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.

6

Whales Spotted

3,800

Dolphins Spotted

5

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - September 9, 2026

Tour	Species	Count	Behavior
Morning Tour	Orcas	6	Nursery PodSurface ActiveDivingCow/Calf PairBow Riding
Morning Tour	Long-beaked Common Dolphin	300	ForagingHuntingNursery PodSurface ActiveDivingTail SlappingCow/Calf PairBow RidingBreaching
Morning Tour

Recent Sightings

All

Killers off the coast!

September 9, 2026

ORCAS. OFF. SAN DIEGO. AGAIN. You heard that right — our favorite big black‑and‑whites showed up once…

Riders of the storm!

September 6, 2026

We headed out EARLY — our one shot before the offshore hurricane swells roll in. Right off…

Dolphins Days

September 5, 2026

DEFINITELY a dolphin day out there. The ocean felt back to its usual rhythm — the dolphins…

Just one – killer – whale is all we need

September 4, 2026

We may not have found killer whales today but we sure did find one KILLER (humpback) whale!…

Wet and Wild

September 3, 2026

Privateer headed out at sunset tonight for a ride in pretty swelly conditions, but that didn’t stop…

Sea Panda hunting party!

September 2, 2026

KILLER WHALES LESS THAN 2 MILES FROM SHORE. We were NOT ready. We headed out thinking we’d…

Our Typical Route

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

A typical route that San Diego Whale Watch takes from Mission Bay into the Pacific Ocean to see gray whales

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This Year's Stats

Total: 21,847 dolphins and 316 whales.

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