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.

16

Whales Spotted

7,300

Dolphins Spotted

5

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

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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Killer Whales

🌊 KILLER WHALES. Do I need to say more? A pod of ~12 Eastern Tropical Pacific ORCAS…

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Dolphins for DAYS!

The party never stops with common dolphins. Inspiration headed into the swells with cetaceans on our mind….

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Hey there big guy!

We nearly lost our minds this evening when the second‑largest animal on Earth surprised us by surfacing…

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Close Encounter!

Close encounters of the WILD animal kind! A Humpback whale turned STRAIGHT AT US and came over…

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BREEEEEEEEAAAAACCCHHHHH BABY

As many San Diego locals woke up this morning they noticed a thick layer of marine fog…

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Popcorn dolphins!

Short‑beaked common dolphins lit up the skyline tonight, playing in the golden sunset light and showing off…

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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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