Dana Point Festival of Whales
Welcome to Dana Point, CA
The Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®
Dana Point whale watching is more than spectacular—it’s world class! As The Dolphin and Whale Watching Capital of the World® and is the first Whale Heritage site in the Americas, Dana Point is the best location for watching year-round whales embark on one of the longest migrations by any mammal.
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Marvel as the magnificent California Gray Whale migrates directly off the coast of Dana Point, not to mention, Dana Point sees the greatest concentration of blue whales and dolphins on earth. It’s ALWAYS whale watching season and you'll have a WHALE of a time when you book an excursion with one of our whale watching tour operators.
America's First Whale Heritage Site
Feel good about whale watching in Dana Point.
Dana Point is proud to be the first Whale Heritage Site in the Americas, as designated by the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA)-- the world’s largest marine conservation partnership, dedicated to the promotion of safe and sustainable whale watching.
Whale Heritage Sites give you a transparent and easy way to select responsible whale and dolphin watching destinations.
Here's your VIP invitation to experience these animals in their natural habitat, in an authentic and respectful way.
Help Us Keep the Festival of Whales Clean and Green
The Dana Point Festival of Whales is an ocean-friendly event with many of our booths, displays and exhibits being very close to water’s edge. We ask that all our spectators , sponsors and exhibitors keep this ocean location top-of-mind and refrain from buying, selling and using single-use plastic water bottles, balloons, stickers, temporary tattoos, flyers or other materials that might find their way to the receiving waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Drinking fountains are plentiful for the refilling of water bottles. Please don’t forget to BYO (bring your own) water bottle and refill throughout the day. Please help us keep the Festival of Whales clean and green for generations to come.
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Did you know? Plastics are the most common form of marine debris. They can come from a variety of land- and ocean-based sources, enter the water in many ways, and impact the ocean. Once in the water, plastic debris never fully biodegrades.
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Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications.
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At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
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Marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris, which causes severe injuries and death.
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Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change.
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There is an urgent need to explore new and existing legally binding agreements to address marine plastic pollution.