California,  Destinations,  North America,  Orange County,  Our Adventures,  USA

Whale Watching in Orange County

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling

Whale watching is an incredible way to see beautiful whales (of all kinds!) in their natural habitat! We are given the opportunity to go to them and leave them undisturbed, in their natural home (the wide open ocean). As my husband and I have gotten older, we’ve researched the treatment of these animals (and others) more and more, and we have made the decision to never participate in animal tourism that hurts animals. We are thankful for opportunities like these, which allow us to enjoy these beautiful creatures without supporting mistreatment of them. My husband and I have had several amazing whale watching experiences over the years in both Orange and Los Angeles counties in California, but our experience with Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach, California, during the month of February was by far our favorite.

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. We only recommend products and services that we love!

My husband and I lived in Orange County, California, for several years (we just recently moved north to Sonoma County), and my parents came to visit us often. We decided to take them whale watching as part of their birthday gifts (we LOVE to give experiences to our loved ones over tangible items). I found a great deal on Groupon for Davey’s Locker . They had great reviews, so I booked 4 tickets for a February whale watching tour.

Note: We didn’t take any kids with us on this whale watching trip, but they are welcome to go too! Children between the ages of 0-2 are free!

Before I go on, I want to note that this post is not in any way sponsored by Davey’s Locker (they don’t even know that I’m writing this 😉). We genuinely loved our experience with them, and I want to share about our experience and encourage you to try them out too, if you are visiting or live in the Orange County area. Keep reading for information on our whale watching experience in Orange County!

All photos in this post were taken by the Davey’s Locker crew. We got some great photos that day, but they offer a photo package of your trip that can be purchased after your cruise. We didn’t plan to buy the package, but we wound up having such an incredible experience that we decided to go for it!

Whale Watching in Orange County

As I mentioned previously, we booked our whale watching experience with Davey’s Locker on Groupon. You can also book through their website, but their Groupon deal is a steal (search “Davey’s Locker” in Orange County, CA)!

We went on their 10am “Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise”, which runs for about 2 hours, every day of the year (several times throughout the day, so you have plenty of options!). I’ll be honest- it was chilly! After whale watching several times in the beautiful sunshine, we were a little bummed to go out on the water on such a cool day (February in Orange County can easily be 50F or 90F!). But we bundled up in warm clothing and went for it!

Depending on the time of year, you can spot blue whales, finback whales, gray whales, humpback whales, minke whales, and/or dolphins. During the month of February, our best bet was dolphins and gray whales. And they did not disappoint!

Newport Beach can be very crowded, but we did not have difficulty finding parking that day (likely due to the cool weather at 10am). Check out this parking map for the city of Newport Beach before you go. If you’re going during a busier season or later in the day, you will want to plan ahead and leave plenty of time to find a parking spot (or plan to take the free Balboa Peninsula Trolley).

About 30 minutes into our cruise, the amazing experience began! First we saw numerous dolphins (more than we could count), and then the gray whales came in. We saw several! It turns out that they were mating and were very active (I’ll spare you the “graphic” photos! Hah!). Otherwise, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

 

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker

The crew was also great. They were full of knowledge of marine life and shared what they could. They all had a great sense of humor and kept everyone entertained!

For a short 2 hour cruise, you don’t need to bring much! Bring some water (maybe a snack!), proper clothing, sunscreen, and your camera!

If you’re worried about seasickness, I would highly recommend using Seaband bracelets. I wear these each time I go out on the water, and I’ve never gotten seasick. They are also great for preventing all other types of motion sickness.

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling
Photo Credit: Davey’s Locker



Booking.com

If you’re searching for an amazing whale watching experience, I highly recommend Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach, California. Have you been whale watching? I would love to hear about your experiences!

An Adventure is Calling Signature

 

 

 

 

 

Pin for later:

Whale Watching with Daveys Locker in Newport Beach Orange County California - An Adventure is Calling

 

38 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *