Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
04/28/2022
Whale sightings were excellent today on both cruises we sent out! We have two times available tomorrow, looks like we may get some wind in the afternoon so the earlier you go in the day the better tomorrow. We have both an 11:00 and 12:30 available. Reserve online or over the phone!
04/27/2022
The ocean conditions settled down quite a bit today and we have whale watching trips available. Our fishing boats out earlier today reported seeing some gray whales out there so we anticipate they\'ll be hanging around this afternoon for us to check out! We have cruises going out every day for the next several days - ocean conditions look great through the weekend!
04/26/2022
The ocean wasn\'t quite as nice as was forecasted today with a bit of wind and bumpy bar crossing conditions that came up unexpectedly. We were able to get out there and look on one cruise today but the whales were a bit elusive. Luckily the ocean forecast for the next 5 days looks amazing - very low swells and light wind, which will make for very good conditions to look for whales. We have whale watching trips scheduled every day, be sure to give us a call or reserve online!
04/25/2022
We were able to get out cruising yesterday before bar conditions deteriorated. The whales were a bit elusive yesterday but our resident gray whales usually start moving back into the area right around this time. We\'ve got whale watching trips going out everyday this week, the ocean forecast looks great starting tomorrow and on through the weekend!
04/23/2022
It\'s a beautiful day in Depoe Bay today! We\'ve had whale sightings on all of our trips so far today and we still have a few more going out this afternoon. Ocean conditions for Tuesday and on look great this next week!
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
