Ocean Institute

Fantastic experience: Thank you Michael! This was our first time snorkeling and it was amazing and felt super safe in the hands of mike! He showed us sea grass, kelp and small critters. He gave us clear instructions while making the experience super fun and welcoming, he was very reassuring and outgoing, definitely coming back to do it again and again, and will be recommending this place to everyone here in vegas! The downside was parking, we arrived at 11:40 for our 2pm appointment and didnt find a spot until 1:40, I'd say arrive with extra time and take the time to walk around and get ready to get in the ocean. A super huge thank you to mike! Keep doing what you do!

Fantastic experience: Great experience and the customer service was outstanding! Abby and her manager at the front desk really went out of their way to make sure we had a wonderful time for our daughter’s birthday!

Positive experience: My daughter had fun checking out the touch tanks, jellyfish, and “cleaning” the gray whale skeleton. You could brush it with a toothbrush. The gift shop is the nicest thing about it. The staff is friendly and informative. I just wish they would renovate the property. It’s such a neat building and location, but the place is very rundown. I’m hopeful to see if they clean it up with harbor renovations happening and moving Coffee Importers down there.

Negative experience: OMG. Small but thought it might be worth it. Maybe they’re anti Hispanics. Staff spent 15 minutes talking nonsense to the white lady that had stated she was trying to kill time before hotel let her do check in. They literally spoke nonsense to her about something extra stupid while my family is aimlessly trying to pay for a bag of skittles my little niece wanted. They went so out of the way to ignore us; three staff behind the counter and only one person in front of us talking about vacationing

Fantastic experience: Eduardo on the pirate ship went above and beyond to help us today. He was patient, kind, incredibly intelligent and shared so much fascinating information about the ship and the institute. His partner on the ship was also very helpful. Thank you to both of them and all the helpers at the institute. We love it there!

Fantastic experience: What an incredible place! We all found the Ocean Institute very educational and fun! The facilities are beautiful. All the staff and volunteers were super friendly and taught us a lot. Definitely worth the visit.

Fantastic experience: I came here for a school field trip. It was one of the best field trips I had. The best part wad the 2 hour "cruise" where we spotted dolphins and whales. Very cool.

Negative experience: called to ask for membership on 1/6/25 at 2.30 pm and the lady who answered the phone was rude. she does not know anything , she referred me to the website to look at information. thats another reason why people are afraid of AI because they are rude and lazy

Fantastic experience: Went to the cannon fire boat ride for the maritime festival! Super fun and would highly recommend if you don't get sea sick!

Fantastic experience: Went here for a fun little day trip. Dont need to spend too much time here, maybe 1-2 hours but very cool to look around and read the blurbs. Everyone working there was really friendly

Fantastic experience: The ocean institute is a great place to visit. The facility, the gift store, the surrounding points of interest, the landscape, and especially, you guessed it, the seascape makes this a must see not just once, but any time possible throughout the year. Sincerely, Gregory L. Kinney Author of THE SPECTACULAR SEA 7 Sea Stories

Fantastic experience: Had a very special night on the Bioluminescent Tour that takes place during the new moon when the sky is at it's darkest. I learned that interesting fact as well as a ton of other interesting insights on the nocturnal life of the ocean which is very much alive and teeming with life. Thanks to the very friendly staff for a memorable experience.

Fantastic experience: This place was really cool and the nice girl that was volunteering;whom told us everything was knowledgeable and very friendly! Plus access to beach and hike to a beautiful cave!!!

Fantastic experience: I didn't visit the Institute. I went out to sea on one of their boats. We had a fun trip.

Negative experience: We went here with my school. The service was not great. We had to wait awhile due to us being early. Then we put our stuff in our room. We got to hangout on the beach. And we did many activities I personally didn’t enjoy. Dinner was around 6:00 if I remember correctly. After dinner we stood up till 9:00 doing activities and we got a hour to set up our mats and get ready for bed. They made us sleep on thin mats on the floor with little room due to around 40 of us coming. There were no glass in the window only a curtain.In the morning they gave us a mere 30 minutes to get ready. The breakfast was bagels with cream cheese. I was at the back of the line so I only got enough cream cheese for half of a bagel. They were yelling at us to hurry up or else we can’t go on the boat that we paid to get on. My teacher complained that if they wanted she could pick up the food so we wouldn’t be 10-20 min late (as I said was just bagels and cream cheese due to our subway sandwiches were late) we got on the boat late and it was pretty boring. When we got off the boat we went to the beach then were locked in the beach for 5 minutes and then they called someone to open the gate. We were rushed out 30 minutes early due to the other group already getting there. There is much more that happened that I cannot confirm because I was in a different small group. I would not recommend this experience and and here is a direct quote from one of my teachers “this is the most unorganized event I have been to” who has been a teacher for a long time.

Positive experience: We came in for the Whale Watching festival. We went on two other trips that we thought were much more informative. I booked us on this one thinking it would be very informative. Some what disappointed. And the exhibits were just okay.

Fantastic experience: Great place to visit right on the water, and very educational. Fun, interactive displays for kids as well as for adults.

Positive experience: Love this hotel. Absolutely the best location on the coast for us. Was let down by breakfast this stay . They have always had a nice breakfast. I asked the attendant what happened. He said they just decided to do away with the eggs, bacon and sausages. Nothing surprises me these days. Paying more for less is the theme these days. Remember this next election

Fantastic experience: The Dana Point Ocean Institute is one of the best and most beautiful, natural places on the Southern California Coast

Fantastic experience: Cool little place, the staff are really nice and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: There are so many opportunities to see the sharks starfish jelly fish etc. The volunteers and workers are so knowledgeable and take the time to talk and explain. Definitely will be going back.

Fantastic experience: Ocean Institute is such an amazing place to learn new things and interact with the ocean!

Fantastic experience: Buy a new microphone for the love of God.

Fantastic experience: Great place and they have Whale & Dolphin tours!

Fantastic experience: We love the Ocean Institute! We took the Whale & Dolphin tour with our 2 year old daughter and it was amazing. The crew was super knowledgeable and it was really cute seeing them geek out when we saw the whales and dolphins. I’d say it’s the best company you’d want for something like this. The boat was very safe and it had a middle indoor seating area where I could feed my baby. They have a super cute little “museum” as well. We will definitely be coming back. I wouldn’t choose any other company for the sea tours- highly recommend!!

Fantastic experience: We came for the Maritime Festival the second weekend in September. Weather was perfect. We rode on the Spirit of Dana Point ship. So much fun.

Fantastic experience: I loved the tall ship festival this year! The only suggestion is some sort of shade while lined up for the cannon battle on the asphalt for 45 minutes in the scalding heat. We almost bailed 40 minutes into that but am so glad we didn’t. The battle was great!

Positive experience: Hats off for the fossil exhibits and kid-friendly environment. However, you need to get rid of the tanks, which are seriously old-school and do not include any rescued or rehabilitating animals. Instead you are violating your own advisory sign against removing animals from their ocean homes. In some cases the tanks are totally devoid of natural habitat and mind-numbingly (literally) small. Perfectly healthy wild animals do not belong in cages. High tech videos and hands on replications, along with rehabilitation and rescue work are perfectly adequate and becoming the new norm in zoological care and education.

Fantastic experience: The staff are very kind and informative. It's great what they're doing to educate people about our oceans and marine life.

Fantastic experience: Enjoyable and educational. Kid friendly, but much of interest for the serious adult too. Absolutely beautiful location near the harbor in Dana Point, CA. There is also a beautiful beach and jetty just outside. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Negative experience: Terrible Experience - No Refunds Provided. I am extremely disappointed with the Ocean Institute's lack of customer service and understanding. My 3 friends and I had booked two tours (approximately $100 per person) for the day of Hurricane Hillary, an unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstance. We were visiting from Minnesota only for 3 days. Despite the dangerous weather conditions, the Ocean Institute refused to provide any refunds. This level of inflexibility and disregard for customer safety is unacceptable. There were constantly alerts saying to evacuate/not go out this weekend. The news channels were telling everyone to stay inside and be prepared for a disaster. We felt especially unsafe being by the coast, so imagine how we would feel being in the water. I would strongly advise against booking any tours with them, as they clearly prioritize profits over customer satisfaction and safety.

Fantastic experience: Amazing whale watching trip! I loved every second of this! Great crew, amazing experience always an adventure!

Negative experience: My daughter went here for a overnight field trip. they made them stand outside in the cold at 12 am for hours to “stand watch “ and told the girls they had to be referred to as boys because girls weren’t allowed to pretty much be around . The “captain “ and his “cook” were rude to the girls especially, and the next day the cook was making her and a friend clean up and he was plugging in the vacuum cord and said “this is the male part “ laughed and stuck it into the outlet. When the school emailed the facility about the incident they tried saying it was an “electrical “ term . while it is in fact an electrical term why is a grow adult saying this to two 11 year old girls then laughing about it . This facility completely ignored my email and only responded to the school . Don’t send your kids here for the over night field trip . Oh and their beef stew was under cooked and pieces were still raw inside . This place is a joke

Fantastic experience: We attended a MPA meeting hosted by the OC CoastKeeper in the upstairs meeting room. What a great place to host a meeting. Wide open room, beautiful view of the point and OC COAST KEEPER gained a couple new volunteers for their MPA watch program!

Negative experience: Was very disappointed in my last visit. We did the bioluminescence tour last weekend and it was pretty poorly operated. There were too many people on the boat, and the activities that the ship did with the net and the squid light were too small. People were greedy and didn't share and the staff didn't crowd control to make sure everyone got an opportunity to see. The result was that I ended up seeing the back of peoples heads while they got to see all the cool stuff. They either need less people or more crowd control so everyone has a chance to see everything. A total waste of an evening that was supposed to be a birthday present for my wife. Very disappointing.

Positive experience: Fun learning museum. Great for kids. A little overpriced for adults as it is geared to the younger crowd.

Positive experience: Super interesting if you're into the ocean and its beauty

Fantastic experience: Great place to take kids and adults alike interested in learning about our ocean neighborhood and its inhabitants. Shark and sea star touch tanks and lots of cool information to help make our ocean not such a scary place to those not accustomed to the beautiful blue. Also have whale and dolphin tours and Kayak tours, Check the schedule for availability.

Fantastic experience: I first came here about 30 years ago. Loved it then, still like ve it now. Great place to bring kids.

Fantastic experience: Really beautiful place, educational and have a cute gift shop.

Fantastic experience: Second time my girls have taken the Mammal cruise here. So wonderful. They saw a family of whales and dolphins. They recieved an education by instructors. Nice views. Cute gift shop. Bring a picnic lunch and sit at the park. Great day today. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Super nice crew and very informative sailing on the ocean explorer. Saw dolphins, fin whale, seals. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful experience. We enjoy watching the waves at the end of the harbor

Fantastic experience: Little GEM of the harbour! This is the most peaceful place to hang out! All the kind folks that work or volunteer here are so awesome! Take a walk around the facility with your poochie and you will meet the nicest people in the world.... be alone in your thoughts while gazing out at the giant Pacific or reminisce with family & friends checkin' out the sights. So much to take in and so much to do! The facility is awesome and now the Spirit of DP is back up with her sails unfurling. The OI has great internship programs for High Schoolers and tons of stuff for little chickens. Captain Loust ROCKS the RVSE with great trips to see your favorite cetaceans and Mola Molas! Thanks OI my family loves you all!

Positive experience: LOVED this place with the family. Great experience for the kids. A lot of neat tanks available for the kids to get up front and personal with different ocean life. Lots of volunteers/employees sharing and answering questions about the different animals. Only complaints are that 1) with all the vendors outside, it was very hard to find the Institute and 2) while it's great that they have coloring pages for the kids, it could've been more organized. Place was completely trashed in the two "art" areas they set up.

Fantastic experience: Love this place so much , I remember when it was so small and one large room. Very happy seeing it grow so much over the years.

Positive experience: One of the best spots to be around with family and friends! Nice events place!

Fantastic experience: Took my kids here and they love it. The staff is amazing, informative and very compassionate. Sara in the main office was very helpful. We definitely will be returning in the future.

Fantastic experience: Lots to look at and do. The shark and starfish tanks give a hands on experience that kids love. Beautiful location to come spend the day.

Negative experience: I booked weekend admission and requested a refund only after few minutes because there will not be squid dissection or tide pool tracking as described. (I called after check-out) However, guess what? Refund was Not available. There was no single notice it is not refundable on the checkout page or confirmation mail. Beside, the staff on the line was extremely rude and kept saying the same thing like a robot and hung up... seriously?? I never seen this kind of staff in this type of organization. What an awful experience!

Fantastic experience: We saw the dolphin trifecta -- bottle-nose, common, and Risso. Great experience!

Fantastic experience: We had a wonderful time at the ocean Institute! The staff was extremely friendly and informative. Who learned so many cool things about Wales, jellyfish, and other green life. This institute is A lot bigger than it looks like on the outside! There’s really fun touch pools where they can touch sharks and different species of starfish. We took our three little ones there and it was so much fun to have them enjoy the attractions and become acquainted with the marine life. Thank you so much for a great afternoon activity!

Fantastic experience: Such a great educational center in beautiful Dana Point. The kids can learn all about our interaction with oceans and the life forms in them.

Fantastic experience: Great place to visit and bring your friends. Lots of ocean creatures to see and enjoy.

Fantastic experience: Great place to visit and check out sealife. Nice gift shop with thoughtful books and clothing. The beach behind it is a nice place to chill too.

Fantastic experience: The girls Ocean science conference was a wonderful experience. I encourage students in Middle school & high School to participate in this one -day worthwhile conference. The speakers were all inspiring. The research vessel ride in the ocean was really interesting. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience!

Fantastic experience: Great experience for kids and adults. The staff was very engaging and knowledgeable. The Sea Mammal Cruise is something my kids will be talking about for weeks. Thank you.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful place to learn about our local ocean environment. Went for a ride on their marine research vessel last Sunday. The crew provided great commentary. California Gray's we spotted were heading north. On the way back the staff netted plankton and using an electron microscope took us through all the forms of plankton captured in the sample. You don't get that on the commercial whale watch boats. Well done everybody

Fantastic experience: Always fun to go whale watching, and the crew very professional

Positive experience: Very educational, AND the kiddos get to touch sharks and rays. To beach there is great for looking for creatures in the tide pools.

Fantastic experience: We had a wonderful experience at the Ocean Institute on a whale watching tour. The staff on the boat and at the institute were extremely kind and very knowledgeable. We will definitely come back for a visit.

Fantastic experience: Went to a speaking engagement about sharks. It was interesting and a real value for the admission. Will attend other talks in the future.

Fantastic experience: The Ocean Institute facility, ship and crew are all top notch. We could not recommend them more. Bonus: all of your fees go to education! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantastic experience: Always a great day at the ocean institute. Never disappoints! Knowledgeable, very friendly staff that are eager to answer questions and share their love of what they do.

Fantastic experience: I booked a tidal pool tour with my 5 year old grandson. Our experience was just as I hoped it would be..engaging, fun, enlightening and a great day to spend outdoors, on the beach. Our guide, Ren, was very knowledgeable, kind and enthusiastic about my grandson's exhuberent desire to explore the tidal pools. I would highly recommend the tidal pool tour with your kids or grandchildren.

Positive experience: Our four-year-old and seven-year-old grandsons really loved the whale watching trip. They were not disappointed that we didn’t see any whales. They enjoyed seeing the dolphins. They really liked the lab and touching their sea creatures.

Fantastic experience: We saw gray whales, plenty of dolphins and seals!! The captain and crew were great and super friendly. It was honestly a great experience and my family loved it!

Fantastic experience: We went on the Whale watching and marine life boat trip and it was great - we saw a grey whale and masses of dolphins as well as sea lions and various seabirds. The guides on board provided interesting commentary on what we were seeing - all in all a great trip.

Fantastic experience: Best place ever! Staff is nice and knowledgeable. Great location and the Yuletide event this past Saturday was fun too!

Fantastic experience: Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. It’s a beautiful location and the animals seem well taken care of. We went for the holiday lighting and it was an amazing event. A can’t miss place to visit.

Fantastic experience: Gt a chance to spend the day there with my daughter. We did a number of activities, including a fish dissection and touch tank. Wonderful day!

Fantastic experience: The Ocean Institute is the perfect place for kids of all ages. We visited on 11/23 with our 4 yr old grandson. He loved all the exhibits. His favorites were the sharks and participating with raising the sail and the cannon firing on the dock. I'd like to give a special shout out to Ren. He did a great job explaining wooden ships, what sailors did and working with both the young and older kids. All the kids were completely engaged with him. I highly recommend bringing your kids to the OI. They will see and do things here that they won't experience anywhere else.

Fantastic experience: The Ocean Institute is the premier provider of professional and engaging tours! Mr. French and Mr. Clancy are exceptionally terrific guides.

Fantastic experience: We had a “blast” at the Maritime Festival! The cannonball battles aboard the Curlew made for some wonderful memories. Our grandkids loved it!

Fantastic experience: I took some pictures of good skilled surfer. But i do not know who they are. I’d like to give these original photos to them. Please let me know email. Nice view, nice surfing. Thank you

Fantastic experience: Best Auto Body & Mechanical sevices all around orange county. Thanks Marc & Crew for your professionalism. You can really count on these guys to get your vehicles back to or better than new. and there pricing is some of the best on the southland.

Fantastic experience: My boyfriend and I visited the Ocean Institute for the first time this week! This place is awesome! The staff is so kind and knowledgable. It is very affordable for the experience you get. We learned a lot and even got to interact with some local species! I would highly recommend it to families especially. The Ocean Institute provides lots of learning opportunities (I think more so than an aquarium by far.) Highly recommend a visit so worth it!

Fantastic experience: Love the Tall Ships Festival and being able to explore the various ships that sail in. Such a fun experience!

Fantastic experience: Amazing place for the whole family, educational and exciting. Don't miss out on the ship tour!

Fantastic experience: Just walked by to watch the large waves crashing on the rocky beach. Awesomeness

Fantastic experience: A great sail on the Exy Johnson at the Maritime Festival. Not often that you can experience tall ships under sail in close maneuvers.

Fantastic experience: My wife and I went to the Tall ship Sail festival 9-12-21. Is there such a thing as having too much fun? Not really. After all that has happened over the last 2 years, this festival screamed "have fun now". Large crowds, fantastic shuttle service, sailing on the ships for the "canon battles", helping hoist the main sail!! So many activities for everyone, even the children. Overhearing families talk about experiences, their children talked about what they did and the fun they had. This was what was needed, not to be missed. Even the those that worked for the Ocean Institute were friendly, loved to interact with the visitors. Thank you Jim for talking with us before the sail event and even looking us up after the event, asking about our adventure. This meant a lot too my wife and I. I was told about programs and camps for children and youths during the summer. Worth checking out parents. Fun was what the doctor ordered, I was not disappointed and would love to do it again in an heartbeat. The only con was, (not their fault), was the food trucks. Now that was disappointing. Basic food for the cost of an arm and leg!!! Was not anywhere near worth it. Better to have brought your own food. We had the BBQ food truck, something "down" in the title. How bad it was, I forgot the name. 44 dollars for 2 sandwiches and 1 order of fries. The fries was the only good thing, basically from the season salt seasoning. Otherwise, fantastic time!!!!!! Beautiful place!! Check it out!

Fantastic experience: Great people with a passion for teaching kids about the ocean! The mermaid show was great!

Negative experience: Sent a number of e-mails, but with no response. It was a terrible experience. I imagine if I had said I would leave a big donation then they would have responded.

Fantastic experience: Very nice place. Everyone was helpful and friendly.

Fantastic experience: We took the boys (12 and 10) on the night-time bioluminescence tour. It was thrilling for them to be on a big boat at night (left around 8pm), crashing through flourescent blue waves! The milky way was a dusty band across the starry sky. We stopped after about an hour and they lowered a net. After some time, they pulled up glowing pickle shaped creatures and let the passengers pet them. The staff examined krill under a high powered microscope in the galley. Hot chocolate and coffee were offered. We headed to the prow of the boat on our return (about 10pm), the sea spray in our smiling faces as we made for the harbor.

Fantastic experience: It was a great evening for the bioluminescence cruise. The stars and planets on the clear night was an added bonus. The photo attached is my phone capture of the bioluminescence off the wake on the side of the boat. So cool looking.

Positive experience: Beautiful place to visit. Dogs are not allowed in the tidepool area. The gift shop was not open today

Fantastic experience: The tour schedules are well designed to allow family to browse the museum and attend the interactive tours in one trip. Staffs are friendly to illustrate any educational information. Kids loved the tour of showing how sailors do work on a ship and sonar experience. Overall, we adults and kids all had a lot of fun in one afternoon!

Fantastic experience: Had a great time at the Ocean Institute, very hands on w/ helpful employees and a beautiful location. Learned a lot about ocean life, the damage we have caused, and the positive things we are now doing to reverse that damage.

Fantastic experience: This was great for all ages. I had just as much fun dissecting a squid and learning about it as much as the young kids I was with did. Fun inactive activities and loved that you could come and go through out the day too. Definitely recommend for all!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful way to experience the ocean. We didn't see any whales on this trip, but spent some amazing time with a pod of dolphins who were showing off for the boat.

Fantastic experience: What an exceptional crew! What a great time! Well worth the price. Saw glow in the dark sea plants. Saw some glowing jellys too!

Fantastic experience: I love the Ocean Institute! I've been whale watching with them several times and every time I've had an amazing experience. Also, their boat rides at night are stunning! I believe they also have some amazing programs for kids.

Fantastic experience: It was closed when we went but down below the rocks waz amazing!

Fantastic experience: We took our 6 year old granddaughter to the Institute. The exhibits and lectures were excellent and informative to both children and adults. Staff was very friendly and great at explanations and assistance. 5 stars!

Fantastic experience: The ride was beautiful. The crew was extremely knowledgeable and super friendly. Would highly recommend. Great price and great organization!

Negative experience: I signed my son up for summer camp at the ocean institute. Something outside of our control came up, and I’ve been trying to get in touch with them for the past 2 months to work something out, all to no luck. My emails to their account bounce or get no response, my text replies to their texts bounce, I’ve called at all times and cannot get anyone on the line, I’ve left numerous voicemails but haven’t gotten a call back. I cannot get in touch with them no matter what!

Fantastic experience: Our family - 2 seniors, 1 adult, and 2 children ages 8 and 10 - had a fantastic time on the bioluminescence boat tour. The tour started at 8 and lasted for 2 hours. I was concerned that the younger ones would be tired and bored by the end of the boat ride, but they were enthralled from beginning to end. We had a beautiful night - warm and calm, so that helped, too. We saw things that we'd never seen or even heard of before - including pyrosoams. The kids were also fascinated looking through the microscope at the sea life that we brought up from 800 feet. We were so impressed with the quality of the Ocean Institute's tour that we plan to do more boat excursions with them, including the tall ship and whale and marine life tours.

Fantastic experience: The Ocean Institute is an amazing gem in Dana Point! It is a must see if they are open during your vacation! If you are a local take advantage of their membership and camps! Our oldest just finished camp last week and it is always one of his favorites! Wonderful staff, fun activities and lots of ocean learning!