Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
07/29/2020
The whale watching excursions were fantastic today. The whales were close to port and multiple whales were viewed on each excursion. We are seeing many of our summer resident whales daily. Our cruises are scheduled daily on the largest, cleanest boats on the coast. Always an exciting way to see our beautiful shore line and have a good chance to seeing these amazing animals. Due to the Covid pandemic we have reduced our whale watching passenger loads to aid social distancing and are requiring masks be worn on all trips as per the governors order. If you have no masks we have them available in our office. Do not miss your opportunity to see these incredible mammals. Reservations can be made on-line at www.docksidedepoebay.com or by calling 541-765-2545
07/24/2020
The conditions were nearly perfect for whale watching and sight seeing excursions. Each trip had multiple opportunities to see whales and they have been quite close to port. We are seeing many of our summer resident whales daily and we are occasionally seeing a cow with a new calf. Our cruises are scheduled daily on the largest, cleanest boats on the coast. Always an exciting way to see our beautiful shore line and have a good chance to seeing these amazing animals. Due to the Covid pandemic we have reduced our whale watching passenger loads to aid social distancing and are requiring masks be worn on all trips as per the governors order. If you have no masks we have them available in our office. Do not miss your opportunity to see these incredible mammals. Reservations can be made on-line at www.docksidedepoebay.com or by calling 541-765-2545
07/24/2020
Improvement in the marine conditions over the last few days have made for very good whale watching. Each trip had multiple opportunities to see whales and they have been quite close to port. We are seeing a number of our summer resident whales daily and we are occasionally seeing a cow with a new calf. Our cruises are scheduled daily on the largest, cleanest boats on the coast. Always an exciting way to see our beautiful shore line and have a good chance to seeing these amazing animals. Due to the Covid pandemic we have reduced our whale watching passenger loads to aid social distancing and are requiring masks be worn on all trips as per the governors order. If you have no masks we have them available in our office. Do not miss your opportunity to see these incredible mammals. Reservations can be made on-line at www.docksidedepoebay.com or by calling 541-765-2545
07/18/2020
In spite foggy conditions today we had excellent sightings on our whale watching and sight seeing tours. Each trip had multiple opportunities to see whales. We are seeing a number of our summer resident whales daily and we are occasionally seeing a cow with a new calf. Our cruises are scheduled daily on the largest, cleanest boats on the coast. Always an exciting way to see our beautiful shore line and have a good chance to seeing these amazing animals. Due to the Covid pandemic we have reduced our whale watching passenger loads to aid social distancing and are requiring masks be worn on all trips as per the governors order. If you have no masks we have them available in our office. Do not miss your opportunity to see these incredible mammals. Reservations can be made on-line at www.docksidedepoebay.com or by calling 541-765-2545
07/16/2020
In spite foggy conditions all afternoon we had fantastic sightings on our whale watching and sight seeing tours. Each trip had multiple opportunities to see whales. We are seeing a number of our summer resident whales on a daily basis. Our cruises go out daily on the largest, cleanest boats on the coast. Always an exciting way to see our beautiful shore line and have a good chance to seeing these amazing animals. Due to the Covid pandemic we have reduced our whale watching passenger loads to aid social distancing and are requiring masks be worn on all trips as per the governors order. If you have no masks we have them available in our office. Don\'t miss your opportunity to see these incredible mammals. Reservations can be made on-line at www.docksidedepoebay.com or by calling 541-765-2545
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
