When is the best time for whale watching in Los Angeles?

In Los Angeles, peak season is January to December, with good sightings also from April to November. See the month-by-month calendar above for the details.

What whales will I see in Los Angeles?

You can realistically expect Grey whale, Blue whale, Humpback whale, among others. In peak season the chance of a sighting is about 95%.

How much does whale watching in Los Angeles cost?

Tours in Los Angeles start from about $15 per person, with most falling in the $38-$75 range depending on boat, duration and what's included.

Is the tour booked directly with the operator?

Bookings are processed through Headout, which partners with vetted local operators. Whale Watching is an independent affiliate site - we may earn a small commission if you book through a link here, at no extra cost to you.

Los Angeles Whale Watching: Blues, Big Pods

Los Angeles whale watching: blue whales, gray whales and thousand-strong dolphin pods

Los Angeles whale watching puts you within a couple of miles of some of the richest marine wildlife water on the West Coast, and you do not need a long boat ride to reach it. Head out from Long Beach or San Pedro on a summer morning and the first sign is often a dolphin fin, then another, then dozens more, until the boat is surrounded by a common dolphin super-pod stretching to the horizon. Minutes later a blow rises off the bow, a column of mist eight feet tall, and the guide calls it before you have even placed the sound: blue whale.

This page covers the whole of Los Angeles whale watching: the two very different seasons that make this coastline worth visiting nearly year-round, the four species you are most likely to meet, the two harbors boats leave from, what a typical trip costs and includes, and how to pick the right one. Sightings run close to 90% across the year, and the real tours we compare here run from about $15 to $45, some of the most affordable whale watching anywhere in the country, most bookable with free cancellation so you can hold a date and change your mind later.

~90%year-round sighting rate

2distinct whale seasons

2departure harbors

$15+real tours compared

Best time for whale watching in Los Angeles

Los Angeles whale watching really runs on two separate calendars, and knowing which one you are booking into changes what you should expect to see. From December through April, gray whales pass within sight of the coast on one of the longest migrations of any mammal on Earth, swimming south to Baja California lagoons to calve and then back north with young calves in tow. Boats out of Long Beach and San Pedro watch for the blow and the mottled gray back rolling at the surface, often well within a mile or two of shore, which keeps trips short and sightings dependable through the winter and early spring.

Then, roughly from June through November, the whole character of the trip changes. Santa Monica Bay and the San Pedro Channel become one of the more reliable places anywhere to find blue whales, the largest animal that has ever lived, feeding on dense krill swarms pulled up by cold water welling out of the submarine canyons offshore. Humpback whales join them through late summer and into fall, often much more active at the surface with breaches and tail slaps, and common dolphins move through in pods that can run into the thousands. April, May, October and November sit between the two peaks and can turn up a mix of species as one season hands off to the other, though sightings are a touch less predictable than at the height of either run.

For a broader look at how these two Los Angeles seasons compare with other whale watching destinations, our guide to the best time to go whale watching lines up the calendar month by month.

The blue whale season is the real hook. Southern California, and specifically the water off Los Angeles and Long Beach, hosts one of the most consistent summer and fall blue whale feeding aggregations on the planet. These are animals that can top 90 feet and weigh well over a hundred tons, larger than any dinosaur, and in a good July or August week a Los Angeles boat can find one within an hour of leaving the harbor. Nothing else on this coast compares to watching that blow rise and knowing what is underneath it.

What whales you'll see in Los Angeles

Four cetaceans make up the vast majority of encounters on a Los Angeles whale watching trip, and which ones you meet depends almost entirely on the month. Between the winter migration and the summer feeding season, this stretch of coast covers an unusually wide range of marine wildlife for a single city.

Gray whale

The winter and spring headline act, migrating past the Los Angeles coast from December to April on one of the longest journeys of any mammal, from Alaska's Bering and Chukchi seas to calving lagoons in Baja California and back. Adults reach about 45 feet and are easy to pick out by a mottled gray back, no dorsal fin, and a heart-shaped blow. Northbound migrants in spring sometimes travel with young calves close alongside, hugging the coast in shallow water, part of a recovery NOAA Fisheries has tracked since the species came off the endangered list in 1994.

Blue whale

The largest animal on Earth, and the reason Los Angeles whale watching is known well beyond California. Blue whales gather off the coast through summer and fall to feed on dense swarms of krill pulled up by cold-water upwelling near the submarine canyons of Santa Monica Bay and the San Pedro Channel. An adult can stretch past 90 feet, and the blow alone, a towering column visible well before the back appears, is often the first sign one is near. The IUCN Red List classifies the blue whale as Endangered, with the population improving but still a small fraction of its pre-whaling size.

Humpback whale

The most active whale on this coast, feeding close to shore from summer into autumn and known for breaching clear of the water, slapping a long pectoral fin, and lifting its tail fluke before a deep dive. Adults reach roughly 60 feet, and a feeding humpback can put on a longer surface show than any other whale in these waters, which makes it a favorite even among guides who see them every week. Whale & Dolphin Conservation notes that humpbacks can eat up to 1,360kg of krill and small fish a day, which is exactly what keeps them working the surface off Los Angeles for so long. Sightings build through July and August and often stay strong into October.

Common dolphin

Not a rare treat but a near-certainty. Short-beaked common dolphins move through Los Angeles waters year-round in pods that regularly number in the hundreds and sometimes the low thousands, riding the bow wave and leaping in every direction at once. They are drawn to the same upwelling and baitfish that pull in the whales, so a super-pod crossing the boat's path is often the first sign a bigger animal is close behind.

Where to go: Los Angeles whale watching departure points

Almost every Los Angeles whale watching tour leaves from one of two adjoining harbors, and the short run out to open water is part of what makes this city such an easy place to fit in a trip.

Long Beach

Best for: Easy access
From $15
San Pedro Channel

Long Beach's harbor sits right at the edge of the San Pedro Channel, the deep water between the mainland and Santa Catalina Island where blue whales and humpbacks feed through summer and fall, and where gray whales pass close by in winter. It is the more casual of the two harbors, with a mix of dedicated whale watching cruises and shorter sightseeing boats that combine harbor views with a chance at dolphins and whales along the way, which suits a family afternoon as easily as a focused whale trip.

San Pedro and the LA Harbor

Best for: Dedicated whale trips
From $45
Los Angeles Harbor

San Pedro, the working port town at the mouth of Los Angeles Harbor, has the deeper whale watching heritage of the two, home to America's first whale conservation group and generations of local naturalists who grew up watching gray whales pass the breakwater. Boats leave straight from the harbor for open water off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where an underwater canyon drives the same upwelling that feeds Santa Monica Bay a little further north. If your trip is built entirely around whales rather than a broader harbor cruise, this is the more purpose-built departure point. Whale watching further south along the coast is covered in our guide to whale watching in San Diego, and the full spread of California ports, seasons and species sits on our California whale watching hub page.

Los Angeles is one of the few cities on Earth where you can watch the planet's largest animal feed less than an hour from a major harbor.

What a Los Angeles whale watching tour is like

Most Los Angeles whale watching trips follow a similar shape: a short safety briefing at the dock, a run out through the harbor and breakwater, then open water where the crew and an onboard naturalist scan for blows, dorsal fins and dolphin activity while narrating what is likely swimming nearby that week. Boats stay out anywhere from under an hour to a little over two, with narrower harbor cruises trading search time for a shorter, cheaper trip and dedicated whale boats spending more of the day actually looking. Two broad formats cover almost every option out of Long Beach and San Pedro:

Dedicated whale watching cruises

Around 2.5 hours, from about $45. A boat built around finding whales and dolphins rather than sightseeing, with a naturalist on board, more time spent searching open water, and the best odds of a genuine blue whale, gray whale or humpback encounter depending on the season.

Harbor and sightseeing cruises

Under an hour, from about $15. A shorter, budget-friendly run through the harbor and along the nearer coastline, built primarily for sightseeing but genuinely capable of turning up dolphins and, in the right season, a distant whale. An easy add-on if your schedule or budget will not stretch to a full whale watching trip.

As a rule of thumb, Los Angeles whale watching is some of the most affordable on the West Coast, with real tours running from about $15 for a short harbor cruise up to about $45 for a full dedicated whale watching trip. That $15 entry point is unusually cheap for anything with a realistic shot at whales and dolphins, and it makes Los Angeles an easy city to fit a marine wildlife trip into even on a tight budget or a short layover.

Compare every Los Angeles tour side by side - price, boat, duration and free cancellation.

See the tours

How to choose the right Los Angeles whale watching tour

The decision here is simpler than in most whale watching destinations, mostly because the choice comes down to season, budget and how much of the day you want to give up.

Match the trip to the season.Traveling December through April, you are booking a gray whale trip. June through November, you are booking a blue whale and humpback trip, with common dolphins a near-certainty either way. Knowing which season you are in shapes what to expect far more than which harbor you choose.
Pick Long Beach or San Pedro based on your day.Long Beach suits a shorter, more casual outing or a family sightseeing cruise with a chance at wildlife. San Pedro is the harbor to choose if the whole point of your day is a dedicated whale watching trip.
Decide how much time you want on the water.A short harbor cruise from about $15 is enough for a quick look and a good chance at dolphins. A full dedicated cruise from about $45 spends more time searching and gives you the best odds at a whale in season.
Book early for peak weeks.Summer weekends during blue whale season and the busiest weeks of the winter gray whale migration both fill up. Most Los Angeles tours can be cancelled free, so there is little downside to locking in a date well ahead of a trip.
Weigh ratings alongside price.The real tours we compare here carry strong ratings, though on relatively small review counts for now, so read the most recent reviews rather than relying on the star rating alone before you book.

Tips for whale watching in Los Angeles

Dress for open water, not the city

Downtown Los Angeles can be warm and still while the San Pedro Channel is windy and several degrees cooler. Bring a windbreaker or light jacket even on a sunny summer day, along with sunglasses and sunscreen, since there is little shade once the boat is underway.

Plan for a bit of swell

The channel between the mainland and Catalina can carry a noticeable Pacific swell even on a calm-looking day. If you are prone to seasickness, take a remedy before boarding, eat something light beforehand, and stay outside watching the horizon rather than below deck.

Bring binoculars and a fast lens

A blue whale's blow can be visible from well over a mile away, long before the animal itself. Binoculars turn a distant puff of mist into your first real sighting, and a camera with a fast shutter beats a tripod on a moving deck for catching a breaching humpback or a leaping dolphin.

Choose a responsible operator

Los Angeles boats share busy shipping lanes and a working harbor with the whales they are watching, so approach distance matters. NOAA Fisheries' West Coast office publishes marine life viewing guidelines built to keep boats a safe distance from whales and dolphins, and a good operator will hang back and let the animals set the pace rather than chase a sighting.

You are following a long local tradition

San Pedro is home to the American Cetacean Society, founded there in 1967 as the world's first whale conservation group, born out of local naturalists who started taking children out to watch the gray whale migration. Every winter and summer trip out of these harbors continues a tradition of watching, and looking out for, these animals that goes back more than half a century.

The simple recipe

Pick your season first, gray whales in winter or blue whales and humpbacks in summer, choose Long Beach for an easy outing or San Pedro for a dedicated trip, dress for wind rather than city weather, and book early with free cancellation as your safety net, good practice no matter which whale watching destination you pick next. The whales and dolphins do the rest.

Whale watching tours in Los Angeles

When to go & what you'll see in Los Angeles

Best time to go

Sighting probability

Real sightings by month

What you'll see