Dana Point Harbor
South Orange County · near Dana Point · Los Angeles / SoCal
Sailing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Spring–fall (afternoons)
- Water temperature
- Mild (60s°F)
What is here
- Amenities
- Sheltered harbor beneath the bluffs · Dana West Yacht Club & charter · Ocean Institute tall ships · Catalina & San Clemente Island access
- Best for
- Charter, day-sailing & whale-watching under sail
- Features
- Scenic harbor beneath dramatic bluffs · Charter & day-sail base · Tall ships at the Ocean Institute · Jump-off to Catalina
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Harbor entrance & boat traffic · Afternoon chop offshore · Fog (spring/early summer) · Crowds & whale-watch traffic
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Lessons
- Yes
Sailing detail
- Styles
- charter · day-sail · cruising
- Breeze
- moderate
- Venue
- bay
- Exposure
- 2
- Sailing
- A sheltered South OC harbor beneath dramatic bluffs — charter and day-sail base with a reliable afternoon sea breeze (10–18 kt) and easy Catalina access
- Intl tip
- A scenic South OC harbor beneath dramatic bluffs (of 'Two Years Before the Mast' fame) — charter, lessons, the Ocean Institute's tall ships, and reliable afternoon sea breeze (10–18 kt). Some of the best whale-watching under sail in CA (gray & blue whales). Mild water; easy Catalina/San Clemente Island access. More relaxed than the big harbors. Mind harbor traffic and spring fog.
The guide
Dana Point Harbor, tucked beneath the dramatic headland bluffs that Richard Henry Dana described in 'Two Years Before the Mast,…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Dana Point Harbor — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.46, -117.702