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There’s no excuse to miss whale watching in San Diego! The annual migration of gray whales brings them close to shore and it’s a thrill to observe, along with jumping dolphins, basking sea lions and the powerful beauty of the bay.
Yet I’ve heard so many excuses not to go. “It’s too cold, too windy, too sunny, not for kids, not for elders, boring, too crowded, too expensive,” and the list goes on. I debunked every excuse on a Hornblower cruise one bright, winter afternoon.
The adventure begins.
Sea sickness was one excuse. It was a moot concern on the very stable Hornblower ship that slid easily out to sea. Two friends said, “I can’t get away on a weekday.” Fair enough but I hope we can one day take a leisurely sail for a Sunday brunch, birthday party with a weekend departure.
One of several, on board naturalists trained by the Museum of Natural History
Our route in green dots, but we actually went out past Point Loma, on the left.
The most surprising excuse was “I hate whale watching cruises.’ I respect the choice as I sense there’s a bad boat experience behind it. However with naturalists on board, a knowledgeable captain narrating and calm seas, our San Diego whale watching cruise was a comfortable, respectful, and informative adventure.
We swiftly slipped away from the San Diego skyline.
“I don’t have anyone to go with.” Watching whales splashing is a bonding experience. As the ship slipped out of its berth, it was easy to share the excitement of expectations with other cruisers. While standing on deck, adrenaline fueled conversations and there were interesting visitors from around the world. We cheered as the first whale spouts were spied. Dolphins delighted us when they materialized suddenly, playing in the ship’s wake. It was like watching fireworks – everyone ooooing and awwwwing in unison.
It was easy to get lost in conversations and forget about the views. Luckily the captain kept vigilant, announcing each sighting and what direction to look. We’d rush from side to side, back to front, to better spy spouts and flukes. There were many. The ship was large enough that it stayed steady and maneuvered to a respectful distance from the wildlife for photo opps.
“The wind, sun, cold or heat is too much.” There many viewing areas on the ship from deep decks to wide-windowed cabin areas. If the weather isn’t comfortable it was simple to shelter inside and not miss the show. I watched a pod of dolphins racing from a window near the snack bar!
Cabrillo National Monument from sea level
There’s much more than wildlife to keep you interested. The route passes many landmarks and there’s the skyline, careening seagulls, sailing ships to ogle, the Coronado Islands and the famous Del Coronado to admire. If you need a closer look there are binoculars available to rent on the ship!
Kids and elders won’t be bored. There’s much to safely explore. The naturalists give fascinating presentations complete with giant whale bones and lots of pictures. Elders or the wheel-chair bound will be comfortable from accessible viewing areas inside or out.
There’s even a guarantee. If you don’t see whales, dolphins or sea lions you’ll get a ‘whale check’ good for another Hornblower harbor or San Diego whale watching cruise. As the saying goes, “I’ll be back.”
More about San Diego whale watching:
- Hornblower Cruise schedules and events in San Diego online
- The San Diego whale and dolphin watching season runs from from Dec. 13 to April 24th
- Review whale sighting reports online at sandiegowhalewatching.com
- If you’re not in San Diego for the whale season there are special cruises year round: celebrating Restaurant week in January, Easter Sunday in April, Valentines Day cruises in February, Pet Day on the Bay at the end of April, Full Moon harbor cruises, birthday and lobster dinner cruises.
Thanks to Hornblower cruises and events for inviting me to experience all this. As usual all opinions are my own.
There’s so much going on in San Diego. Check out this hidden artwork that most visitors miss completely. Share this post! Social media buttons are above and here’s a few pins:
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I love San Diego and as I am from LA I happen to go there so often but I never really tried whale watching there.. Hmm I guess I will try that next time..
San Diego is on my top US destinations at
http://usimages.blogspot.com
Nice that San Diego’s made it into your top U.S. destinations. I’ve been here over a decade and keep discovering things.
wow! looks great! #practical mondays
Glad you liked the pictures and all, Tanja.
Ok–I have to admit, we’ve been to San Diego twice and never went whale watching! We were there out of season both times though unfortunately–it looks like San Diego would be a great place to go–we will have to make sure we visit in season next time 🙂 We did get to go in Boston several years ago though, and I can’t see how people wouldn’t enjoy it! Such a fun adventure!
I’d love to see whales spouting in Boston one day and hope you get to San Diego during the season.
We did this in Victoria BC and it was an amazing experience! my kids loved it! I will go whale watching every opportunity i get! its so amazing to see them in the ocean!
Your kids are lucky! Getting out to the ocean to see these creatures can shift how one feels about the world.
We love watching whales that pass by the island of O’ahu, Hawaii during our Jan/Feb stays there but I have yet to take a whale watching cruise. One day, maybe. . .
So cool that you saw whales breeching in Hawaii. I loved that too while moving from Maui to Lanai.
I have a question. Is the boat rocking a lot on these trips? It looks like the sea can be choppy where people go whale watching and I get quite seasick. Otherwise, I would love this experience. The photos are fantastic and it looks like they get whale sightings a lot so a great place to go
The Hornblower yachts are very stable and whales pass close to the mouth of the bay, so there’s not that much time ‘out at sea.’ No one got sea sick the day I went out and I never felt rocking.
This is interesting! Would love to see your posts in the Practical Mondays Link Up:)
Thanks for the invite. I’m in!
You have some beautiful pictures of the animals here! Whale watching is always such a fun experience, and I’m glad that you had such a good time on your cruise!
Thanks, Carmen. I love taking pictures and getting out on the water is always a thrill.
Thanks, Carmen, for the invite. I’m in!
I have been whale watching and I absolutely love it. There’s something so special about whales.
I think they remind of us of our ancient, wild natures. Glad that you’ve had the chance to see these giants.
I’d love to go whale watching but my excuse would be the looming sense of disappointment if you don’t actually see any!
That’s not a factor with the migration this year in San Diego. Some days there are fewer sightings but this year has been pretty steady. Hornblower gives a guarantee too, so you can return to see them another day.
We went whale watching in Iceland. It was amazing to see these creatures in the water. I’ll bet San Diego is a much warmer experience no matter how ‘cold’ people think it is.
I bet you’re right! Iceland must’ve been amazing for whale watching.
I haven’t been in San Diego yet, but for sure I want to do whale watching while visiting! Thanks for a great idea! 🙂
The gray whales migrate through between Alaska and Mexico. This year that’s bringing them closer to shore. Lucky us!
I’ve always been intrigued by whale watching, but never had the chance to do it. Glad to read about the experience and what to expect. Your pictures are great as well 🙂 Loads of fun to be had by all!
Thanks so much, Rosemary. I hope you get a chance to see these amazing creatures yourself one day.
What an amazing experience! I’m sure it’s all down to timing to make sure you get the most of the trip – and see the most whales! – but if I could get there, I would jump at the chance!
“Make it so,” to paraphrase Captain Piccard.
Elaine thank you for linking this post up with #TheWeeklyPostcard. Here in Perth we have the migration of the Humpback and Southern Right Whales from Antarctica to warmer Australian waters where they give birth and have a company here with a thirty year reputation hosting a whale watching cruise. If you ever get to Perth I highly recommend it.
Thanks, Lyn, I would love to visit Perth and be there for your migration. Great idea.
Wow, people really said they hate whale watching cruises??!! I can’t imagine it!! I do see how if a ship is way too overcrowded it may not necesarily be an enjoyable experience, but each of the cruises I’ve been on has been superb. We did one in Alaska last year and loved it – would be amazing to get to San Diego for a cruise too 🙂
Cool that you went cruising in Alaska. I lived in Juneau many moons ago and never went on a whale watching cruise. Did see several right outside of downtown though!
Elaine, agree that this is an event not to miss. I went already this year to see the whales (took a boat from my own city, Redondo Beach). They were moving super close to the shore, so, the boat didn’t have to go that far. Since the boat is constantly stopping to wait for the whales to breach, it is difficult to get sea sick. Also agree the trips are very interesting with the naturalists on board. We saw like ten whales and had an amazing time.
Lucky you to have been out to see the whales. I’ve been a couple of times this year, once on a small boat where they breached so close we could feel the spray! Aren’t we lucky?
I think my biggest excuse would be that I would sit on a boat for a few hours and not see anything! I have heard about the migration of whales in San Diego, knowing that there are always whales around at this time would make me much more interested in a whale watching tour! What I would really love to do is whale watch from a kayak! I wonder if there are whale watching tours that do this in San Diego.
I’m with you and would love to see the whales from a kayak. It’s a tricky business when they’re feeding though. Wouldn’t want to be in their way!
It’s always fun to be out exploring on the water, I always love to see the shoreline and different views on the water. The added plus is spotting all the amazing sea life that you can come across from these adventures.
It was such fun. I don’t go out on bigger ships like this very often which made it seem lux.
I think my fear with whale watching is obviously that I will pay and go and won’t see any whales. I like that this one gives you a “rain check” so to say if you don’t see anything.
It must be that the whale traffic is so well documented they can offer a guarantee. It’s all good business, I think.
I have friends who have gone whale-watching and spent a few hours tossed around in rough ocean waves without seeing any whales or only seeing one — not so fun. it seems like in this situation you can count on the whales being there, which must be amazing. Makes me want to do it! visiting from #wkendtravelinspiration
That sounds pretty dreadful for your friends. I’d be reluctant to go out too. We’re lucky to have so many hanging out just off the coast each winter.
looks like an amazing experience if you ask me. our kids love this sort of stuff. Have been meaning to go on a trip like this on the new south wales south coast of Australia for while now
We’ve been so lucky the last two years with lots of whales showing up close to the shore too. I’m sure your kids would love to see this and especially the playful dolphins.
I didn’t try this tour, Elaine. We usually go from San Pedro, Dana Harbor in Orange County. One time I remember the whales were so far, we could barely see them. I might try to go from San Diego though if you had such a good time with this cruise.
Thanks, Anda, Sorry to hear that your whales were so far away! I’m going to add a picture from the time two of us went out to spot whales and nearly ran into one!