Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
04/17/2022
Happy Easter everyone! We have space available on our whale watching cruises today! Reports from the boats out fishing this morning is that there are whales all over Depoe Bay putting on a show already. Let\'s hope they stick around for a little while!
04/16/2022
Well, yesterday the whales were a bit elusive on us. The boats were able to see whales on our fishing charters, but when they went to find them on our whale watching cruises they found a good place to hide. Today\'s a new day though and we know the gray whales are around. We have several time options available today and we still have room. We will also be running whale watching tomorrow, Easter Sunday, as well!
04/14/2022
We had a few days of rough weather but we were able to get out whale watching today and successful in finding the gray whales! We had a few of them putting on a show on our trips today. The ocean forecast for tomorrow and Saturday look great at the moment. Any time from now through early October is going to be the best time to get out and look for gray whales. Give us a call or reserve online - be sure to do it ahead of time so you know you\'ll have a spot!
04/09/2022
Whale sightings continue to be very good, we were able to get out on Thursday of this week and found some whales offshore that put on a decent show. Ocean conditions in the afternoon yesterday were too rough for us to get out, and we have a bit of stormy weather coming in this afternoon and it\'s expected to stick around for a few days. Wednesday and on looks good though, we will be running trips later this week! Give us a call or reserve online while we still have space!
04/07/2022
It\'s a beautiful day here in Depoe Bay with lots of sunshine, calm seas, and reports of gray whales already being sighted out there! We have trips available all day today, give us a call or reserve your spots online before they fill up! Gray whale sights are typically very good at this time of year with a mix of both migratory whales and our resident ones moving back into the area.\r\n\r\n Don\'t forget to check out our new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/docksidedepoebay
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
