Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
07/20/2022
We have had some fantastic whale watching these last few days! We\'ve had anywhere from 4-6 of our resident gray whales out in front of town, or just north or south of town feeding all day. Ocean conditions have been stellar and it looks to be that way for the next several days! We have one hour trips departing daily throughout the day, be sure to reserve ahead of time as space is limited!
07/16/2022
Whales everywhere these last few days! Our resident gray whales have been feeding in real close to shore around Depoe Bay and all over the place. Our whale watching trips are the perfect amount of time to check out a few of our different resident gray whales, if one seems to be down a little bit longer than usual our boats will go find another one close by to ensure everyone gets the best show possible! We expect our resident Gray Whales to hang out here until the end of September and our one hour trips are available every day!
07/13/2022
After a rough and windy day yesterday that kept us off the water, we are back out again today looking at our resident Gray Whales and they\'re putting on a great show! Ocean conditions starting tomorrow look fantastic for the rest of the week through the weekend!
07/10/2022
Awesome whale shows lately! We\'ve had a few humpback whales in our area that our boats were able to track down yesterday afternoon that put on a great show! Our resident gray whales are also in the area and continue to feed all around Depoe Bay as well. These one hour trips have been really exciting with lots of different things to see out there including bald eagles and pelicans. We go out every day as long as the ocean\'s nice!
07/09/2022
Awesome whale watching so far today! Our whale watch reports are reporting multiple whales all around Depoe Bay, with a few of them just out front of town and some of them south of town as well. Whale watching trips are running every hour this afternoon be sure to give us a call or reserve your spot as soon as you can!
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
