesome, went with my 11 year old son.
Review provided by Viator
Donnagq2315kv
Jun 29, 2025
Adventure success with Kyle at Adventure Whale Watching Experience. - Captain Kyle was amazing. Fun, interactive, knowledgeable and strived for the very best. A very kind person. Personable. If I was staying longer I would go on another tour with them! We saw Dolphins (3 groups!), sea lions, lots of birds and a whale.. it was a once in a lifetime- memorable- intimate adventure. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroltt1842tw
Apr 21, 2025
Wonderful experience, with a great pilot! - We had a very enjoyable trip. While we didn't see whales, because we were at the end of the migration time, we did have the remarkable experience of seeing a pod of several hundred dolphins---amazing!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Denise_u
Mar 24, 2025
Dolphin watch - We saw lots of dolphins. Rick was great, taking us way out to try to find whales. We don’t see any today
Review provided by Viator
Rezco
Feb 22, 2025
Whales!!!! - An amazing day on the water with captain rick - saw common dolphins, a gray whale and lots of sea lions. Very knowledgeable staff - learned much. Appreciated the smaller boat and attention.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristie_c
Feb 18, 2025
Great Morning Adventure - Captain Chris was great! He worked hard to try to locate some whales. Last minute we were able to see a great whale and a pod of dolphins. These boats are surprisingly smooth. We didnt get wet at all. Great experience!!
Review provided by Viator
Kim_k
Feb 4, 2025
Amazing Experience - As they tell you, dress in layers. It’s gets chilly, but it’s totally worth it. We saw dolphins and sea lions up close swimming right by the boat. Our captain, Rick, was so knowledgeable about the water and the animals. We will definitely book another outing with them. We highly recommend taking a tour with this company.
Review provided by Viator
O5420qpbenb
Jan 1, 2025
cool guy rick - the animals were very cool and the driver rick was very cool also and took us very close to all the sea lions whales and dolphins very nice
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dennis_l
Jan 12, 2025
DOLPHIN non whale watching - It didn’t really last 3 hours as advertised. The Captain was nice, but was hard to hear as sometimes surrounding noise is loud and he didn’t have a voice that projects. We sat in the back of a six person boat and missed out on his explanation of why whales weren’t around. He did an amazing job of navigating us to see and experience a lot of dolphins.
Review provided by Viator
Davehi3024sn
Aug 25, 2025
Don’t trust their reservations. - Do not count on this company. Only 90 minutes prior to our reservation, they called to tell us that they had not met the minimum number of passengers and were canceling the trip. We had based our entire trip from the east cost to California around this experience. On the last day of our trip, when we could have done a multitude of other things, they called to cancel. To add insult to injury, all other companies were either full or not taking reservations at this point. I can’t even begin to express the lever of my anger, frustration and pure disappointment. I understand that businesses have to make a profit, but sometime you need to eat the loss. I’m sure the experience would have been wonderful as they have many great reviews. But certainly do no count of them to honor your purchase. (We did get a refund).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Check Availability
From $139
From $139
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).