Monday, April 7, 2014

Whale Watching in Newport Beach


SoCal Palm Trees
Balboa Island Ferris Wheel

It was a beautiful weekend in Southern California. I've lived here my whole life and often take my region for granted, but it was days like Saturday that remind me just how amazing my little section of the world is!

To celebrate a birthday, two of my friends and I decided to do something a bit different and decided on whale watching in Newport Beach. We went with Newport Landing Whale Watching, located in the Balboa Island/Peninsula area. If you love being out on the water and sea life, this is am awesome activity!

Glitter Champagne Bottle

Shh don't tell Beach Patrol, but we snuck in some pre-sail bubbly to celebrate the birthday girl! And then we continued drinking when we got on the boat. Ha.

Sailing in Newport
Newport Beach Sail Boats
Boating in Newport Beach, California

Unfortunately we didn't see any whales the whole trip. Wah! BUT, we did see seals sunbathing and so many dolphins! It was unreal. They swarmed our boat and were swimming along with us. Pods full of them playing alongside us, jumping in and out of the water. We even saw quite a few babies!

 Wild Dolphins in Newport Beach, California
Wild Dolphins Swimming in Newport Beach, California
Seals in Balboa Harbor - Newport Beach, CA
Sailboats in Balboa Harbor - Newport Beach, CA

Since pictures don't do the dolphins justice, check out this short 15-second video I captured.



Some tips if you plan on taking the Newport Landing Whale Watching tour:
  • If you grab food beforehand, try Newport Landing. It's located on the Balboa Peninsula, they have tasty options, and they give 50% off coupons for the tour.
  • Bring binoculars. We forgot ours and rented a pair for $5 but never used them.
I have more in-depth info about the trip over at Nautical By Nature. If you are interested in taking this tour, be sure to head over there to learn more. Happy sailing!


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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never been whale watching or never seen dolphins for real. This looks totally amazing! Thanks for sharing and happy Monday ;)

Nichole @ casadecrews.com said...

Looks so fun! I'm loving that you brought in a sparkly bottle of bubbly, too! Haha

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

What a fun way to celebrate her birthday! Any day on the water is a good day!!

birdie to be said...

Gorgeous pictures! Love the sparkly glitter bottle!

TheTinyHeart said...

Oh that is SO neat that you saw so many dolphins, even if you didn't spot any whales! I live at the Jersey shore and it's a special treat to see a dolphin here :)

-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
Cookbook Giveaway!

Heather said...

OMG look at all of the dolphins! Not seeing whales was probably disappointing but I've never seen that many dolphins. Living on the water I've seen a few from the beach, but never been out on a boat and seen that many! Also, what beach patrol doesn't know won't hurt them! Looks like your friend had a great birthday!

Marie said...

That looks like so much fun. great pictures!!

Best, Mree

Lindsay T. said...

Ahh looks so fun!

Unknown said...

Awesome! Bummer you didn't see whales but the dolphins were amazing. Balboa Island is adorable. My parents like to my take my nephews there and go on the rides.

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

Ah, you were literally in my neighboorhood...Balboa is so close!

Elle Sees said...

i've never been to newport. looks like fun even if ya didn't see whales!!

Life Through Preppy Glasses said...

the next time in LA I definitely want to get down to Newport Beach...looks so pretty!

Kate said...

I wish I didn't get so sea sick :( I went on a whale watching trip in high school and was miserable!

Rebecca and Lori said...

I think I would rather see the dolphins anyway! Looks like you had a great time!
Lori

C said...

So many dolphins! What a fun afternoon. I should take Nolan somewhere up here but it's too cold and rainy. Haha!

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

That looks like so much fun! I'm going to see if that groupon is still available!