Whale Watching in Los Angeles- Year Round!

Whale Watching In Los Angeles – Year Round!

Surprisingly, the Los Angeles area offers some of the best whale watching in the world. Gray whales travel along the coastline as they migrate to their winter breeding grounds in Baja. Thousands of gray whales make this journey yearly and their abundance in numbers can make for some wonderful viewing opportunities! Gray whale migration season runs from late December through April and it is not uncommon so see half a dozen whales in a single cruise!

During the summer months, Blue whales are seen! The giant blue whales are over 80 feet in length and are the largest whales in the world.  Along with the blue whales are humpback whales, minke whales, finback whales, and even killer whales are sometimes viewed.  Dolphins are numerous, and pods of a thousand or more are frequently encountered in a single trip.  These playful creatures will swim within arms reach and put on a wonderful show for viewers. Sea lions and their pups are always present too, and many species of birds and other marine creatures make for a very exciting experience.

There are several Los Angeles whale watching providers serving Los Angeles including Los Angeles Whale Watching, Newport Landing, Dolphin Dave’s Dolphin Sarfari, Condor Cruises, and Harbor Breeze Cruises. 

Los Angeles Whale Watching & Newport Landing Whale Watching departs from Newport Harbor in Newport Beach (on the Balboa Peninsula) and is only about one hour from downtown Los Angeles. Dolphin Dave is located in Dana Point Harbor which is located about 1.5 hours from downtown LA. Condor Cruises is located in Santa Barbara about 1 hour and 20 minutes north of downtown. And Harbor Breezes is located in Long Beach about 20 minutes from downtown. 

Los Angeles Whale Watching, Newport Landing, Condor Cruises, and Dolphin Dave are located in harbors that are very easily accessible which means more time on the boat looking for whales and dolphins. Harbor Breezes has the Long Beach breakwall which is a manmade wall and takes about 25 minutes to get out past into productive waters.

If you do not prefer to be on boats you can also view the whales from shore though this is primarily during the grey whale migration.