We’re were forced to cancel the September 20th pelagic very last-minute, and we offer our sincere apologies to those who were impacted by this unfortunate circumstance. However, we're excited to announce that we've rescheduled for October 11th! Departing from Dana Point in Orange County aboard the Ocean Institute Explorer, we'll spend time exploring the waters of both Orange and Los Angeles Counties. This nine-hour trip will help us connect with species that are harder to see from just your average whale watch, and chartering the boat will allow us to focus specifically on the birds.
We will be providing expert pelagic tour leaders for this trip to help pick out interesting species. Birds that might be encountered include a variety of shearwaters, jaegers, phalaropes, alcids, gulls, and terns. One of our main targets will be the rafts of storm-petrels that gather offshore in September which may include both Black, Ashy, and Least. Uncommon and rare species discovered on similarly timed trips have included: Manx and Flesh-footed Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Red-footed and Blue-footed Booby, and Craveri’s Murrelet among others.
Please note that all ticket sales are final, except in the event of trip cancellation. We will, however, allow transfers and do our best to assist those who need help with that.
By traveling on their boat, this trip also helps support the non-profit Ocean Institute, whose work focuses on marine science, environmental education, and maritime history.
Photo: Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) by Luke Tiller
Sunday, October 11th, 2026
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Departure location: Dana Point (24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629)
Price: $140.00 per person
We’re were forced to cancel the September 20th pelagic very last-minute, and we offer our sincere apologies to those who were impacted by this unfortunate circumstance. However, we're excited to announce that we've rescheduled for October 11th! Departing from Dana Point in Orange County aboard the Ocean Institute Explorer, we'll spend time exploring the waters of both Orange and Los Angeles Counties. This nine-hour trip will help us connect with species that are harder to see from just your average whale watch, and chartering the boat will allow us to focus specifically on the birds.
We will be providing expert pelagic tour leaders for this trip to help pick out interesting species. Birds that might be encountered include a variety of shearwaters, jaegers, phalaropes, alcids, gulls, and terns. One of our main targets will be the rafts of storm-petrels that gather offshore in September which may include both Black, Ashy, and Least. Uncommon and rare species discovered on similarly timed trips have included: Manx and Flesh-footed Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Red-footed and Blue-footed Booby, and Craveri’s Murrelet among others.
Please note that all ticket sales are final, except in the event of trip cancellation. We will, however, allow transfers and do our best to assist those who need help with that.
By traveling on their boat, this trip also helps support the non-profit Ocean Institute, whose work focuses on marine science, environmental education, and maritime history.
Photo: Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) by Luke Tiller
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