Dana Point Whale Watching

Gray whales are seen near Dana Point every year, from mid to late November through late April or early May. Gray whales make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, traveling approximately 12,000 miles round trip. Every year the whales migrate from their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas and head south to the warm lagoons of Baja California, Mexico to mate and give birth to their calves.

Dana Point whale watchers can see humpback whales anytime throughout the year. These 40-ton animals migrate here from their mating and calving grounds off Mexico and Central America to feed on krill and small schooling fish such as sardines. Humpback whales filter up to 3,000 pounds of food per day through plates of baleen that hang from the top of their upper jaw. They are well-known for acrobatic displays of surface behavior such as breaching, lobtailing, and pectoral slapping.

Blue whales are usually sighted off the coast of Dana Point May through October. Reaching lengths of over 100 feet and weighing up to 200 tons, blue whales are the largest known animal to have ever lived. Blue whales visit Dana Point to feast on their favorite food – krill, a very small shrimp-like crustacean.