Comparing east coast whale watching to west coast whale watching. Whales and dolphin are spotted throughout the entire world. In this post we will be doing a comparison on whales and dolphin seen in North America, specifically east coast versus west coast.

Types of whales exclusive to Atlantic Ocean on an east coast whale watching trip:

North Atlantic Right Whale – Spotted year round

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin – Spotted year round

Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin – Spotted summer

Types of whales exclusive to Atlantic Ocean on an east coast whale watching trip:

Blue Whale – Spotted spring through summer

Gray Whale – Spotted winter through spring

Spinner Dolphin – Spotted year round

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin – Spotted year round

These are the most common whales spotted on both east coast and west coast whale watching tours. Rare sightings of other species such as pilot whales, bowhead whales, and more do occur but are not common. Types of whales found in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean on either and east coast whale watching trip or west coast whale watching trip:

Bryde’s Whale – Spotted summer

Fin Whale – Spotted spring through summer

Humpback Whale – Spotted summer through fall

Minke Whale – Spotted spring through summer

Sei Whale – Spotted summer through fall

Sperm Whale – Spotted summer

Bottlenose Dolphin – Spotted year round

Common Dolphin – Spotted year round

Killer Whales – Spotted winter (Northwest year round)

As you can see by direct comparison is that both coasts offer opportunities to see whales. The main difference is that the west coast has the blue whale which is the largest animal to ever exist on earth.