Davey’s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching

First time we went whale watching was great… Second time it was too windy so we went out to sea… Paid $ 15 for beverages only to turn around. And get «re-​ride tickets». (Not going back)
Then I see on groupon that they have a ¾ day fishing trip to Catalina. My family and I read the entire groupon several times to make sure that we weren’t missing anything… But when I called to book they said they are supposedly only valid during the week. HELLO?! don’t a lot of people work during the week? And where did it say that when I purchased it???
When I called to see what we could do, some guy told us it was only $ 10 to upgrade for the weekend which we would have done… Then the «manager» Enrique (I think that’s what he said… He sounded like a woman though so I may be wrong) said that we could pay an additional $ 70 EACH PERSON for the weekend. (Which is how much it costs without groupon anyway)
Scam artists, no wonder why their business is on groupon. Will never come back here again… Nor will my entire family and friends who visit.

Had a great time whale and dolphin watching with my my friends! Only took away 1 star because we left late and ended a little early so it wasn’t a full 2 hours.

This review is based on the sunset cruise. I got a good deal from living social which made the trip a bargain.
The location is a little confusing to find and parking is a hassle but they are very helpful and inform you about all that you need to know via email ahead of time so make sure to read it.
We saw a lot of dolphins which was nice. Everyone was friendly it was a good experience worth the money. It’s just after the sunset I was bored but it was still nice. Make sure to take a jacket it gets chilly on the boat.

Used a coupon code online (also check Groupon) and called to book reservations for whale watching 1 day in advance for 2 people. Took the 6pm ride. WORTH EVERY PENNY. Saw 4 humpback whales and 4 pods of dolphins, including 1 very friendly dolphin who swam right up to the boat. We sat in the front of the boat and got SOAKED but it was hot out and we didn’t mind. My aunt says it is one of her «top 10 experiences» :)
We parked a mile away at a roadside meter but as we walked to the pier we saw at least 6 more open spots, so clearly could’ve found a better spot, just didn’t want to waste time.
Public bathrooms, arcade, rides, shops, and plenty of restaurants available on the pier.

Although the fish could of provided a bit more action, I can not fault the skipper or the mates.
The skipper tried everything and all over between Long Beach and Catalina. The fish just weren’t going to bite this day. I blame the June gloom and overcast day. Even when the skipper managed to land us in the middle of a school of yellow tail the Sea Lions attacked them and ran them off. The mates were outstanding. 3 generations of my family fishing, with my grandson on his first trip and the mates just kept a close watch on him. They were supper. Now catch this! My grandson, on his first trip, catches his first Bonita and wins the pool for the biggest fish!!! It doesn’t get any better and Hollywood couldn’t of written a better script.

Had a blast checking out the Dolphins and whales with Captain Larry and the crew! Took a while to get to see things but we were fortunate enough to catch a humpback whale and a lot of dolphins.
Enjoyed the smooth ride out of the harbor, crew was friendly and provided helpful information. Check in early and get in line so you can grab a good viewing spot on the boat … Everything was visible from the front left of the boat on our trip so it was difficult to get great shots since we sat in the back. You can park at the Newport Beach Pier lot and walk a couple of blocks… Parking is relatively inexpensive but go early because it filled up quick.
Checkout Groupon for any deals! It gets a little nippy with the ocean breeze, especially when picking up speed, so you may want a light coverup.

This is a review for the ¾ day trip on the Freelance in June. We used a Groupon which made it a real bargain. Apparently most of SoCal did the same thing so it was Packed, 80 anglers. That could be a recipe for disaster with constant line tangles but we only had about 5. So we only lost 1 hook and 10 minutes of fish time.
My biggest complaint was there were too many novice on the boat so the etiquette was lacking. There are a few guidelines like where to stand, not stand, where to put your gear and pole so you can move around the boat and get to the bait tanks with ease. There were also people casting with no warning which is dangerous. You get what you Groupon so to speak.
The Crew was All Star!
Efficient check in, loading, communication, rigging demonstration, galley and deck help. Captain did a solid putting us on fish at Catalina. Barracuda, bass, whitefish, perch, bonito and yellowtail were brought aboard.
I was thinking about 4 stars but at least two crew members went above and beyond. Our lead sinkers were too heavy so one of the guys hooked us up with some lighter lead. Then on lunch #2 the chef, «bought» me a beer after fishing.
The $ 7 double cheeseburger was a great deal.

This was experience was definitely worth every penny. We found a deal on Travelzoo and booked our tour. You an book your tour on line, which should be pretty easy, but it wouldn’t take my Travelzoo voucher codes, so I had to call to book the appointment. The guy on the phone was very sweet and helpful, but he had some trouble too. I do recommended you book your tour time way in advance so that you get your preferred time slot.
The tour is about 2 and ½ hours long. They do have a restroom on the boat, but I didn’t use it so I can’t review that part. Lol. The boat can get bumpy at times, so I recommend you take some Bonine if you are prone to motion sickness. The kid next to me vomited, so that was a little gross. Remember to use sunscreen too, you will be out there for over 2 hours.
The first 30 – 40 minutes where pretty uneventful, but we got super lucky and we spotted several humpback whales. They were mostly splashing their tails, but they were all around us. You will definitely see dolphins since were everywhere.
The crew were awesome and very informative. This was a great time for everyone.
One more tip, get there 1 hour prior to the tour and get in line early. That way you get to pick the best spot on the boat. I was at the bow and I was able to get some awsome pictures.

I recently booked a whale watch trip for my family and I. It was a wonderful day at sea, everyone had a great time. The ship has a snack bar with drinks for adults and kids, plus two bathrooms for guest. There is an inside dining area and plenty of room on the bottom level of the ship as well as a top level with covering from the sun.
The captain was very comical in dealing with a tag along boater that kept trying to get to close to our ship. The captain did a great job driving the boat on a somewhat choppy sea that day. The captain was very informative about the type of whale we were going to see and how the whale fed.
We got to see a hump back whale and several dolphins along with a few sea lions. I will consider booking more trips with this company again.

My mom and I had an awesome time! The sunset cruise was so beautiful! And the unlimited drinks weren’t bad either ;). Will most likely book another trip.
The only problem I could think of was parking was kind of tight, but other than that no issues!

What an adventure!!! Thank you, team, for a PERFECT Saturday (⁶⁄₁₈). This was my first official trip to Newport Beach, and you guys made it so memorable. Larry was an amazing guide. He is a witty, no-​nonsense kind of guy who was super honest with us — the earlier tour group unfortunately didn’t get to see any whales. So he wanted us to go a different direction… WE GOT LUCKY! We ended up spotting and sorta stalking (tastefully) a humpback whale. We even got pretty close to it and saw it flipping around several times. It was amazing!!! After this, we saw a HUGE pod of dolphins. Hundreds and hundreds just flipping around, riding our waves. It was quite a sight! I just remember screaming (with joy) for about 15 minutes as I tried to reach down and high-​five the dolphins. I got wet from the bumpy, splashy ride (it was a bit windy), but I didn’t mind — it was SO FUN!!! We also saw huge clusters of anchovies and sea lions. I felt like a kid again! Speaking of kids — only a handful of passengers were kids, most were adults… but I would strongly recommend parents to bring your kids to this tour. It’s very educational, and they can see sea mammals and fish in their natural habitat… not in Sea World! I am planning on coming back for another tour someday. Hopefully we will get as lucky as we did this time!
Tips:
Dress code — you may get wet, so boat shoes or sandals (non-​slippery) are recommended. No matter how hot the day is, it still gets a bit windy out there, so bring a jacket (preferably waterproof). Ears get cold, too. So a beanie won’t hurt.
Parking — For the 12PM tour, we came at around 10AM to find parking and grab some breakfast. We were lucky enough to find 6-​hour metered parking… but it still ended up costing around $ 20. Meters in Newport are expensive! There’s also an all-​day parking lot, but it gets full pretty quickly, so come early, especially in the summer!
Nearby — if you’re visiting Newport Beach for the first time, you may want to hop on the ferry (just a few steps away from Davey’s) for $ 1 and explore Balboa Island. Walk about 12 – 15 mins east and you’ll find a bunch of cute shops and restaurants. Went to Wilma’s Patio for an awesome late lunch, and stopped by a boutique and got a killer deal on an adorable burlap throw. =P

Davey’s locker Highly recommended in my book. The over night trips are a blast. There ¾ day are great to. Went on my first overnighter this year on Wednesday and the aggressor never lets me down… 3^rd time out with captain Brian, Paul, Phil and can’t remember the other mates name but all really cool guys. Captain Brain can put you on fish. We killed it Wednesday and I personally had my best fishing day ever. I got 9 yellow tails 2 of them over 20#, 5 calico bass 14 to 20 inches, 2 Bonita, 4 blue purch and a white fish. Can’t wait for my next trip. Highly recommended boat and crew THE AGGRESSOR!!!

We had a great time & The staff was awesome. Those guys were all concerned about the few that were getting sick. I would definitely do that again. We got to see a school of dolphins on the way in it was awesome.

We went on a nice sunny day. The group was big and so was the ship. We saw a bunch of common dolphins, seals, and a humpback whale.
It was hard to see the whale because the captain trying the keep him in front of the boat and the front was crowded, I wish he would have let the sides of the boat see more.
We got a few pictures of the whale, wish we were closer to get better pictures, but I am happy we got to see a whale.
It would have been nice to see more whales but no one can predict what happens.
It would also be nice if they included a small photo package in the price, they did a photographer on the boat but there were not many photos in the package, it was only $ 20 but again there were not many photos.

I’ve been fishing with Davey’s Locker for decades. Just went on our 2^nd limited load trip this year. I loved the extra room and fishing with people who really love fishing. The deck hands were amazing as always!
I’m taking my nieces out on a ½ day boat for their first deep sea fishing excursion in a couple of weeks.
Thank you Davey’s Locker for many years of wonderful adventures!

I got the whale watching tour. It was the best money I spent on this trip! Our guide/​captain Mike was very knowledge. He told is where to look so we wouldn’t miss it. We saw 2 fun whales and a couple pods of dolphins. The dolphins are always so much more playful so it was so fun to watch. They were just swimming right by the boat!!! Another great things about them is that they have a photographer who also flies a drone to videotape the trip. It was very helpful when trying to figure out where to look. All you had to do was look for the drone.
I loved, loved, loved my trip. There’s only one thing they could improve on… finding a way to get me out there to swim and play with the dolphins! :)

205 yellowtail in 24 hours. dont believe me check the fish report for june 12^th for thunderbird.
thank you everyone on the staff and everyone i rode with, great boat.
goofy is the man!

Booked my cruise online with a Groupon, which worked fine. Checked in (also easy), got in line, got on the boat. The crew was a lot of fun, and did a fantastic job of telling us where to look and teaching us about the fin whale, dolphins, harbor seal, and sea lions that we saw.
The boat has a bar (didn’t expect that) — after causing along with dolphins for a while, the crew declared a half-​off drink special for 10 minutes, and a bunch of people ran for the bar (why not?) The bar isn’t that important to the experience, but they had bottom-​tier stuff at mid-​tier prices — $ 5 for a plastic cup of box wine? Somehow the $ 4 domestic beer went to $ 3 when half off… questionable math skills on the part of the crew member serving the drinks, but I figured that it went toward the tip. (No fuss — it’s the principle — if it’s half off, make it half off.)
I went by myself and enjoyed chatting with numerous other passengers. Kudos to the crew for cultivating a good social vibe.
We had gorgeous weather and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon — great way to spend a sunny Sunday!

I bought the ¾ day fishing trip for my boyfriend’s bday. For the price I paid through groupon, what do you expect?
It was our first time deep sea fishing and the experience was just horrible. We know that it gets crowded but having unfriendly crew just did not help. Their main guy was very rude sarcastic. It did not sound like he is enjoying all those people on the boat. «What a day!» according to him, and we were barely on the 2^nd hour of our 10-​hr trip. He gets frustrated every time we get tangled lines.
I am a kind of person that do not brag about giving tips or showing off money. But when it was time to pay for the cleaning services, I placed my $ 12 for cleaning 8 fishes and $ 4 tip, which was 50%! But since the other helper did not see me put it in the bucket, he loudly said «you can put the money in there» I told him I already did. I was gonna let it go, but then he added «how much?». Like seriously? I’m front of the 20+ people. You would really need to put me on the spot and make me look bad.
I am definitely not coming back to this company again.

Excellent operation!!! We used the groupon deal for whale watching on Saturday! It was overcast, and at first we were not seeing any whales. The captain worked hard in finding where the whales are. He found them, and boy did we see some good ones! First one was a Blue whale, then we found a bunch of other whales. The staff was really good in describing the whales and made sure everybody was able to get a great photo of the whales by steering the boat in the right direction. The boat was not crowded on a Saturday, plenty of room! Highly recommended!!!

Davey’s Locker gave me the experience of my life! We saw 3 beautiful humpback whales. sea lions and dolphins! All in a 2 hour cruise! The captain of the Ocean Explorer even went 5 miles outside their grid! Just so we could see one of the whales! (I spotted it) the crew where great at explaining what we were seeing! One whale even went under our boat! If your wanting to see whales… they are the place to book a cruise. We are from Colorado and will recommend them to anyone! And use them again in the future!!!

Fabulous and well worth every penny. Crew was fantastic and very accommodating. We got lucky and saw a large fin whale and a huge dolphin pod. The captain and crew made sure to point out the highlights and helped to locate the spotting and move the boat as close as we could get. I couldn’t be happier that we chose this trip.
Be sure to wear some warmer clothing. It gets windy on the water. Best viewing is on the bow (front) of the boat and there are no seats there, so be prepared to stand. There are seats below deck and some up top. You can bring food on board but they do have a nice selection of beverages and hot grill items including hamburgers. Thank you!

I went with a big group and we had a great time! We saw two different whales– a hook whale and a blue whale. There were also tons of dolphins! The captain on the intercom was great (I can’t remember his name unfortunately) and did a great job of telling us WHERE and WHEN to look! Very impressive. As a southern California native, I was surprised how fun and exciting this «touristy» excursion turned out to be! Everyone should do this once in their life.
There was also a bathroom on the boat! And beer;)

This is for the 2:30 trip on 6÷7÷16. The trip was fantastic! We saw a Blue and fine Whale. The captain was able to get up close to both of them, and stayed with them for awhile. My impression is that he went the extra mile to make sure that his pasengers had a great outing.
Definitely would recommend this company.

We’ve done this whale watching tour a few times, thanks to Groupon.
I must say, each time we’ve come here we have not been disappointed.
It’s not just entertainment, but super educational. Every time we go, I learn something. We homeschool, so this was just a phenomenal activity for our son. We’ve seen both whales and dolphins. Also lots of birds and sea lions.
The boat is always clean and everyone who works on it is great.

I have been wanting to go on a whale watching tour for some time now… actually, be on a boat too. I had never been on a boat before this! So, I was referred to LivingSocial where I found a killer deal. I had some questions, so I actually called and spoke with a woman. She was very helpful and pleasant and actually helped me make my reservation by phone, matching the offered price!
Then the check in and boat ride. We arrived early (10a for the 1230 tour) as suggested by others. We got great parking, had time to walk around, and grab a bite to eat before we set out. The ride out to sea was a little bumpy, but when we got out, we were able to see lots of dolphins and 2 whales surfacing. I wish I had realized that my phone was not recording before we started heading back to the dock so I could share pictures… but you will just have to go and see for yourself.
I would definitely do this again and recommend to others!

I wish that I could give them a higher star rating but my experience again was just average.
I finally found out this may not be the type of excursion I am looking for. This time the boat was not crowded but the viewing time was barely average. I think if the boat finds whales they should stick with them for a bit longer not just move on to find something else.
I want to get up close and hang with the whales while of course giving them their distance but being able to observe them in their natural habitat, hearing them breathe, etc.
Our three encounters with whale pairs (mom and calf) were extremely short and somewhat disappointingly so.
On the first viewing of cow and calf we left to find something else in the water so that the other 12:30 boat could get a view. We might have seen them come up 3 or 4 times before leaving.
The second viewing was understandably short because another boat almost ran over the whales and the captain wanted to give them their space and we went far out to find dolphins.
The third viewing we watched the whales come up maybe twice and headed back in. To be honest I can get that kind of view from the shore.
I did learn something new. There is another smaller company which runs a small zodiac? which only seats about 6 – 8 people but runs in the same area. I believe the company is called Newport Coastal Tours. I will consider them for my next whale watch out of NPB so I will be able to get a closer and longer viewing time with the whales. The rides run about 2 hours and $ 70 pp due to the limited passenger space but may be well worth it for the unique experience and vantage point.

Had the best time tonight on the sunset cruise. We saw 6 whales including a baby whale right by the shore. It was poking its head out at the people on the beach. They took great photos of the whales with perfect pictures of the spout. I purchased the pictures and got 2 whale watching tickets for the next time I come back. Thanks guys for the great time!

A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon out on the deep blue sea, with the sun shining down (put on sunblock), wind in your hair (bring a jacket), and if you are lucky (as we were) spot a humpback whale jumping out of the water! Captain Larry was really awesome and got us the best angles to get amazing photos, accompanied with informational yet commentary.
Drinks and snacks available for sale on the lower deck for a reasonable price. Professional photographer on board with photos for sale at the end of the trip, but you can get pretty good ones yourself too.

First off let me what an amazing trip. Me and my friend’s took the extended trip. Great deal on Groupon. Mike is the chef and the food is great. Drinks are even better. Rusty was our deck hand and man did he help all of us. No matter the problem. He even cleaned or fish at the end for 1 $. They work off of tips so be sure to be kind. Lots of rockfish, one yellowtail red snapper bass and I caught a huge sheephead. Biggest catch of the day.
Overall 5 stars careful reading the bad reviews on here i was skeptical about the trip until I actually got on then it was amazing. Hands down. Best fishing trip I’ve been on

My girlfriend and I had an amazing experience whale watching with Davey’s Locker! The experience on the boat itself was definitely 5 stars, but I still want to take some time to call out the poor customer service before hand.
The amazing whale watching tour:
From start to finish, the crew on deck was fantastic. Our captain was very knowledgeable and made sure that we would have an enjoyable experience. Over the course of the trip, we saw 4 grey whales, a humpback whale, lots of dolphins (and very close, too) and sea lions. I’ve never seen a whale before, so it was absolutely exciting to see a group of 3 whales swimming just a few hundred feet away from the boat. They spouted, flipped their tails, and hung around for a while before leaving. We were also lucky to see a humpback whale as well, who threw his tail high up. FYI — whale breath stinks, but having the chance to smell whale breath was still a cool experience. Later on the trip, we also watched hundreds of dolphins ride the waves and swim under our boat. We made a short stop at the end by a buoy to see some cute sea lions as well.
The not-​so-​amazing customer service:
I had booked my voucher on Travel Zoo, and instructions were very clear. However, it seems that each time I had tried to call, there was an endless wait. After a few tries of waiting ~15 minutes, I finally made it through on my 3^rd call and successfully booked a slot. However, later on, when I went back to the website, I noticed that my scheduled 11am tour wasn’t actually an option to book online, so I got a bit paranoid and called back. 3 more tries later, I got through, and a very angry/​annoyed man answered, saying that I was just wasting his time and that I cannot get an email confirmation. In retrospect, my initial booking clearly did go through, but I would’ve 1) appreciated a friendlier person, and 2) an email confirmation for peace of mind.
All in all, my girlfriend and I had a great day at Newport, and this was definitely a highlight. Just be patient when you make your reservation!

We had SO much fun on our tour. With our groupon, the total price was $ 25 for two of us. The boat wasn’t too crowded the day we went which was nice because you could spread out on the decks. The crew members were super nice and there was a bar on board (CASH ONLY) so we spent our time admiring the wildlife and getting somewhat intoxicated on $ 5 beers.
Evidently we visited at a time where the whales are still headed up to the breeding grounds and some are even on their way back already. We saw some BIG whales and got pretty close to them. The highlight of my trip was when we drove through a pod of 1,000+ dolphins and having them jump in our wake. THAT was pretty amazing. Definitely head out with these guys to experience the area by sea!