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.

12

Whales Spotted

1,473

Dolphins Spotted

13

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - April 18, 2026

Tour Species Count Location Behavior
Morning TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin500Bow RidingCow/Calf PairNursery Pod
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin150Cow/Calf PairJumpingPlayingNursery Pod
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin50JumpingPlayingSurface Active
Sunset TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin100Cow/Calf PairJumpingPlayingNursery Pod
Sunset TourHumpback Whale1Surface Active

Recent Sightings

All
  • All
  • Gray Whale
  • Humpback Whale
  • Blue Whale
  • Fin Whale
  • Minke Whale
  • Orcas
  • Inshore Bottlenose Dolphin
  • Long-beaked Common Dolphin
  • Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin
  • Pacific White-Sided Dolphin
  • Risso's Dolphin
  • Short-beaked Common Dolphin
  • Dolphin
  • California Sea Lion
  • Harbor Seal
  • Mola mola (Sunfish)

Fin Whales, Humpback, and 3 Difference Dolphin Species

We started with two fin whales, one of which kept us guessing as it carved tight circles…

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Classic Dolphin Chaos on the Ocean Today

Bottlenose Dolphin Breaching

We started with two fin whales, one of which kept us guessing as it carved tight circles…

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Fin-tastic Day on the Water

1 Pacific White Sided Dolphins Spotted off San Diego Coast

We had a FIN-tastic day on the water! We caught up with 3 Fin whales, Pacific white-sided…

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Baleen Whales & Bottlenose Dolphins Today

San Diego Sunset Whale Watch

Getting back into the swing of things after our Easter weekend getting out to the Pacific where…

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Magical Easter Morning on the Pacific

We started our Sunday with glassy Seas and great passengers and so much wildlife! Making our way…

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Fin Whales and Loads of Dolphin Calves of Many Kinds

Calm seas and LOTS of whales! The 9:00 morning tour was treated to 4 fin whales frolicking…

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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: 21,164 dolphins and 325 whales.

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Departing daily from Mission Bay.

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