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.

22

Whales Spotted

4,900

Dolphins Spotted

5

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - September 13, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourShort-beaked Common Dolphin200BreathingFeedingBow Riding
Mid-day TourHumpback WhaleBreathingDiving

Detailed Sightings Log - September 12, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Sunset TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin1000Running for their livesForagingSurfingSurface ActivePlaying
Sunset TourOrcas8HuntingMugging

Detailed Sightings Log - September 12, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourHumpback Whale1BreathingFeeding
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin750ForagingBreathingSurfingStampede

Detailed Sightings Log - September 12, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Morning TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin750ForagingSurfingSleepingStampedeSurface ActivePlaying
Morning TourHumpback Whale1BreathingMegapod
Morning Tour

Detailed Sightings Log - September 11, 2026

Tour Species Count Behavior
Mid-day TourLong-beaked Common Dolphin1100Surface ActiveCow/Calf PairBow Riding

Recent Sightings

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Face off

This time of year you can spot juvenile california sea lions play-fighting and getting ready for their…

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They come in twos…

Today on the Inspiration we took two trips. The first trip we came across a couple common…

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Fin-ally!

Golden light, glassy seas, and a whale that stole the whole show. We pushed far to the…

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Fins and a fin!

Followed the seabirds to multiple pods of common dolphins, and even a rare pod of off-shore bottlenose!…

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Long‑beaks led the charge today!

We came across a couple of lively pods — about 250 dolphins total — and they were…

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Something’s Fishy…..

And it’s a swordfish! Our sunset cruise had a fairly typical excursion: beautiful bottlenose dolphins in the…

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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: 24,147 dolphins and 317 whales.

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Departing daily from Mission Bay.

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