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.

7

Whales Spotted

2,060

Dolphins Spotted

6

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - April 24, 2026

Tour Species Count Location Behavior
Private CharterShort-beaked Common Dolphin50Surface ActiveHunting
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin100Surface ActiveHunting
Mid-day TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin100Surface Active
Sunset TourOffshore Bottlenose Dolphin45BreachingBow RidingJumpingPlayingSurface ActiveHunting

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)

September 27, 2025

The afternoon trip had a humpback whale! The M/V Privateer with Captain Brian Piersall, our galley bartender…

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September 24, 2025

Another beautiful day in the books! We had a fun time cruising out to deeper water! We…

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September 23, 2025

What a beautiful day on the water! We enjoyed watching multiple pods of dolphins on both afternoon…

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September 21, 2025

The last full day of summer has arrived.  Tomorrow, the Autumnal Equinox occurs at 11:21 PDT.  The celestial sun…

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September 20, 2025

We had reports of a rare sighting, that of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Killer Whales, and so…

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Friday, September 19, 2025

Just two miles beyond the Mission Bay Channel entrance, our skipper Captain Bryan, mentioned a shark breaching….

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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: 21,762 dolphins and 322 whales.

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Departing daily from Mission Bay.

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