Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
11/17/2023
We are running cruises on the days when we can get out there and believe it or not we are still seeing whales out there as historically by this time they are under way down to the Mexican waters returning around the Christmas holidays. They are however out there as we are running cruises today and tomorrow (Saturday).
11/07/2023
We will give the whale watch reports from this point forward during the winter months as it relates to the northerly migration which will begin around the Christmas and NewYears holiday season. This time of the year the whales leave the area to follow the migration to the south. We will give you updates as we get closer to the holiday season and our operating times as well as ocean weather reports.
11/03/2023
As we get closer to winter the weather becomes an issue more and more each and every week. There will be some really nice days as there always are even in the dead of winter but the next 4+ days appear to be wet, windy with pretty tough looking ocean conditions. Best bet is to keep in touch with the Dockside office as they are open every day to answer any of your questions.
10/30/2023
The ocean weather thru Wednesday sounds good for whale watching so give our office a cal if interested in some really good fall whale watching. Thursday sounds like a rainy windy day but Friday thru the weekend could be OK so give our office a call for updates.
10/28/2023
The whales are still around really close to the city so still a good time to get out and see them when the ocean weather is nice. Soon they will be leaving the area heading out to the southerly migration down to the Mexican waters for the winter.
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
