Whale Watching in Long Beach
Information about Whale Watching in Long Beach, California
Long Beach and Los Angeles seem to kind of encompass some of the same areas in regards to whale watching, but I know that there are many that would like to go whale watching from Long Beach area and so I thought a separate page would make sense. See my favorite Long Beach Whale Watching location. Most of the whale watching trips offered are seasonal and coincide with the migration of the Gray Whale, but year round whale watching can be found. The most commonly seen whale off the waters of Long Beach is the Gray Whale but Fin Whales and Blue Whales have been seen regularly and at any time of year lately. Humpback Whales and Minke Whales are always a possibility as well as various other species of whales including Orcas.
Common and Bottlenose Dolphin are the most frequently seen Dolphin species. Risso's Dolphin and Pacific White Sided Dolphin are also regulars to the area. Other dolphin and porpoise species are also possible, as are seals and sea lions.
Whale Watching in Long Beach - Rainbow Harbor
Long Beach Harbor/Rainbow Harbor has a lot going on with harbor cruises, whale watching cruises, the Aquarium of the Pacific , the Queen Mary, as well as some restaurants and shops on the opposite side of the harbor. There is a parking structure nearby that I believe is about $7 and some companies validate your parking voucher for a discount. The Long Beach Harbor does take a pretty long time to get in and out of. The huge man made break wall, cuts in to whale watching time significantly (One of the reasons for Davey’s Locker Whale Watching being my favorite for Long Beach Whale Watching). They do offer year round whale watching excursions and there have been Blue and Finback Whales spotted in the area (I saw one myself with them just this last summer).
-
Harbor Breeze Cruises - Harbor Breeze Cruises have both seasonal Gray Whale migration trips and year round Dolphin and Whale Watching cruises. As their name suggests, their main focus is harbor cruises which they run about every hour. During the summer months their harbor cruises pack them in. I think a lot of their success is their close location to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I wouldn’t suggest going out with Harbor Breeze Cruises just for the whale watching, as there are better locations/operations, but with the Aquarium close by, it might make sense.
-
Davey’s Locker Whale Watching - offers year round whale watching. They depart from Newport Beach about 20 minutes south of Long Beach. They have so many things going for them including clean blue water, no man made breakwall, some of the highest success rates in terms of viewing whales and dolphin, and then even have a whale count so you can so what they are viewing daily. They offer the standard 2 ˝ hour cruise multiple times daily seven days a week. I have never been disappointed with Davey’s and they are perfect for the first time whale watchers.
-
Pierpoint Landing - Pierpoint Landing provides seasonal whale watching cruises during the traditional Gray Whale migration period. They are one of several fishing operations that use whale watching to fill in during the “slower” fishing periods. I didn’t feel like an individual when I gave them a try, instead I felt like one of 50 tickets issued. Everything was very basic including narration. We did sort of see a Gray Whale, but I would not call it a true viewing more of a tease. Overall the long cruise out of the harbor makes me say, “Go south”.
-
Long Beach Sportfishing - Long Beach Sportfishing provides seasonal whale watching cruises similar to the other fishing companies. Just looking at their web site makes you think twice, and I did. These fishing boat options can vary dramatically in terms of the quality of the whale watching experience. There is a hand full of captains from the fishing industry that are very knowledgeable some of which are ex marine biologists, but many of them seem to be “bus drivers”, just taking you out for a ride.
(Other areas/companies to come if available - if you know of any other Whale Watching companies or Harbors that do Whale Watching in or around Long Beach let us know).
During my Whale Watching trips out of Los Angeles County California and my Census participation I have seen numerous Cetacean and Pinniped species. There are many more that can be seen and I will hopefully add to my list someday. So far I have seen....
Gray Whales
Fin Whales
Blue Whales
Minke Whale
Common Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Pacific White Sided Dolphin
Risso's Dolphin
Dall's Popoise
California Sealions
Harbor Seals
Need a place to stay on your trip? Try Long Beach vacation rentals.
Back to Whale Watching in Southern California Whale Watching in California
Know of any great places for Whale Watching in Southern California or information you would like to share? Email Us