Baleen Whales
It's the largest animal in the world
Blue whale
Name the most common pinniped we see in the Dana Point Harbor
California Sea Lion
These are found in all the ocean's waters, but we have the largest local population anywhere else on earth.
Common Dolphin
It's home to 150 plant and animal species native to California, including the Pacific Pocket Mouse and California Gnatcatcher.
Dana Point Headlands
The Bostonian writer, politician, and sailor that wrote Two Years Before the Mast and advocated for sailor's working rights in US Maritime Law.
Richard Henry Dana
Humpback whales
The hotel has partnered with this nonprofit pinniped protection program in Laguna Beach.
Unlike some other species of whales, which follow a regular migration route each year, they seem to travel according to the availability of food. They are one of the few species of cetaceans that move freely from hemisphere to hemisphere.
Killer Whale/Orca
Newport Beach
It's the people whose land the harbor is built on.
Ajcachemen/Juaneno
Nicknamed "the greyhound of the sea," this second-largest whale can get up to speeds of 23 miles per hour.
Fin whale
The name pinnipeds encompass seals, sea lions, and these arctic dwellers
Walruses
That's not a beluga, it's more likely a male version of this cetacean, appearing white due to extensive scarring from competitive male-to-male tussles.
Risso's Dolphin
On a clear day you can see Catalina Island, known for its unique population of this animal that were brought over for a John Wayne movie.
American Bison
This oil tycoon developed most of the Dana Point area just south of the harbor into a State Park in the 1940s. Daniel Day-Lewis' character in There Will Be Blood is loosely based on him.
Doheny
It's the only whale known to feed off the ocean floor, one of the many reasons we see them so close to our resort in winter and spring.
Grey whale
June 15th
There is an estimated 640 of these found in California. You can help keep count with the Dolphin Spotter app next time you see one!
Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin
Palos Verdes
Known as the "lost wave of Dana Point," you can find it now in Lantern Bay Village off of Golden Lantern and Del Prado.
Killer Dana
Historically, these whales were considered too small to be considered worthwhile for whalers.
Minke whales
It's the term for how Sea Lions are able to redirect their blood-flow to their flippers in order to thermoregulate their body temperatures.
Shunting
Less robust than their Atlantic counterparts, these are known for their avid bow-riding behaviors and stark black and white coloring.
Pacific White Sided Dolphin
San Clemente Island
R.D. Olson is the real estate developer that will be leading the redevelopment of the hospitality and hotel sector of the harbor. They are most known for the construction of this Newport Beach hotel.
Lido House