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.

6

Whales Spotted

5,210

Dolphins Spotted

6

Different Species Spotted

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Today's Sightings Summary

Detailed Sightings Log - May 13, 2026

Tour	Species	Count	Behavior
Mid-day Tour	Short-beaked Common Dolphin	150	Chin SlappingHuntingNursery PodSurface ActivePlayingJumpingDivingFeedingTail SlappingCow/Calf PairBow RidingBreaching

Detailed Sightings Log - May 12, 2026

Tour	Species	Count	Behavior
Mid-day Tour	Short-beaked Common Dolphin	150	HuntingSurface ActivePlayingJumping
Mid-day Tour	Humpback Whale	3	FeedingBreaching
Mid-day Tour	Minke Whale	2	Diving
Sunset Tour	Short-beaked Common Dolphin	400	Surface ActivePlaying
Sunset Tour	Long-beaked Common Dolphin	50	Surface Active
Sunset Tour	Minke Whale	1	Mugging
Private Charter	Short-beaked Common Dolphin	300	Chin SlappingSurface ActivePlayingJumpingCow/Calf PairBow RidingBreaching
Private Charter	Long-beaked Common Dolphin	150	DivingFeedingCow/Calf Pair

Recent Sightings

All

WE’VE GOT THE BLUES, BABY!!!!! FIRST BLUE WHALE OF THE YEAR!

April 27, 2026

We set out this afternoon and found the ABSOLUTE jackpot. We sighted the largest animal on Earth…

Came for the fun, stayed for the FIN!

April 25, 2026

The Privateer headed out this morning in some gray skies and western swells but didn’t let that…

Dolphins all day — and the ocean is changing in all the right ways.

April 24, 2026

Dolphins all day — and the ocean is changing in all the right ways. Common dolphins have…

Baby Dolphins for Days

April 20, 2026

Dolphins and seabirds are the stars of the show yet again! So many baby common dolphins out…

Dolphins All Around

April 21, 2026

We headed out into the Pacific and found dolphins everywhere we looked! Before we even made it…

Day of the Dolphins and a Mystery Mysticete

April 19, 2026

The morning whale watch left us mesmerized by dolphins a plenty! Both long and short beaked common…

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Our Typical Route

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

A typical route that San Diego Whale Watch takes from Mission Bay into the Pacific Ocean to see gray whales

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This Year's Stats

Total: 23,997 dolphins and 324 whales.

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