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Ocean Institute
Rating Details »
24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 496-4296
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 496-4296
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Ocean Institute
This review is for the annual Tall Ships Festival - Cannon Battle Sail (usually after Labor Day). http://www.tallshipsfe...
The Tall Ships Festival Cannon Battle Sail is basically 5-7 old wooden boats/replicas that sail around the shore, and "shoot" cannon balls at each other. From the moment you step on the boat, the crew is super friendly and puts on a great show. There's people yelling directions to one another, crew dressed up as pirates; they even have everyone on board hoist the sails (which is no easy task).
Our boat (Spirit of Dana Point) was rather small - there were maybe 40 passengers on board. But it created an intimate atmosphere.
The best part of the sail was "destroying" other ships with the cannons, which actually make a huge bang and lots of smoke. Felt like a ride at Disneyland, but you're out in the ocean. There were tons of smaller private boats out there too, and some of them were in on the fun, dressed up as pirates.
The sail was 3 hours and very smooth. No dramamine needed. But it gets cold so definitely bring a jacket. Or maybe a thermos of coffee.
Deals: If you buy a membership to the Ocean Institute (individual $35) you get a discounted rate (how many tickets it applies to depends on your membership level). And if you buy a raffle ticket for the Laguna Beach home raffle ($150), you get a free individual membership. Tickets are $65 for non members, $50 or $55 for members.
Wish I Knew #1: GET THERE SUPER EARLY. The ticket says boarding time is at 4:30pm, and the ship leaves at 5:30pm. They mean, you need to be IN LINE to get on the boat at 4:30 because you don't know which boat is gonna leave first, which could very well be before 5:30pm. Also, there is no parking so you have to park at Dana Hills HS or at a nearby beach parking lot, and wait for the shuttle bus. From the drop off point, you then have to walk to the Ocean Institute which is another 10 minute walk.
I should've left my house at 12pm to have plenty of time to get there, park, walk around the vendors, eat, go to the bathroom, check in, and get on the boat.
Wish I Knew #2: It's get really cold - bring a jacket!!!
Wish I Knew #3: Bring food, there's nothing on board. (Ok, I did know this one, and I was really glad I brought food bc the ride was smack in the middle of dinner time 5pm-8pm). AND go to the bathroom beforehand. I don't think we got off the boat until 8:45 or 9pm.
Boat: Spectacular. Beautiful boat made of wood, canvas sails, thick ropes... really a privilege to be on board! No food, weird bathroom situation.
Crew: Totally wonderful. Friendly and enthusiastic! Some are volunteers, so you know they totally enjoy the sail. Someone even played the bagpipes!
Sea Life: None spotted - just the crazy people on their boats sailing way too close to our huge ship!
5 stars: It's expensive, but it's definitely worth the price.
This was the best boat tour/cruise I've ever been on. Def. recommend for kids, adults, anyone really! Would be a great birthday gift, or just something really special to treat someone to. A fun experience, and so relaxing to sail on the ocean with no motor and taking in the sunset!
We took our 4-year old daughter on a Sunday afternoon and she just loved it. Don't go there expecting the Monterrey Aquarium because that's not what you're going to get. This is a tiny facility that has some cool up-close, hands-on encounters. The key is to pick up the schedule and do some of the activities. Our daughter got to dissect a squid and make a "moon jelly" out of an egg carton. We spent a little less than two hours which included a trip through the gift shop. We would have toured their sailing ship, but it was a very hot day and they warned us that the little kids weren't doing well in the heat that day.
I highly recommend it, but bear in mind that it's small and interactive and you get out of it what you put into it.
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Our kids(8 and 6) just spent a week at their summer ocean camp. This is their second year and they loved it. The kids learned about our local ocean, the tides, sea creatures, explored the tide pools and experienced life aboard ships. The program takes them out on the double masted schooners, they learn to tie knots and listen to sea tales and sea shanty's. It is a change of pace from the normal summer stuff, so worth a week away from the usual summer doldrums.
Davey Jones would approve.
Looking for some kid friendly stuff to do in Dana Point, I turned to Yelp and found the Ocean Institute. It had pretty great reviews, so we decided to head over. My two and half year old really enjoyed the aquarium at Legoland a few weeks prior so I figured it would be a good bet.
Well, when we got up to the podium where they sold tix, I asked if they had fish tanks/aquariums and was told "Oh Yes!"
I think I actually got inadvertently snookered at the door because I read somewhere here that adults are $6.50 and kids 3-12 are $4.50. I paid for an adult and a kid, even though Charlie's under 3. I'll have to verify this age limit thing...
So anyways, I expected more than a couple of rooms with a handful of tanks for the cost. There were really only two rooms with anything going on and it took all of 15 minutes to thoroughly see and experience. One had quite a few starfish and a few sea cucumbers that you could tough, with a couple of other tanks with a few fish in each one. The other was a room with a large tank full of sea ray type fish. Normally, you can tough them, but they had been biting people lately, probably due to mating season according to the guide. (The bites weren't harmful he explained, just startling).
Perhaps if we had gone during one of the scheduled events earlier in the day, it would have been more worthwhile, but you go when you go, you know? They do have something going on every half hour, but some of the events look much better than others.
The staff was super nice and informative.. I have no complaints there... it's the size and scope of the actual institute that was disappointing. For $11, I expected more.
The tide pools and grounds behind the institute were nice and the best part of the visit, but are open to the public for free anyways.
All in all, i'd say that my $11 would have been better spent elsewhere. If they added a few tanks and made it more of an experience, I'd change my mind though.
If you want to spend a few hours of your time one weekend with the kids then you might want to check out this place. It costs $6/adult and $4/children 3-12 years old to get in and once inside you can linger for as long as you like. Displays are housed in various rooms and there are a total of 5 which includes a movie theater where you can watch a show on various topics.
My favorite room was the one where they make their own plankton and krill for the marine animals. The volunteers are all very enthusiastic and helpful when you have questions.
Before you enter (and after you've paid) they will give you a schedule of the day's events and you can choose to attend or not. We attended the 'dissecting a squid' workshop which entailed a dead squid placed in front of you with scissors, a probe and tweezers. The volunteer will go through the various parts of the squid which is rather interesting. I've been cleaning squid for food preparation since I was lil guy's age and never knew what was what on a squid. All I knew was which parts were not edible but didn't know why. After this workshop it made sense why my mom asked me to discard the bits of the squid I knew 'instinctively' were not edible.
I would suggest bringing a little picnic if you plan to come around meal time. They have a cart which sells drinks and hotdogs but bringing your own packed lunch would seem more practical and healthier for the kids. There are some tables and chairs within the Institute itself, however, it's far more pleasant to venture outside where there are picnic tables and benches where you can eat your food. They give you a stamp on your hand so you can return later if the kids wanted to rediscover the displays they had seen earlier.
Parking is free (as opposed to $10 parking over at the aquarium on weekends) and it's a seriously great option for a family outing!
They are open to the public Thursday and Friday for a public tour which starts at 3:30pm and lasts about 40 mins. On weekends it is open from 10am to 3pm.
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Just got back from a beautiful experience with nature on the bio luminescence cruise at the Ocean Institute. Seriously, if you want to impress someone with something different to do in Orange County, this is a treat. The only reason I'm docking one star was that I almost got sea sick, but that wasn't really their fault.
We didn't realize that you have to buy your tickets online beforehand, so we showed up half an hour before hoping to join the cruise. Luckily, the safety officer and leader of our tour, Morgan, was nice enough to allow us on. In fact, every employee we came in contact with was very friendly and eager to help.
Two words of advice - dress warm! You may think this is common sense for a boat ride, but as someone who frequently puts fashion before comfort, I didn't. We still had an amazing time though. They pull a net of plankton and other small luminescent creatures out of the ocean and you can run your hands over it to make them glow. It is seriously cool, like touching living glow-in-the-dark fairydust. Then they put the fish in tank where you can see them and later, you can look at them under the microscope, which was freaky and cool.
The best part though, as someone else mentioned, were the dolphins. We were lucky enough to see them swimming very close alongside the boat. They looked like ghosts because they were glowing the same color as the crashing sea-spray coming off the boat. It was so unreal and something I will never forget. This is a great outing for families and couples, especially if you have the stomach for the sea. :)
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I went on the bioluminescence night cruise and I would highly recommend it. It is absolutely worth every penny of your $35. That being said...it's definitely worth mentioning that I'm a biology nerd * 10^23.
The cruise itself is exciting because, not only do you get to see glowing critters along the sides of the boat...they pull some up with a net and show you under a microscope! That's right...you get your very own biogeek explaining this amazing biological phenomenon!
The night I went, there were dolphins swimming alongside the boat and getting covered with the bioluminescent organisms so that they were actually glowing! Lisa Frank couldn't have imagined that in her wildest dreams.
If the other cruises and nerdly opportunities presented by the institute are as awesome as this cruise was, you won't be wasting your money. The next time I'm in SoCal, I'd like to check out more of what they offer (hint, hint) and you wouldn't have to pull my arm to get me on another bioluminescence cruise.
Did I mention Dana Point is awesome?
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We happened upon the Ocean Institute during an impromptu stop on our road trip. The moon jelly feeding was quite impressive. Some of the staff was really helpful in answering my children's questions. The Surf Science exhibit was closed the day we visited so we will have to go back. There are tide pools in back of the center that we would also love to explore.
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Perfect place to bring the kids and kill a few hours of your day. We spent about 3 hours there browsing the different displays, doing the scavenger hunt, taking part in the activities they had and when that was over my son wanted to go to the displays again. Some of the displays are interactive, others not so much. When you're done you can go for a walk behind the Institute where there is protected marine animals on the beach for you to explore.
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I went on the bioluminescence night cruise, which was fabulous! We saw glowing dolphins swimming in the water alongside the boat. The downside was that I got a bit seasick and the ocean wind was COLD. Interesting and unique way to spend a night. Great for people interested in science.
