Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
06/30/2022
Whale bonanza these last few days! Our resident Gray Whales have really been putting on a show out there, they will be feeding here all summer along the coastline through about the end of September/early October. Ocean conditions look fantastic through this 4th of July weekend, and we have one hour trips available daily!
06/29/2022
Whale watching has been excellent these last few days! Our resident Gray Whales have been hanging out close to town and feeding along the coast line, we have had anywhere from 1-5 whales a day feeding close to home. Ocean forecast looks great these next few days, and we have our one hour trips available every day. Be sure to reserve your spots ahead of time because they do tend to fill up quickly... luckily we\'ve got lots of different time options for you to choose from!
06/25/2022
It\'s going to being a beautiful day in Depoe Bay today! We have whale watching trips available all day today and we expect the ocean to be super nice today! Our resident Gray Whales have been very active lately these last few days and feeding all around town. Come on out and cool off today - we should be in the 70s-80s today!
06/23/2022
Whales, Whales, and more whales! We\'ve had excellent sightings of our resident Gray Whales these last couple of days and our fishing boats have already reported in seeing whales \"all over the place\" today. Summer is in full swing here at Dockside Charters, be sure to reserve your spot on one of our one hour trips as soon as you can!
06/20/2022
Our resident grey whale \"Scarback\" is back! Scarback has been a local to Depoe Bay for 25-30 years. Everyone knows when Scarback is in the area due to the huge gash on its back that\'s covered in whale lice providing a protective orange coating. We\'ve been seeing 1-3 whales a trip now that we\'re in our peak summer whale watching season!
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
