Southern California Whale Watching

Information about Whale Watching in Southern California

From the seasonal migration of the Gray Whale to the year around Dolphin and the other species of Whales and marine life that may possibly be seen at any time - southern California is a great place to go Whale Watching. You may notice on this site that the southern California area is more covered then the other areas. That is quite simply because this is where I'm from and where I get to go Whale Watching.

Each Harbor and each region has it's own positive aspects. At this time I have only been Whale Watching from Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara but the listings here will be from the south upward. I highly recommend Santa Barbara for the wide variety of species that can be seen. (pages to come)

Whale Watching in San Diego County
Whale Watching San Diego Harbor
Whale Watching in Mission Bay San Diego
*other areas to come if available

Whale Watching in Orange County
Whale Watching in Dana Point
Whale Watching in Newport Beach
*other areas to come if available

Whale Watching in Los Angeles County
Whale Watching in San Pedro
Whale Watching in Long Beach
Whale Watching in Redondo
Catalina Whale Watching
*other areas to come

Whale Watching in Ventura County
Whale Watching in Oxnard
Whale Watching in Ventura

Whale Watching in Santa Barbara County
Whale Watching in Santa Barbara
*other areas to come if available

Gray Whales migrate from the Bering Sea to the coast of Baja every winter. They migrate past the California coastline from approximately November to May. January and March are the best months to see Gray Whales in southern California. The cows and calves usually pass by in April and May after the calves have grown and gained strength for the journey. During the migration from late December to about mid April you can usually find Whale Watching boats in every Harbor in this area. Off season Whale Watching companies can be harder to find in southern CA but there are a few.

During my Whale Watching trips here in southern California 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
Blue Whales
Humpback Whales
Fin Whales
Minke Whale
*possible Bryde's Whale (or a juvenile Fin)
Common Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Pacific White Sided Dolphin
Risso's Dolphin
Dall's Porpoise
California Sealions
Harbor Seals

It's also possible to see Orcas (killer Whales), Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales and a number of other species of Whale that can be seen in southern California. There are a few other Dolphin species that are possible but not as likely as the four listed above. You can also see Elephant Seals and the occasional Fur Seal as well as birds, sharks, sun fish and a large variety of other sea creatures.

Know of any great places for Whale Watching in Southern California or information you would like to share? Email Us

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