Whale & Dolphin Season
What you can see off Dana Point each month — gray whales, blue whales, dolphins and more — with the seasons, the boats, and where to watch from shore.
Dana Point calls itself the Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World, and in 2021 it became the first Whale Heritage Site in the Americas — whales and dolphins pass close to this harbor all year. Here is what is out there in each season, and how to go and see it.
Festival of Whales, every March
Dana Point has celebrated the gray-whale migration with its Festival of Whales since 1972 — a parade and dozens of events along the harbor each March.
What you’re likely to see in June
- Peak
Dolphins — Common, bottlenose and Risso's dolphins live here and turn up on the great majority of trips.
- Good
Blue whale — The largest animal that has ever lived, here to feed on summer krill.
- Good