Catalina Coastal Tours

We had on fantastic time on the Mojo, fishing with Captain Lance! We caught 14 fish total between the three of us and my 16 year old Son caught a 20 pound Yellow Tail. It was the thrill of his life. Captain Lance knew all the hot fishing spots and he was charming and amusing! We cant wait to go lobster fishing next time. Highly recommended.

My mom and I went on a tour with Captain Brent and had one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We literally saw HUNDREDS of dolphins, and they were so close you could practically reach out and touch them (believe me, I tried)! But honestly, even if we hadn’t seen any dolphins, it would still would have been an amazing experience. It was so much fun being out on the open water with the sun and wind in our hair. And Captain Brent was so knowledgable and told us so many fun facts and stories about the island and its native inhabitants. I can’t recommend the whole experience enough. Way beyond 5 stars.

We had our dolphin and sea lion trip yesterday morning with captain dave and it was amazing! We saw tons of sea lions and seals, unfortunately no Dolphins, but the trip was still so much fun! Captain Dave is very knowledgable of the island and makes the trip totally worth it!

The most amazing boat tour ever. Our Captain Dave was very attentive, helpful and congenial. It was the highlight of our trip. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to learn a little history about the island or wants to have a great time with friends. We would do it again

Coastal tour was amazing!!! We ended up being the only people on the boat! So personal tour was awesome. We seen some beautiful seals laying around and some swimming in our area. Thank you Sadie and the Captain!

We took the family out on a boat tour to see sealions and dolphins. Even though we didn’t see any dolphins today, we had a great experience. Sandra was our guide, and she was very friendly and knowleable. One of my family members had motion sickness from the ride earlier on Catalina Flyer. So we were at little bit concern at first. However Sandra was very respectful of that and made the ride enjoyable. Great experince!

My husband and I booked the coastal tour last minute during our cruise to Ensanda and Catalina. We hadn’t booked an excursion on the ship but after walking around the island we decided to give it a try. The cost was about $ 20 cheaper per person than the cruise price. We also were the only 2 people on the trip, which can be nice after being with so many people all the time. We didn’t see any dolphins, but we saw tons (over one hundred) sea lions and seals and also a bald eagle. Sandra was our captain and she was very friendly and knowledgable. I would do this again for sure!!!

We were referred to this business by our b&b (old Turner inn), they are related. We were not disappointed! Captain Sandra was friendly and had a vast knowledge of local life and marine biology. She was also a great pilot, cutting through the chop smoothly.
We saw seals and sea lions, including one that was in the process of adorably mangling a fish! We hadn’t seen any dolphins, so captain Sandra took us to see a bald eagles nest, though it was too far to see much detail. She then took us on a detour on the way back and we spotted a good sized pod of dolphins! They were in a calm mood, and swam lazily around the boat, we got very close!
The boat is clean and nice. It is a smaller boat, I think they don’t take out groups larger than six, but as we came late March, before the tourist season, it was just me and my wonderful girlfriend. Very romantic. Highly recommend, and I will be back!

We were on the tour 4÷14÷2015, the weather was awesome and seas were flat. Sandra was our captain, as a native she has a vast knowledge of the Island and the sea life. We saw lots of sea lion & Harbour seals. Caught a seal munching down on a large fish tossing it about as a brown pelican watched for a flying bit to scarf down. We had the pleasure of a Pacific white sided dolphin hang by out boat for a while and caught some great photos. The cool thing is that our captain was just as stoked as we were seeing the wildlife.
Coming from coastal Florida and having our own boat at home we were so excited to see what the pacific had to offer. And we were very satisfied. The boat was my «dream boat» 26′ with an almost silent 4 stroke Merc (I think). Either way the boat was awesome.
In conclusion, I recommend this tour to anyone, any age. Get out there and see what the sea has to offer.

Wonderful! Wonderful tour with Captain Dave! We had the best experience while Dave shared with us his thorough knowledge about the Catalina Island and the wilderness around here. We had the opportunity to enjoy the whales family, large group of playful Dolphins, plenty of seals and sea lions warming up in the sun and he even showed us the bold eagle’s nest. His experience and enthusiasm about what he does made us plan another trip to Catalina soon. The tour with Dave is a must while on Catalina.

This company is amazing! My boyfriend (now fiancé) had scheduled a tour that in most cases wouldn’t have been able to be rescheduled but due to weather problems we weren’t able to arrive on the island on time to go on our boat tour with Captain Dave, however, he was kind enough to let us reschedule for another day.
When we went on the actual trip he was very kind and relaxed — we had a wonderful time going around the island! He even provided blankets and we could play our own music. I would definitely recommend this company.

This tour was perfect. We arrived in Avalon mid-​morning and after spending a few hours shopping, we headed for the docks where we met our Captain Sandra. She quickly went through what to expect and then we were off to see the wildlife. The water was a bit rough that day so we began closer to shore and were immediately rewarded with a pod of sealions. We signed up for the photo package, which I would recommend, so Sandra was taking pictures and telling us all about the island and the animals we were seeing. We continued along the southeast coast past Seal Rock and saw hundreds of sealions with their young pups playing in the water. Here we also saw harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks and bald eagles nesting on the cliffs above the beach. Next we headed offshore in search of dolphins.
The seas were 2 to 3 feet with white caps which made it difficult to spot any surface activity. Though we didn’t see any dolphins, Sandra gave us a fun and exciting ride back into port. The tour was the right length and the photos Sandra took, there were hundreds of them, were fantastic. We will do this tour again on our next trip to Catalina.

Perfect tour… we saw hundreds of dolphins all around the boat, surfing the wake and jumping around playfully. Captain Sandra was very knowledgable of the island and the animals. The boat was immaculate and we felt sage and comfy in her care.

We chose to do the Ultimate Beach Excursion and it was truly the highlight of our week long trip to Catalina. Captain Sandra was a great skipper and was very kind and courteous. Captain Dave was always kind and very thoughtful and detailed when booking the trip. He always shared communications by email and phone. NO FLAKY PEOPLE HERE! Sandra was always focused on boat safety and cleanliness. We met her at the landing at 9am and then jetted out to Whites Landing for a full day of fun and sun. We were greeted by some of the friendliest staff at the campsite. We had unlimited access to snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding. We also did some hiking, but the best part was relaxing on the beach. The camp crew prepared two wonderful meals that were included in the price of the trip. We ate some delicious sandwiches with fresh sourdough bread and salad for lunch and homemade fried chicken and biscuits for dinner. Sandra picked us up about 6:45pm just as the sun was starting to set. On the way back Captain Sandra stopped and pointed out a American Bald Eagle resting on an oceanside perch. The trip was magical and one we will NEVER forget. It was worth every penny. I am already planning to do this again. YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!

We’ve done 3 hour private tours with Captain Dave two years in a row. He is a laid back guy who knows the island. He’s good with kids and adults. I can’t wait for our next tour.

This is about: ULTIMATE BEACH ADVENTURE (all inclusive) $ 115 Adult half day 5 – 6 Hrs
Boat skipper was cocky, not informative on the way to White’s Landing.
Once there, paddle boards and Kayak were impossible to carry by one self, yet no help was available.
Shower facilities were run down and had no soap or shampoo.
Meal consisted of only a few salad items and a sloppy sandwich, no desert or fruit. Just warm water and sugary fruit punch. (Why is there a ‘chef’ for that?)
We were on time on arrival at check in and we were on time at boat pick up at White’s landing upon’s skipper imperative order, yet she did not make any effort to spot sea lions or dolphins.

Captain Dave Carlisle is fantastic. Personable, knowledgeable, and a great guide. We had a terrific outing on his very modern and clean boat. And, the price for my wife and I was more than reasonable. He could charge much more and he knows it. Don’t shy away from buying his photography package. Capt Dave has valuable experience taking pictures of the dolphins and can capture things you will not on your first dolphin excursion. We had our own camera and doubled our photos by purchasing his Sandisk for $ 20. Lot’s of dolphins played in our wake, swam underneath the bow, and jumped clear out of the water as we traveled a short distance from Avalon. We also saw sea lions basking in the sun and an eagle soaring along the cliffs. Highlight of our weekend to Catalina… don’t miss this gem!

We had a morning tour with Captain Dave and were very pleased with it. He is very knowledgable and clearly loves the ocean and the area. He took us along the coast to the west tip of the island and we saw all sorts of sea lions and seals, a bald eagle, and amazing kelp forests in the clearest water I have seen in a long time. Visbility was 50 feet plus. Unfortunately it was a quiet morning for dolphins, they were still slumbering down below. But we were happy nonetheless. Consider this company for a tour.

Captain Dave Carlisle is a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgable about sea life. My parents and I took the Dolphin & Sea Lion tour. This excursion was without strangers aboard so it made for an intimate experience. Book your trip now!

Amazing!