A Guide to Whale Watching in San Diego

By Katie Sagal

Due to its ideal location along the Pacific coast, San Diego is one of the premier spots for whale watching in the U.S. Travelers will be amazed at the variety of whales that swim majestically along their migratory patterns through the Pacific Ocean, passing San Diego on their long treks. In fact, roughly 20,000 gray whales make a 10,000-mile round-trip journey from Alaska to Baja California each year! If you’re interested in going whale watching in San Diego, there are a few things to keep in mind before heading out into the open ocean. Check out our guide to San Diego whale watching for important info and tips.

When is the best time to go on a Whale Watch?

Image of Animal, Mammal, Sea Life, Whale, Fish, Shark, There are two primary seasons for whale watching cruises in San Diego: summer/fall, and winter/spring. During the summer months (mid-June through September), you're more likely to see a greater variety of whales. You could see whales including minke whales, fin whales, humpback whales, orcas, and the largest animal on earth—the blue whale. During the winter whale watch season (mid-December through April), you'll mainly see the remarkable gray whales. Other animals frequently spotted on San Diego whale watches include a diverse array of dolphin species, including bottlenose dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and common dolphins. You could also see sea lions and several types of sea birds like herons, gulls, and pelicans. Essentially, if you have the freedom to decide what time of year your trip to San Diego will occur, you can arrange it around which kind of whale you’d like to see the most.

What to Bring on a Whale Watch?

While San Diego’s climate is renowned for being temperate, it’s still chilly out on the open ocean. Bring layers and prepare for unpredictable wind and weather. You’ll be out on the ocean during the day, so it’s also important to wear sunblock and protective eyewear/headwear. As mentioned, it can get breezy and the ocean reflects a tremendous amount of light. (Even on cloudy days.) You should also bring a camera or recording device, ideally a waterproof one. Newer smartphones are usually reliably good for these kinds of photo opportunities, too, if you don’t want to spring for a nice camera. One thing you won’t have to bring is snacks. Most whale watch companies offer their own onboard food and drink, and usually prohibit outside fare anyway.

Where Does the Whale Watch Go?

Image of Animal, Mammal, Sea Life, Whale, Depending on the time of year you’ve selected for your cruise, whale watching ships in San Diego can travel a varying distance away from the coast. During the beginning of the whale watching season (starting in December), gray whales migrating south to warmer waters will stay nearer to the coast. At that time of year, you may only need to sail a few miles offshore to reach their routes. However, later in the spring and into the summer, whales tend to stay further away from the coast so your captain may choose to take the ship about ten or more miles from shore. If you choose a summer whale watch, you may see more diverse marine life as well. Many whale enthusiasts also like to venture further up the coast towards Los Angeles in search of these amazing but elusive creatures. If you choose a whale-watching cruise that departs from Newport Beach, you’ll sail out to one of the largest protected marine parks in the region, located just outside Newport Bay.

Whale Watching San Diego Tips

  • Research your whale watching company wisely.

Some companies are more of a commercial venture, while others employ real marine biologists from respected institutions like the San Diego Natural History Museum. Certain companies also fail to practice eco-friendly and sustainable behavior toward whales. Therefore, it’s important to choose an ethical whale watch.

  • Be patient.

It often takes quite some time for whales to surface around human vessels. Be prepared to sit offshore for a while before sighting any of these gentle giants. This behavior is often the reason whale watch cruises usually last between 3 to 4 hours.

  • Appreciate the other creatures.

Whales aren’t the only marine life you’ll come across on your nautical adventures. Keep a careful eye out for cavorting dolphins, swooping birds, and glistening sunfish. They’re just as much fun to see as the star attraction, and are usually more plentiful.

  • You can also see some whales from land.

While it’s hard to beat the appeal of being out on the open ocean so close to these impressive creatures, you can also see gray whale migration from places just on the Pacific, like the Birch Aquarium at Scripps or Torrey Pines State Reserve.

  • Whale watching is a great family activity.

Kids of all ages will love the chance to catch glimpses of marine mammals several hundred times their size. Just remember to pack things to keep them occupied during the time you’ll be waiting for the whales to breach—even if you think the novelty of being on a boat will be sufficient entertainment.

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Couple gazing at the sea from San Diego's cliffs
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Things to do in San Diego for Pride Day

While the rest of the planet celebrates Pride in June, San Diego (contrary as ever) holds its party in July. Why? Well, SoCal’s famous ‘June Gloom’ almost saw the parade rained off completely back in 1990. It was the last straw in a long and bitter weather-based war of attrition, which ultimately led to a permanent shift of date to July’s more reliably clement climes. The result: a far sunnier week-long celebration that pulls in some 300,000 spectators for its climax: the Pride Parade and two-day Balboa Park festival/love-in. Now we’ve cleared that up, read on for our guide to all the best things to do during Pride Week in San Diego. Pride Week Events July sees San Diego painted all the colors of the rainbow, with flags, bunting and balloons bedecking the streets from Hillcrest to La Jolla. Uptown Hillcrest is the beating heart of the city’s LGBTQ+ scene and therefore, perhaps unsurprisingly, the epicenter of all the best Pride Week events and activities. We’re talking beer-fueled bacchanalias at the world’s first gay brewery, drag pageants and karaoke nights, and club all-nighters with celeb DJs. Pride Week usually takes place mid-July, with the Parade landing on a Saturday and the festival running through the weekend. Check the official Pride website for info on specific Hillcrest and Pride Week events, and read our guide to fun things to do in Hillcrest here. Don’t miss: She Fest This celebratory event kicks off the Pride Week party in earnest, with a colorful Hillcrest shindig that includes live performers, workshops, community-building activities and more. Spirit of Stonewall Rally Getting the people parade-ready on the eve of the big march, the Spirit of Stonewall Rally recognizes and honors LGBTQ+ community leaders with a range of awards for achievements in activism, leadership and fundraising, before raising the Hillcrest Pride flag in front of a crowd of thousands. Pride Parade San Diego’s Pride Parade is one of the biggest in the States, with a 1.5-mile rainbow route that draws around 300,000 cheering spectators. Expect flamboyant floats, outlandish costumes and marching bands as the parade weaves its way from the Hillcrest Pride flag to Balboa Park. The fun starts at 10AM. Pride Festival There are four stages of live entertainment at this epic Balboa Park festival, which brings the Pride party to a close with a bang across Parade weekend. This event is ticketed, but relatively cheap, at under $40 for a weekend pass. More info and tickets here. Pride 5k And, if all that Pride partying has left you needing to offset the martinis and mimosas with a little light exercise, the Pride 5k may be for you. The annual race takes place at 8AM directly before the Pride Parade and welcomes runners (and walkers) of all abilities. Register to take part here. LGBTQ+ Attractions in San Diego Not only is San Diego’s epic Balboa Park central to many of the Pride Week celebrations, it’s also at the heart of the city’s cultural scene, with eye-catching Spanish-Colonial architectural gems galore, a Japanese garden, a pavilion, an old-school carousel, and more world-class museums than you can shake a very large stick at. Insta-perfect edifices along the broad El Prado boulevard, including the ornate Casa del Prado and lavish California Building bell tower, are adorned with LGBTQ+ flags and bathed in rainbow light in the evenings, and the park takes on a carnival atmosphere throughout Pride Week. Hit up the San Diego Museum of Art for Pride-affiliated performances (including music, dance, spoken word, visual art) and self-guided tours of celebrated works by LGBTQ+ artists including Berenice Abbott, Jasper Johns and Marsden Hartley. The nearby Museum of Us also usually hosts a Pride party with activities like crafting with drag queens, cookie-decorating contests, and more. Just north of Balboa Park, Hillcrest is of course where it's at for all things LGBTQ+. There’s an LGBTQ+ community center that’s been running a variety of social and cultural programs here since 1971. Then there are the many gay bars, cocktail joints and nightclubs, both here and in the similarly LGBTQ-friendly North Park neighborhood next door. Not to mention the endless cute brunch spots, cool boutiques, and the quite fabulous Hillcrest Brewing Company, self-styled ‘first gay brewery in the world’, with a colorful cast of craft ales that includes its signature Crotch Rocket and hangover-guaranteeing Banana Hammock (10% ABV!). Mosey over to University Heights to catch queer cabaret shows and more at the Diversionary theater, or take it easy on Black’s Beach, a secluded LGBTQ+ beach beneath the Torrey Pines bluffs, with golden California sands, and epic weekend parties to boot. Best of the Rest: San Diego’s Top Attractions Don’t miss the opportunity to check out some of San Diego’s best tours, activities and attractions when you’re in town. You could save up to 50% with a Go San Diego pass, which just happens to include a few of the attractions mentioned in this blog, such as the Museum of Us and the San Diego Museum of Art. It also includes entry to several other San Diego bucket-listers, such as: Meeting the cute (and not so cute) critters at San Diego Zoo Sampling some of that world-famous boysenberry pie (and the rides, of course) at Knott’s Berry Farm Ogling majestic blue whales up close on a whale-watching bay cruise Touring Petco Park, home of the legendary San Diego Padres Topping up your California tan with La Jolla bike, snorkel and surfboard rental Nabbing a selfie with Madonna and Marlene Dietrich at Madame Tussauds Getting spooked at the Whaley House Museum, said to be America’s most haunted house ….and many more! Find out more about the different types of Go San Diego pass and choose yours here.
Stuart Bak
Woman looking across the water towards San Diego's skyline
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Best Cruises in San Diego

San Diego Bay is second to none when it comes to world-class beaches, shops, restaurants and entertainment, not to mention those swoonsome sunsets so typical of the SoCal coastline. You might find yourself hiking the pine-scented bluffs of La Jolla, diving kelp forests at Point Loma, fishing for herring from the historic Ocean Beach Pier, sipping craft beer on the Mission Bay boardwalk, or toasting s’mores at sundown on lively Pacific Beach. But there’s just as much fun to be had on the water, with sport and snorkeling activities aplenty as well as plenty of opportunities to go exploring and whale-watching by boat. Read on for our guide to making the best of the Bay (and beyond) with our pick of the best cruises in San Diego… The Harbor Cruise The classic harbor cruise is a must-do for newbies, as essential a San Diego activity as experiencing the Gaslamp Quarter nightlife, saying hey to the La Jolla seals, or ogling Monet masterpieces in the San Diego Museum of Art. Here’s your chance to kick back, relax and let the crew do the sightseeing for you. Landmarks you’ll spot along the way include Seaport Village (pictured), Coronado Island, the Cabrillo National Monument, and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula. Crew will also be on hand to serve drinks and point out any native marine life along the way. The San Diego Harbor cruise can be booked via a variety of different operators – the 90-minute City Cruises experience is one of the best and is available as part of the money-saving San Diego attraction pass from Go City. Get more info on pass options here. The Whale-Watching Cruise If viewing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat is on your bucket list, you’ve come to the right place. San Diego’s balmy waters are prime territory for marine mammals: gray whales cruise through the bay en route to and from Mexico’s calving lagoons in winter and spring, while blues cruise the same aquatic highway in summer. Pods of dolphins and colonies of harbor seals mean you rarely have to wait long before some sort of sighting.  Boat tours depart daily from Downtown and Mission Bay, with many guaranteeing a refund in the unlikely event you do fail to set eyes on any of our splendid sea-faring friends. The Speed Boat Cruise Take it up a notch (or seven) on a speed boat adventure across San Diego Bay. Ok, so this one is less a cruise and more of a white-knuckle ride (depending on who’s doing the driving, of course). Just pick up your 13-foot, two-person cruiser and, well, the Bay is your oyster. Maybe you’ll cruise over for close-up views of the USS Midway aircraft museum, or meander down to admire the curvaceous Coronado Bridge, a 200-meter engineering masterpiece in concrete and steel that links Coronado Island to the mainland. Or, y’know, you can just spend the whole time doing donuts in the harbor. The choice is yours. Speed boat hire is also available as part of the Go City San Diego pass. The Coronado Ferry Cruise The cute old-fashioned ferry that chugs across the bay from San Diego to Coronado Island is hands-down the most romantic way to travel between the two. Hop aboard at Broadway Pier (every hour) or San Diego Convention Center (every half-hour) to reach the island in just a few short minutes. There’s plenty to do once on the island, too, from selfies at the iconic Hotel del Coronado (pictured) to farmers’ markets, coastal cycling adventures, and firepit s’mores on the beach. Check out our guide to all things Coronado here. The Amphibious Cruise San Diego SEAL Tours offers the best of both sightseeing worlds thanks to its amphibious ‘boats with wheels’. Board at Seaport Village or the Embarcadero for a 100-minute narrated tour that takes you on one of San Diego’s best ‘cruises’ first through the scenic streets of downtown San Diego then into the water. Transformation from bus to boat complete, the tour continues to sights including the millionaire mansions at Point Loma, Shelter Island, and the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The Foodie Cruise Everybody knows serious sightseeing can be hungry work. What better way to acknowledge this than by booking one of San Diego’s top brunch or dinner cruises? Again, there are loads of different operators to pick from, but City Cruises are among the most reputable locally. Get your sea legs on for a two-hour brunch/sightseeing experience that includes pastries, eggs, smoked salmon and more, plus unlimited mimosas during the two-hour cruise. Or, if you prefer to wait until the sun’s over the yardarm, opt for a dinner cruise that promises cocktails, a la carte dining, live DJs and swoonsome views of the San Diego skyline at sunset. The Gondola Cruise Like your cruise experiences a little more… quirky? San Diego Gondola Cruises has just the thing for you! As the name suggests, this experience brings a little slice of Venice to Southern California, with your choice of daytime or sunset cruises of the Coronado Cays aboard a Venetian-style gondola. The ride comes complete with stripy-shirted gondolier, traditional Italian music, and (for an extra charge) a real-life mandolin player. You can even add wine and truffles to the 50-minute experience. Who said romance is dead? The Fishing Cruise The waters around San Diego are rich in sea bass, rock fish, halibut, yellowtail and more. Why else did you think so many dolphins, seals and gulls hang out along the coastline here? There’s a wide range of fishing charters available, from half-day local forays into the harbor and kelp fields to epic voyages into Mexican waters for prized game including dorado and bluefin tuna. Check out the plethora of local operators to find the trip that best suits your skill level and preferred catches. Save on Tours, Attractions and Activities in San Diego Save on admission to San Diego attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
San Diego skyline by night
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Things to do in San Diego at Night Time

After-dark activities abound in buzzing San Diego, where night owls can partake of delights as diverse as spooky ghost tours, craft beer taprooms, sunset s’mores on the beach, and nocturnal critters at the epic Balboa Park Zoo. Dive in for our guide to some of the best things to do in San Diego at night time. Get Spooked on a Ghost Tour San Diego could well be the planet’s most haunted city. The proliferation of ghost tours available in and around the Old Town would certainly have you think so. Hit up the spookier-than-spooky Whaley House (built in the 19th century on the site of an old gallows, natch) for your main spectral fix. Here, in ‘the most haunted house in America’ (LIFE magazine) nearly two centuries of domestic tragedy make for perfect ghost-hunting fodder, with nerve-shredding night tours available, led by ghoulish expert guides. Fearless travelers can also join terrifying walking tours of Old Town burial grounds and the ghostly Gaslamp Quarter if they dare. Creature Features San Diego Zoo is one of the biggest and best-loved zoos on the planet. Excellent during the daytime, it’s arguably even better at night when the nocturnal critters start stirring from their daylight slumbers and getting ready for dinnertime. The night zoo operates through summer, adding tribal music, wildlife performers, acrobatics and more to an already fairly exotic roster of attractions that includes tropical aviaries, savannahs and Arctic environments. Dinner on the Bay An evening cruise of San Diego Bay is a great way to see the city sights and beautiful California coastline without lifting a finger (or indeed a foot). Sail across the harbor, taking in views of the dramatic skyline against fiery sunset skies and check out attractions including Coronado Island and the USS Midway. Lucky punters might even catch a glimpse of the occasional migrating whale (blue in summer; gray in winter) as they tuck into dinner and cocktails and enjoy the on-board entertainment. S’mores on the Beach San Diego’s long and beautiful stretch of California coastline means just one thing: you absolutely must cozy up around a night time beach bonfire with friends and family. Grab your cookies, chocolate and marshmallows and hit up cookout hotspots (no pun intended) at the likes of Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores and Coronado Beach. You’ll have to book your spot at the beach in front of the legendary Hotel del Coronado well in advance, but boy is it worth it. Perched right on the seafront overlooking Point Loma, ‘The Del’, with its distinctive conical turrets, is a Coronado institution. Here, families build sandcastles along the hotel’s fine band of golden sand, paddle-board in the lagoon, and gorge themselves silly on firepit s’mores at sunset. Beery Bonanza Microbrewing is big business in San Diego, where somewhere in the region of 150 independent breweries are thriving at any given time. Because of this, you rarely have to walk far to find a fine brewhouse or taproom, especially in hip enclaves like North Park, where colorful street art and beautiful beer make for fine bedfellows. Sup strong stouts at the Belching Beaver Brewery or grab a hazy IPA at the Fall Brewing Company. Mosey over to hippy-dippy Ocean Beach where sun-kissed vibes are the order of the day at the Ocean Beach Brewery, or strike out for the lovely gardens and outdoor games at Stone Brewing’s huge Liberty Station complex. Heck, if you fancy taking an immersive deep-dive into the best the ‘capital of craft’ has to offer, you can even go on a guided tour of multiple San Diego microbreweries. Or, as it used to be called, a bar crawl.   Sunset Stroll The clue’s in the name: Sunset Cliffs just south of Ocean Beach is one of San Diego’s finest spots for watching the sun go down over the Bay. Take a flask of your favorite mocktail (non-alcoholic drinks only up here we’re afraid) and enjoy the peace and relative solitude as the skies turn various shades of fiery orange, mustard yellow and burnt sienna over a petrol-blue sea. It’s the perfect setting for #humblebrag Insta shots and also (if you squint against the fading light) a pretty decent whale-watching spot, especially between December and April, when gray whales migrate en masse from Alaska to the warm calving grounds of Baja’s lagoons. Balboa Park Balboa Park is a treat at any time, but arguably lovelier still at night when its buildings are beautifully illuminated (if not necessarily open). The park’s most extraordinary architectural marvels were designed for Expos in the early 20th Century. Ogle the ornate Spanish Renaissance-style facade of the San Diego Museum of Art, featuring sculptures of Velázquez, Murillo and Zurbarán, pause for a pic in the Casa del Prado’s atmospheric cloisters, and listen out for the chime of the California Building’s eye-popping bell tower. There’s live music and theater at the Victorian Spreckels Organ Pavilion and Old Globe respectively, and you can unleash your inner kid on the old-fashioned carousel, a menagerie of brightly painted beasts that includes horses, giraffes, cats and a dragon! It’s Showtime! San Diego’s lively nightlife scene runs the gamut from rowdy dive bar rock shows to country music and top-flight comedy. Hit up the open mic night at the American Comedy Company for some of the freshest new talent in California, grab dinner and a show at the legendary House of Blues, or bust some moves and get involved in raucous singalongs at the non-stop party that is The Shout! House’s Dueling Pianos show. You’ll find some of the music world’s biggest names dropping by Petco Park and Snapdragon Stadium on their world tours, while the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach has hosted gigs by the likes of BB King and the Black Eyed Peas. Save on attractions in San Diego Save on admission to San Diego attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak

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