Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
07/08/2022
We\'ve had some great whale watching these last few days! Our resident Gray Whales continue to feed close to shore all around town and have been putting on a great show. Both yesterday and today we also had reports of humpback whales just offshore of town as well which have also made for a great bonus/show! They generally don\'t come in close enough for us to get to them as they tend to hang out further offshore, but some trips were able to get a glimpse!
07/06/2022
Whales everywhere lately! Our resident gray whales have been real close into shore in front of town as well as just north and south of town as well. Lots of food for them here, as they\'ve been feeding very actively these last few days! Our one hour trips run daily, and the ocean forecast looks great through the weekend!
07/04/2022
Whale sightings were fantastic all day yesterday with whales literally, all over the place. We had them North of town, right in front of town, and South of town! They\'ve been very friendly and had some great sightings. Our 1-hour whale watching trips leave daily with multiple time options available. Our 50-foot boats are the cleanest and most comfortable boats around. Give our office a call or reserve your spots online ahead of time - the trips fill up quick!
07/03/2022
Happy 4th of July to everyone! The whales are very active today with our early boats reporting seeing them on their way out to the fishing grounds this morning. Our resident gray whales will be around all summer, and our one hour trips are available every day!
07/02/2022
Whale watching season is in full swing here! Whales have been spotted all around Depoe Bay yesterday and today. There\'s not a better time of day to see them, as they are just feeding along the coast line at this time of year. There have been anywhere from 1-4 whales on all of our whale watching trips these last couple of days, and they\'ve been putting on a great show!
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
