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.

18

Whales Spotted

5,200

Dolphins Spotted

10

Different Species Spotted

Google Reviews

4.8

4,300+ verified reviews

San Diego's Original-icon

San Diego's Original

15+ Years
of whale watching expertise

Sightings Guarantee-seal-icon

Our Promise

Sightings Guarantee
or come back free

Sightings Guarantee-icon

Year-Round Tours

Daily Departures
from Mission Bay

Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - May 24, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourBlue Whale1Diving
Morning TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin200Chin SlappingHuntingSurface ActivePlayingTail Slapping
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin50Playing
Morning TourHarbor Seal1Surface Active
Mid-day TourBlue Whale1Chin SlappingSurface Active
Mid-day TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin300Chin SlappingSurface ActivePlayingJumpingDivingTail SlappingCow/Calf Pair
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin50JumpingDiving

Detailed Sightings Log - May 23, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourBlue Whale1Surface Active
Morning TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin300PlayingJumpingCow/Calf Pair
Mid-day TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin50PlayingJumping
Mid-day TourOffshore Bottlenose Dolphin50Surface ActivePlaying
Mid-day TourBlue Whale1Surface Active
Sunset Tour1Surface Active

Detailed Sightings Log - May 22, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin1000Chin SlappingNursery PodSurface ActivePlayingMegapodJumpingDivingTail SlappingCow/Calf PairBow RidingBreaching

Detailed Sightings Log - May 22, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourOffshore Bottlenose Dolphin50Surface ActiveJumping
Morning TourHumpback Whale3Surface ActiveFeedingTail Slapping
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin500HuntingPlayingBreaching

Recent Sightings

All
  • All

Our blue streak continues!

Despite being slightly gloomy out on the Pacific, spirits were high and wildlife bountiful. Our trip started…

Read More

Round n’ Round

We set out West today and had a few California Sea Lions say hello to us! While…

Read More

Stampede!

DOLPHIN STAMPEDE! About 8 miles offshore, the entire horizon turned to white foam — a mile‑wide stampede…

Read More

Fins a Flyin’

Today we headed out West towards a bait ball being bombarded by common dolphins, brown pelicans, sooty…

Read More

Thursday Night Blues…

A sneaky blue showed their tail! After spinning us around a couple times we made our way…

Read More

Seaweed Ahead!

Headed out this afternoon and encountered a Fin whale, a Minke whale, and two Humpbacks that were…

Read More

Our Typical Route

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

Follow Our Live Updates!
Get real-time sightings and videos

@sdwhalewatch
InstagramFacebookTikTok

This Year's Stats

Total: 23,647 dolphins and 332 whales.

Latest from Our Blog

Ready to Meet the Whales?

Book your tour today and experience San Diego’s most spectacular wildlife adventure.
Departing daily from Mission Bay.

Free Parking · Sightings Guarantee · Year-Round Tours