San Diego Whale Sightings — Updated Daily!

See what our naturalists have spotted during our last 7 trips in Mission Bay and off the coast of San Diego.

52

Whales Spotted

1,946

Dolphins Spotted

5

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - October 24, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourHumpback Whale6KelpingMugging

Detailed Sightings Log - October 24, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin700PlayingForagingBreathingHuntingJumpingChin SlappingTail Slapping
Morning TourHumpback Whale1TravelingDiving

Detailed Sightings Log - October 23, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Sunset TourOrcas7Spy hopBreathingCow/Calf PairTraveling

Detailed Sightings Log - October 23, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourOrcas15PlayingBreathingMuggingNursery PodSurface ActiveDivingCow/Calf PairBow Riding
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin400Running for their lives

Detailed Sightings Log - October 22, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Sunset TourHumpback Whale2PlayingForagingBreathingSurface ActiveJuvenileBreaching
Sunset TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin200ForagingSurfingSurface ActiveJumpingDivingTail SlappingCow/Calf PairBreaching

Detailed Sightings Log - October 21, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourHumpback Whale2BreathingSurface ActiveJumpingMigrating
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin300PlayingForagingBreathingSurface ActiveTail SlappingCow/Calf PairBow RidingBreaching

Recent Sightings

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KELP! I NEED A HUMPBACK…KELP! NOT JUST ANY HUMPBACK KEEEEEEEELPPPPPP!

We saw the most amazing kelping humpbacks today! We don’t know why these critters (along with other…

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Cetacean Saturday!

Kicking off the weekend on the Privateer with 2 species of cetaceans! We got welcomed into the…

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Orcas Orcas ORCAS!! We had an EPIC Sunset Orca Trip!

It was a spectacular trip to remember! We were successful in catching up with the fast traveling…

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ORCA ALERT! GIANT BLACK DORSALS ON THE HORIZON!

San Diego’s killer whales are BACK… and this time they brought a HUGE adult male with them….

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Humpback buffet line

LOOOONG day. Windy ocean. Lots of searching. And then… JACKPOT. We pushed way down the coast, almost…

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TRAFFIC REPORT: Heavy humpback activity on the southbound whale highway! 🐋🐋

Just 5 miles from the jetties, two humpback whales were waiting for us, already making their journey…

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Our Typical Route

While our route varies with sightings, we typically follow a similar course near known feeding areas.

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This Year's Stats

Total: 21,853 dolphins and 322 whales.

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Departing daily from Mission Bay.

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