6 gorgeous Dana Point whale watching photos

Our photographer Stephanie Chung set out on a whale watching cruise during the Dana Point Festival of Whales. She returned with a batch of beautiful photos and an account of her adventure.

My friends and I had a whale watching kind of happy hour last weekend, sipping cocktails when encountering the whales. The experience was just beyond words.

We spent some time following a gray whale calf, its mom and the midwife. Hearing the blast from their blowholes and seeing the cloud of mist it created was spectacular. While the whales flipped their flukes up and down and took their shallow dives, eyes and cameras followed their moves.

When we headed back to the wharf and the sun was setting slowly into the sea, some common dolphins leaped above the water's surface; just the perfect finale for the trip.

Make sure to check out our post about the 5 things to know before you go whale watching and then head down to the beach.