Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
01/02/2022
New Years Day the marine conditions were very good. Our whale watching excursions were excellent with many whales to be observed. At this time of year, during the migration, we run one and a half hour cruises. That gives us more time to travel to where the whales are and have the best chance of good sightings. The forecast for the next week is not very good with the exception of Sunday the ninth. Give us a call or make a reservation online.
12/29/2021
We had a whale watching excursion out today and the sightings were very good. There were four to five whale near the boat for a good period of time. On the way back into port there was a whale that breached several times giving everyone aboard exciting sightings. The Gray whales are well into the southern migration so we will have good opportunities to see them as they move to the Baja lagoons and again when they head back north. We have space available Saturday and the marine forecast is good for Saturday (New Years Day). Give us a call or book on line, dress for the weather and come and have some fun.\r\n
12/28/2021
Dockside has reopened as of the 27th of December and we are offering hour and a half whale watching and sight seeing excursions as the weather allows. Call 541-765-2545 or make a reservation on line.\r\n\r\nThe whales are well into their southern migration and will be migrating well into springtime. There are over 24,000 Gray Whales that migrate past our coast each year on the way to the warm water lagoons of Baja. We see them headed south and again on the way north. They have the longest migration path of any animal going from the Arctic to Baja and back again. The exception being our resident whales that spend from June through October off the Oregon Coast.
10/24/2021
We have had an excellent summer whale watching season and we are thankful we could share it all with our clients. The weather has shut us down a week early but we will resume excursions the 27th of December with our 1 1/2 hour excursions. At that time the whales will be well into the southern migration.
09/22/2021
We are having very good whale sightings recently with many whales feeding close to port. This is our peak season for whale watching and your chances of seeing these incredible animals are very good. Sightings have been excellent and will continue as we move further into our whale watching season which runs into October. We are seeing several whales everyday. We have multiple cruises out daily, weather permitting. For an opportunity to sail with the cleanest most comfortable, best maintained fleet of 50 foot Delta charter boats call 541-765-2545 or make a reservation on line at any time or up to one hour before departure at www.docksidedepoebay.com Easy access to our boats with no stairs. Masks required again in the office and on the boats by executive order of the governor.
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
