Whale watching at the beach for a break day?

[B3rlingirl]

Hello everyone,
I need some input for my mother-daughter-holiday-trip (11/15-11/23) .
I know it is a little off topic but I need help for our second break day...
We will have 2 break days probably a Monday and a Wednesday. One day we will do shopping at the outlets of orange like we do every trip and for the second day I am considering a trip to the beach.

I was wondering which beach would be best? We won't have a car so we probably will use uber (will probably my second time using uber so I am already very excited...)

I was googling what we could do at the beach... because I am not expecting it will be sunbathing and swimming weather...( though we might try a very short dip in the ocean if it's good weather.. at least with the toes..... we are used to German weather and the Baltic Sea isn't exactly known for Caribbean weather either)

I found "whale watching" as an activity.
I can't recall reading about its a recommendation for a break day on DIS boards so I was wondering if there is something I am missing? A whale watching tour/boat tour sounds relaxing and like a reasonable thing to do on a relaxing break day...
I googled and found out that whales can be spotted all year long but that its probably kind of a in between time for whales when we are going... I know that there are no guarantees anyways (we already did whale watching and dolphin watching in Hawaii) but I was wondering if a whale watching tour in November would be worth it? I read that you can also often spot some other wild life which would also be ok with us... a nice boat trip with a chance to see something would be our expectation right now..
Has anyone any experience with whale watching at the beaches close to Anaheim?
Maybe even any recommendations for tour operators?

Any other things to do at the beach? (we want it to be relaxing so probably no aquarium)

Thanks for your input!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I did a whale watching tour in March of 2024 and it was fantastic. We had a rental car so travel wasn't an issue but Newport wasn't too far from Anaheim. Newport had some cute shops to explore too. The company we used was fantastic, it is a small boat (only 6 people) and Captain Nick was very personable and knowledgeable. He really wanted us to have a good time and even stayed out a little bit longer so we could see whales, on the tour we got into a couple megapods of dolphins and that was worth it just for that. The company we used was East Meets West.

https://emwwhalewatching.com/

 

[LKing]

There are certain times of year when whale watching is amazing. If the whales aren't migrating, you'll likely see dolphins and maybe some seals or sea lions.

I've done whale watching through the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, but that is a little far for you. I would suggest Balboa Island/Newport.

 

[dcassetta]

It is not the optimal time of year. A little late for blue whales, but some gray whales may have started their migration. Sea lions and dolphins are more likely.

If the goal is a close beach, Newport and Huntington are nice and not too far from Disney.

If you are more focused on whale watching, I would make a trip to Dana Point. It's further, but excellent for whale watching. The ocean geography there makes it more likely to see whales.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It is not the optimal time of year. A little late for blue whales, but some gray whales may have started their migration. Sea lions and dolphins are more likely.

If the goal is a close beach, Newport and Huntington are nice and not too far from Disney.

If you are more focused on whale watching, I would make a trip to Dana Point. It's further, but excellent for whale watching. The ocean geography there makes it more likely to see whales.

I second the recommendation for whale watching in Dana Point. Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari operates out of Dana Point Harbor and is excellent, as is Dana Wharf Whale Watching. Although it's not "whale season" you could see whales and other sea life like dolphins, sea lions, sun fish (mola mola), even sharks. Whales are always around, November is just before the start of the season, so you might get lucky and see some early whales. I live locally and my husband operates a sailing charter company out of Dana Point Harbor. They aren't a "whale watching" outfit but they are out every day and see things. Spotted in recent days were humpbacks, fin whales, and even orcas (kind of rare for us)! Also, fall weather can be absolutely beautiful for being out on our ocean. Have a great trip!

 

[Aspencreek]

I did a whale watching tour in March of 2024 and it was fantastic. We had a rental car so travel wasn't an issue but Newport wasn't too far from Anaheim. Newport had some cute shops to explore too. The company we used was fantastic, it is a small boat (only 6 people) and Captain Nick was very personable and knowledgeable. He really wanted us to have a good time and even stayed out a little bit longer so we could see whales, on the tour we got into a couple megapods of dolphins and that was worth it just for that. The company we used was East Meets West.

https://emwwhalewatching.com/

Thanks for sharing this company. Sounds very similar to an outfit out of Oceanside CA that also uses small boats with a max of 6 passengers. We tried them out the first time a year and half ago and had such a fantastic time we've been back two more times since! Love the small boats that gets you so close down to the action, but also allows you to listen/chat with the captain. First trip we got into one of those megapods of dolphins and honestly I was blown away with how cool it was - never realized you could see THOUSANDS of them at once! Next trip we saw a variety of whales including a humpback that swam directly under our boat about 5-10 feet below us. (Below is a still-photo from a video I took of it going under the boat). Last trip we got into tons of dolpins again, plus humpbacks and some blue whales. Would definitely recommend making time for a trip if at all possible.

 

[Nonsuch]

I second the recommendation for whale watching in Dana Point. Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari operates out of Dana Point Harbor and is excellent, as is Dana Wharf Whale Watching. Although it's not "whale season" you could see whales and other sea life like dolphins, sea lions, sun fish (mola mola), even sharks. Whales are always around, November is just before the start of the season, so you might get lucky and see some early whales. I live locally and my husband operates a sailing charter company out of Dana Point Harbor. They aren't a "whale watching" outfit but they are out every day and see things. Spotted in recent days were humpbacks, fin whales, and even orcas (kind of rare for us)! Also, fall weather can be absolutely beautiful for being out on our ocean. Have a great trip!

I also recommend Dana Point and Captain Dave, had several great trips (on various sized boats).

 

[B3rlingirl]

Thank you so much everyone for your great suggestions. And sharing your experiences!

(I still can’t believe I completely missed whale watching as an option for the area…)

So it sounds like we will do a boat trip and hope to see some sea life… and some nature in general…

I just just checked maps und uber and I guess Dana point is doable just as well…
I gotta do some more focused googling to decide where to go…
Dana point sounds very promising but I have to ask my mom what she thinks about it and if she has any preferences…

Now I hope for acceptable weather or better…
but (knocking on wood) I firmly believe it won’t be as bad as my last holiday trip 2019 when there was some really bad weather with flooding and everything…