Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
03/08/2021
We will have whale watching opportunities this week as the marine forecast has finally moderated. There should be good seas for whale watching Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The whales are still in their Northern Migration. We will continue to run 1 1/2 hour excursions until mid-March. For more information or to make a reservation call 541-765-2545 or go to www.docksidedepoebay.com
02/15/2021
We are still in the Northern migration season of the Gray Whale. The weather has not allowed us out for several days now. Our best opportunity to get out is this Thursday the 18th. We are offering 1 1/2 hour cruises at this time of the year. While the whales are migrating it takes a bit longer to find them than in the summer months when our residents are here. For more information or reservations call us at 541-765-2545 book online at www.docksidedepoebay.com
02/10/2021
We have had just a few whale watching trips out in the past week but we have been having decent sightings. To make a reservation on the largest cleanest best maintained charter boats call 541-765-2545 or make a reservation online at www.docksidedepoebay.com 1 1/2 hour excursions are $30.00 children under 12 years old go for half price.
02/07/2021
No whale watching from Dockside Charters today. The ocean is just too rough today for good cruising. The forecast for Monday the 7th through Thursday looks more promising. Don\'t miss your opportunity to go on a whale watching excursion on the biggest, cleanest best maintained boats in the bay. Call 541-765-2545 to make your reservation or do it online at www.docksidedepoebay.com
02/03/2021
We are offering whale watching excursions as the marine conditions allow. Dockside Charters is running 1 1/2 hour cruises at this time. The whales continue their migration (Gray whales have the longest migration of any animal) from the Bering Sea to Baja lagoons and back again. We are blessed here on the central coast with pods of resident whales that, though they do migrate spend the summer months here with us from late May until October. For an opportunity to see these incredible animals call 541-765-2545 or make a reservation on line at www.docksidedepoebay.com
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
