Depoe Bay Whale Watching
Whale Watching Report:
07/23/2025
Whale watching out of Dockside this afternoon was once again quite special as we spotted another Blue whale about 4-5 miles offshore and our guys ran out there to take a look & here is one of the pictures of the whale with the Samson in the background.
07/06/2025
The whale watching continues to be really good with multiple whales in the area today and it was really good sightings and a little luck was involved as well. The whales were right out in front of the city and the ones we were watching were inside the north and south points outside of the harbor. That was really a good thing because it was quite windy this afternoon but inside those point the ocean was much better as it cut off the winds out of the north.
07/02/2025
The feeding Gray whales are pretty close as they are right outside the harbor entrance feeding in the kelp beds. The Dockside whale watchers had a great day and the entire trip they were watching whales.
06/28/2025
Not only did we see Gray whales today (Saturday) but we also saw Humpback whales ad the report was up to 6+ Blue whales. It was a day that might not be repeated in years to come.
06/28/2025
W have had great whale sightings all day today with the Gray whales& we even have had fantastic sighting of a Blue whale which is. making a rare appearance to the area out in front of Depoe Bay. These whales are the largest animal on the earth getting as long as 100 feet and weighing up to 200 tons. They put out a very large spout There are estimated up to 10,000 to 25,000 of the great Blue whales left in the oceans globally wide.
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
