Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
12/29/2023
A Happy New Year to all of our past, present and future customers for a happy and prosperous 2024. Spring is coming and so is the better weather so the staff and captains of Dockside Charters hope to see you soon in this new year.
12/23/2023
As the twinkling lights brighten our streets and homes, we, here at Dockside Charters, would like to pause and extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones during this holiday season.
12/21/2023
This is the time of year that the migrating whales begin to make their return journey from the Mexican waters. As of this morning the fishing boats have spotted some migrating whales so make some plans to come see one of the oldest migrations known to man. We also have spotted some whales feeding in the area so they are out there and around the Depoe Bay area. Because this is winter the ocean quite often is not cooperative so please give our office a call to check in on the best times to schedule and come down when the ocean weather is decent.
11/22/2023
The skippers and staff at Dockside Charters would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.
11/21/2023
For the rest of this week there are a few days \"that might\" pan out for some cruise trips but best idea is to keep in touch with the Dockside office on what might be available as we try to put some trips together. The weather this time of year can be day to day and sometimes week to week. There are some forecasts models that look like the beginning of next week look pretty good for several days so keep that in the back of your mind.
Depoe Bay Whale Watching Report Archive...
Depoe Bay is the Whale Watching Capital and Dockside Charters offers Premier Whale Watching Excursions.
Dockside Charters runs whale watching excursions on a daily basis during our whale watching season. The season typically goes from mid-December through October. Our whale watching season actually is two part: migration and residential. The migratory season begins in December and usually extends until mid May. Mid to late May is when our “resident” whales begin to arrive. Our resident whales are a group of roughly 20 whales that, though they do migrate don’t go all the way to the Bering Sea but rather feed during the summer season within just a few miles of Depoe Bay and stay in the area until late October. The same whales return year after year and we are able to identify returning whales by their individual markings and the skippers even have them named.
Pacific Gray Whales have the longest migration of any animal on earth going from the Bering Sea to the Baja Peninsula and even into the Sea of Cortez. Their migration allows calves to be born in the warm waters of the Baja lagoons, that is vital to the survival of the newborns because they have no insulating blubber layer at birth. As the new calves and their mothers slowly migrate North the calves gain about nine to ten pounds per day. What makes that even more remarkable is the fact that the cows (mother gray whales) feed very little if at all during the migration. This is often quite evident by the physical appearance of the cows when they reach Depoe Bay, they are literally racks of skin and bones, having used their fat reserves to support the calves during migration.
After they arrive here feeding is the priority. Pacific Gray Whales are baleen feeders, they filter food they need from the water by straining it through their baleen plates. Organisms they feed on are quite small, one of the whales most important food sources are Mysid Shrimp. Mysid Shrimp live in and around kelp forests and never get more than about a half inch in length. They resemble mosquito larva more than shrimp and the whales will consume up to 2000 pounds of them a day. At other times they will feed on copepods they filter by taking mouthfuls of muck from the bottom or even skim feed on schools of very small fish.
Humpback and Blues whales are also seen occasionally though not as frequently as Gray Whales. We are fortunate here in Depoe Bay to have whales nearby for us to see for most of the year.
At Dockside Charters we run our Whale Watching excursions from safe comfortable 50 foot Delta Charter boats. They are Coast Guard Certified and have everything required for your safety and piece of mind. They have all the amenities: comfortable heated cabins, rest rooms, indoor seating, seating out on deck. You are able to walk all the way around the boats and are elevated above the water for excellent whale sightings. Our captains have decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge they share during the excursions making them interpretive tours. Our boats have access doors to walk on and off with ease or provide wheel chair access. We can accommodate large groups.
Reservations are recommended for our whale watching tours, to make yours call 541-765-2545
Whale watching excursions seven days a week, subject to marine conditions.
Whale watching report archive...
(541) 765-2545
