SEA MONSTER ALERT! Our Sunset trip got a wild surprise! Valella Vallella (aka By the Wind Sailors) have been INVADING our waters! With the tiny tentacled sailors, come their predators! A monstrously large Mola Mola ( aka Ocean Sun Fish) appeared to start vacuuming the valella off of the surface! We all watched and cheered as the googley eyed fish lunged towards its prey over and over again! We only really get to see this in the months of April and May but we never know when this behavior will start or stop happening – it all depends on how long the vallella stay around, they can all blow away ..read more

We had an action packed day with big swells, big whales, and big fish! After rolling through the big waves in the jetties, we set out to the west. A pod of ~50 Long-beaked Common dolphins rushed toward the Privateer! We observed them riding the bow and surfing our wake! The continued to the south and we pushed out to the west toward the drop-off. We sighted a huge, tall, columnar spout right in front of us! We hung out with the second largest whale in the world, the Fin whale! It was traveling to the south and then turned toward the coast! We observed some interesting behavior! It seemed to a ..read more

We had another day full of fins! On our one trip this afternoon we encountered at least 3 and possibly 4 fin whales out on the drop off, feeding on krill. We could tell that’s what they were doing because we went over some poop and it was red and chunky! We think we were possibly seeing a cow/calf pair but never could confirm it. We’ve been finding the second largest animal on earth almost every trip now, so it’s a great time to come out! -Ryan April 23, 2024 17April 23, 2024 18April 23, 2024 19April 23, 2024 20April 23, 2024 21April 23, 2024 22April 23, 2024 23 ..read more

We had a whale of an Earth Day today! On our one trip we made our way out to the northwest heading towards La Jolla. On our way we could see lots of feeding birds in the distance and pretty soon came into a few scattered pods of long-beaked common dolphins; probably around 150 altogether. From there we went west and at the drop off encountered two fin whales, and spotted another one about a mile north of us! We got great looks at the two, especially the closer one that popped up right next to us at one point. We’ve actually seen this whale recently as it is easy to spot with the scarring on i ..read more

Whale Sightings Today in San Diego Waters! Unforgettable Encounters Await Calling all ocean adventurers! Are you yearning to witness the majesty of whales breaching the surface or gracefully gliding alongside your boat? Look no further than San Diego, a haven for unforgettable whale sightings today. This vibrant coastal city boasts a unique combination of factors that make it a whale-sighting San Diego paradise. From diverse whale species to an ideal location and year-round opportunities, San Diego offers the perfect setting for encountering these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat ..read more

First blue whale of the Season! The Privateer had a very exciting Sunday sunset trip! With the most pleasant calm seas we headed through a very large and widely scattered pod of long beaked common dolphins. Once we were 11 miles from Mission Bay we found a sub adult blue whale feeding on an abundance of krill. We hung around for a couple of breath cycles before racing daylight back to the dock. We’re hoping this is a great sign for a bountiful and long blue whale season!! April 21 2024 9April 21 2024 10April 21 2024 11 ..read more

FIN WHALES ARE STILL TOWN!! We had an absolutely FINtastic time today on the water from start to FINish! We had three trips today with amazing sightings all day. This morning we found 2 fin whales straight out on the drop off, saw around ~100 long beaked common dolphins and a sea lion eating a snake. On the afternoon trip we found another fin whale and ~100 long- beaks. On our sunset trip, we headed out southwest about 9 miles from Mission Bay and encountered a massive bird pile with ~200 long beaked common dolphins and various types of sea birds. We also saw a rare sighting of two Pomarine j ..read more

We had a FIN-tacular afternoon on the water! Spring is for sure here and that is being reflected in the species we are seeing. We raced out towards the west, past the drop off and caught up with a duo of fin whales feeding on small schooling fish. We hung out with them for a while and observed them syncing up their breath cycles. The fin whales were particularly curious and popped up unexpectedly next to the Privateer. On our way back towards Mission Bay we came across a small pod of long beak common dolphins chasing fish around. They were working cooperatively with pelicans and terns to make ..read more

We had a FIN-tacular afternoon on the water! Spring is for sure here and that is being reflected in the species we are seeing. We raced out towards the west, past the drop off and caught up with a duo of fin whales feeding on small schooling fish. We hung out with them for a while and observed them syncing up their breath cycles. The fin whales were particularly curious and popped up unexpectedly next to the Privateer. On our way back towards Mission Bay we came across a small pod of long beak common dolphins chasing fish around. They were working cooperatively with pelicans and terns to make ..read more

We had a Wacky Whale Wednesday with Fin whales and dolphins sighted on both tours! We began our morning tour with a small pod of ~5-7 inshore bottlenose dolphins feeding in front of the Ocean Beach pier. We continued on and a couple miles from shore we encountered a dense fog bank engulfing the Privateer! We got to the drop-off and followed that to the south when we found a huge clearing with ~7-miles of visibility! We searched the area and after picking up a couple of Mylar balloons, we sighted a Fin whale! It circled the area, likely feeding! After the fourth breathing cycle, we spotted ano ..read more