October 19, 2026 · By CDM Yachts · 3 min read
San Diego's whale watchers have had a lot to talk about lately. In early September, a whale-watching boat reported a pod of about a dozen orcas roughly seven miles off the coast. The crew described the whales bow-riding and rolling alongside the boat. Sightings like that are rare here, and they come just ahead of the season most locals wait for all year: the gray whale migration.
Who These Orcas Are
The killer whales occasionally seen off San Diego are usually Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, a population that ranges along the coast of Mexico and into Southern California. They're among the least-studied orcas in the world. They don't follow a predictable schedule, and they're often seen hunting dolphins, which is part of what makes an encounter so dramatic. They pass through San Diego's waters only occasionally, so a sighting is a genuine stroke of luck, never something to plan a trip around.
Gray Whale Season Is Coming
What you can plan around is the Pacific gray whale migration. From roughly December through April, gray whales travel between their feeding grounds in Alaska and the calving lagoons of Baja California, passing right by San Diego along the way. That's the most reliable window for whale watching here, and winter charters that head to open water outside the bay give you the best realistic chance of a sighting.
Dolphins and sea lions are common nearly year-round, and other species, including the occasional orca, are a bonus whenever they show up.
Why a Private Charter
- Your group, your pace. No crowding at the rail with strangers on a fixed-schedule tour boat.
- More than whales. The same trip can take in Point Loma, the downtown skyline, and Coronado on the way out or back.
- Comfort on a cool morning. Winter on the water can be chilly. A yacht with an indoor salon, like the McKinna 69's enclosed Skylounge, keeps guests comfortable between sightings.
Respecting the Whales
Federal guidelines ask boats to keep their distance from whales and never to chase or crowd them. Your captain follows those rules, and they make for a better sighting anyway: whales behave naturally when they aren't being pressured.
Plan Ahead
Holiday weeks and winter weekends are popular, so if you're hoping to go out during gray whale season, it's worth requesting a date early. Read what to know before you book, see our Whale Watching page, or request availability. As with any whale-watching trip, sightings are never guaranteed, but the season is close.
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