Newport Coastal Adventure — Attraction in Newport Beach

I had an absolute blast with Newport Coastal Adventure this past weekend. From check-in to docking, it was all great. I realized I forgot my glasses during check-in and the sweet lady at the desk let me borrow a pair, even cleaned them! On the boat, Dave and Mark were excellent. Dave is a skilled driver, he navigated the waves with precision to make the ride as smooth as possible for us. I also appreciated the style of the seats, I was not expecting comfort with the size of the boat, but it was a great experience. The ride alone was exhilarating, the speed makes it feel like a carnival ride (bring a waterproof jacket, we weren't soaked, but sprayed a few times). And Mark was extremely hospitable, he talked to us nearly the whole time, sharing stories, resources (like the database used to log details about the whales), high quality pictures from his camera, and so much information on the animals. We ended up seeing a few (maybe 5-7?) humpback whales and hundreds of common dolphins. They utilized their other boat to pinpoint the location of a feeding spot, and we respectfully stayed with two humpbacks as they made a beeline for their meal with dolphins cruising alongside us. There were spouts in every direction and it was an incredibly exciting trip. On the way back, we were FLYING and I looked to my left and thought I saw false killers so I started screaming "false killer whales, falsies!" They took the time to listen to me, fully redirect the boat, and come right up on the animals. They ended up being bottlenose dolphins with deceiving fins lmao, but it was so cool that they listened to me and took the chance. Overall, it was an ethical, safe, and fun trip all around. I'll definitely be coming up from San Diego for this company more! Thank you Mark and...

NCA is my favorite company for whale watching in southern California. It is always a great day on the water and every trip is different. The crew are always excellent, friendly, passionate and knowledgeable. On my recent morning trip with Captain Erica we saw two huge pops of common dolphins and a humpback whale. The zodiac boats get you closer to the animals than any other. It is exhilarating to lean over the front with a pop of dolphins. You feel like you are flying/swimming with the pop.

I enjoyed the morning trip with Erica so much that I went out again that same afternoon with Erica and Molly. The afternoon trip we saw two different friendly humpback whales and a pod of bottlenose dolphins. I have never been on a trip where we found whales so quickly. Almost as soon as we were out of the harbor we were headed towards two spouts in the distance.

As a photographer, I appreciated Erica's awareness of best light for both photography and viewing the wildlife and her knowledge of behavior and ability to keep the wildlife in the best viewing location possible.

One special thing about trips with NCA is the captains and deck hands are awesome naturalists and photographers. While on the water, they are able to upload fin photos to happywhale.com and get ID and previous sighting info for the humpbacks as no two whales have the same markins/shape of the tail fins. At the end of the trips they airdrop a few pictures and whale ID info to anyone with an iphone.

You cannot go wrong choosing NCA for your next whale...

What an AH-MAZE-ZING Tour!

The check-in process was a breeze. The ladies behind the counter were friendly, upbeat and helpful!

We were able to see a Fin Whale, a pod of Common Dolphins, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, and even some cool looking jellyfish! Captain Brian got us to the areas quick, fast and in a hurry! Zipping along in the Zodiak was an awesome experience! Deckhand Mark shared his knowledge of the Fin Whales, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, jellyfish and the coastline. The two hours flew by! For me, this was a 10/10 tour!

Here are few things to be aware of:

(1) Be sure to allow plenty of time to locate parking and to use the restroom. Newport Coast Adventure Whale Watching does not have public restrooms. There are some about a five minute walk from the office. BEST ADVICE: Go before you get there! (2) There will be some sea spray. However, it was hardly noticeable. (3) Dress in layers. It is typically around 10 degrees cooler out on the water. (4) Carry a small backpack to put your belongings in (water bottle, snacks, extra layers, etc) (5) Be ready to take pictures AT ALL TIMES! You never know when a sea mammal will be popping up for air or if there are other sea creature sightings. (6) Wear sunglasses. The water is very reflective! (7) Parking is a CHALLENGE. There is Valet parking around the corner but is quite pricey. On the website, they recommend parking over on Balboa Island because it is free. The ferry trips are really inexpensive. (It's the option we should have gone with!) (8)...