Ocean Institute
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Recent reviews
Doug Farrell Godard
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.
Liz Parker
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!
emily knie
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.
Belén Maliakkal
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!!
Chris Allan
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.
