Whale watching in and around Los Angeles is a thrilling local phenomenon that’s worth doing at least once in your lifetime. Even from land, you could catch them spouting, slapping their tails (known as “lobtailing”) or breaching. We’ve put together a guide to local whale migrations and boat tours in Los Angeles. Read on for everything you need to know.
As we head into the spring season, this is a good time to look for gray whales on their northern migration, which tends to last from February to May. You may even get a glimpse of some early humpbacks, which usually start migrating in May.
Boat tours for whale watching in Los Angeles
You’ll find that there’s a good selection of whale-watching tours around Los Angeles. Here are a few popular options.
Newport Beach
- Davey’s Locker – These daily, year-round whale-watching cruises take off multiple times a day and last about 2.5 hours.
- Newport Landing Whale Watching – Join a daily whale-watching cruise or step it up with the luxury option.
Dana Point
- Ocean Institute – The crew of the research vessel Sea Explorer invites you aboard for a 2-hour whale-watching experience.
- Dana Wharf Whale Watching – consider booking a tour on a Tuesday for half-price on these popular year-round whale tours.
- Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari – Experience the world’s only underwater viewing pods on these unique whale watching tours in Los Angeles.
San Pedro
- LA Harbor Sportfishing – Join one of their daily whale-watching trips for a chance to see gray whales, humpbacks, dolphins, and more.
- Harbor Breeze Cruises – As a partner of the Aquarium of the Pacific, Harbor Breeze has hosted memorable whale-watching tours for almost 2 decades.
Ventura
- Island Packers – This local whale-watching tour offers an engaging half-day experience out to the Channel Islands, as well as bird-watching trips, winter whale trips, and more.
Oxnard
- Island Packers – Their Oxnard location also takes groups out to the Channel Islands.
- Channel Islands Whale Watching – This whale-watching tour explores the Channel Islands during gray whale season from December to April.
What is the best time to see whales in Los Angeles?
“Whale season” is almost year-round on the California coast because we see a series of staggered whale migrations in this area. L.A.’s proximity to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary allows us to predict the presence of gray whales, blue whales, and humpbacks, among others. Here’s a breakdown according to Whale Alert West Coast.
Winter/spring: Gray whales
Gray whales are the most frequent visitors along the California coast in the winter and early spring, with over 15,000 of them traveling between their feeding grounds in the Arctic and the warm lagoons in Mexico. Gray whales can be seen in local waters from December through February during their southern migration, and from mid-February through May on their northern migration. They make one of the longest migrations of any mammal.
Summer/fall: Humpback whales and blue whales
Humpback whales migrate from their winter calving and mating grounds off of Mexico to their summer and fall feeding grounds off of the central California coast. They often move around depending on the density of anchovies, sardines, and krill, but you can spot them between May and August.
Blue whales are a rare and thrilling sight, as they are the largest animal on the planet. They generally migrate in local waters between May and September.