Ocean Safari: Whale and Dolphin Watching in San Diego
4.7
44 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
(44 Ratings)
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Lisa
Feb 16, 2026
A spectacular tour with a great company - This was a spectacular tour with an outstanding guide. We saw loads of dolphins and gray whales. The smaller boats made the tour much more intimate, and as we learned, the smaller boats are better for the whales. Highly recommend. We would do this tour again right now if we could.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Companion17697616690
Feb 11, 2026
Saw whales, dolphins, sea lions on fun and professional tour! - Had a great experience with a professional, knowledgable, and environmentally considerate guide. We got lucky and saw gray whales, dolphins, and sea lions on our tour. Seeing whales is not guaranteed but both boats worked together to give us the best experience possible! As someone who gets motion sick, I took dramamine and did not feel sick on their boat and really enjoyed speeding across the water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniela_a
Feb 10, 2026
10/10 would recommend - It was an amazing experience for a solo traveler! Was able to walk from the airport to the meeting spot, instructions were very clear on where to meet. Now being out on the water. Incredible. Our guide was very knowledgeable. When we found the whales he kept up with them from a respectable distance. The entire encounter was wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
Steven_b
Feb 1, 2026
Rick was a fantastic... - Rick was a fantastic guide. I learned so much about gray whales and look forward to going back during humpback season
Review provided by Viator
Joex907
Nov 26, 2025
Great experience - This trip was great! Our captain Kyle was a great guide and we saw a lot of whales and dolphins. We saw two specious of whales at 4 different places, and for two of the places we saw groups of at least 5 whales. And there were 3 different specious of dolphins in multiple places, in pods, with the whales or by themselves.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
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 $169
From $169
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Select a date
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).