Depoe Bay Whale Watching

Archived Whale Watching Reports:

04/20/2024

We had excellent whale watch reports all day yesterday (Friday) and today was just as good. We had a really quick hitting rain storm this afternoon which we were told limited the visibility. Just like the Oregon Coast....beautiful sunny day and a few minutes later RAIN .

04/17/2024

Whale watching was really good today onboard the Tacklebuster as they found whales south of the city in pretty close to the shoreline. The captain stated that it looked like one of the resident whales that was with us all summer last year the one that some might remember that had the three hash marks on its back dorsal area.

04/14/2024

No whale watching again today as this rough weather we have been having fooled us and stayed around for another day. Winds will be down tomorrow and things look much better for tomorrow.

04/13/2024

No whale watching today as the ocean weather turned a little nautical for any afternoon whale watching adventures to get out there. We will be trying again tomorrow.

04/12/2024

Excellent whale watching trips today on all of our boats out there this afternoon and saw Gray whales on all of the trips and also saw Humpback whales as well. Looks like it\'s gonna be a good whale watch year.

04/11/2024

It was a little too rough to go out yesterday but there were a bunch of whales spotted from shore out about whistle buoy depth...about a mile. Good weather today and tomorrow so come on down and see the Gray whale migration.

04/04/2024

The ocean weather looks to be better as we see it now for the upcoming weekend into the following week. Swells will be down as well as the wind but there will possibly be a few rain drops in the area. Call our office for more information.

04/01/2024

Whale sightings on the afternoon whale watch trips has been really good and it looks like today and tomorrow are really good weather days with Wednesday looking right now a little iffy.

03/28/2024

Hey folks... we\'re into some bad spring weather right now with rain, wind and moderate swells. It will be all out of here late Friday night into Saturday day looks like really nice for whale watching minus the three weather items mentioned above. Give us a call as space is filling up as we go thru the 2nd weekend of the Oregon spring breaks.

03/26/2024

Looks like some unfavorable weather the next three days thru Friday but the weekend into next week looks pretty nice so the office will have the information for you on trips going out this weekend and beyond. Looks like rain and wind and some moderate swells heading our way for the next three days.

03/24/2024

Excellent whale watching today as the northerly migration is in full swing. We had quite a number of whale watch trips on multiple boats and were seeing 2-4 whales on all of the 1 and 2 hour trips. It\'s a great time to watch the migratory whales and we have another two good days of weather coming up and then a possible change by mid-week. So get down here in the next few days to see the Gray whales swimming by Depoe Bay.

03/14/2024

Hey folks-and all of you whale watchers. The northerly migration of the Gray whales has started as we are seeing whales pass by the area. Today on our one whale watch trip we did see two out there on the trip moving slowly by so it will only get better as the days move on here. Give our office a call as the weather at least for the next week or so looks really good.

03/11/2024

As several states including Oregon in our western zone the ocean weather seems to be improving hopefully as the forecast is indicating. Beginning next Thursday the ocean weather is forecasted to be really nice and it is also forecasted to be that way pretty much thru at least the middle of the next week. Should be a good time to call the Dockside office and make those reservations for both fishing and or whale watching.

03/09/2024

Things look like rough oceans will be in our future for the next 5-6 days. The ocean weather appears for now from the extended forecast to be rough seas with wind and rain. Things appear right now to be settling down with the rain going away and the ocean swells coming down by next Thursday to where we should be able to get out there for some whale watching. We will keep you in touch as we watch the forecast daily.

03/04/2024

We\'re only about two weeks away from the historically beginning of the northerly migration of the Gray whales coming by the Depoe Bay Area. So make your plans soon to see this yearly event as there have been a few spotted already. We will be running daily trips ocean weather permitting.

01/26/2024

As we prepare for the 2024 whale watch seasons we are beginning to be part of the sportsman shows which will be taking place at various sites for the next month or so. This weekend Friday thru Sunday we are at the Tri-Cities sportsman show which is in Pasco, Washington at the HAPO Center. Drop by and meet some of our staff and talk about the upcoming whale watching best times.

01/15/2024

The power outage in Depoe Bay came to an end Monday evening at around 5:30pm and the office will re-open tomorrow morning.

01/14/2024

Hey folks, because of the very tough weather the Central Oregon Coast is having which has been going on for days now no electrical power or internet service is available. We will let you know as soon as things down here improve.

12/31/2023

A small retraction from last post so to. be honest as we can be on one of the trips out to see the whales today we failed to find any. On this northerly migration these whales are moving right along so one hour you see them right out front and then the next trip out they are already to far north to find them so you need to pick up a new pod of them moving from the south.

12/31/2023

We took out over 350 people today on whale watch trips and tomorrow looks like an even calmer day on the ocean waters than today. We will begin the trips around 12:30pm tomorrow, New Year\'s Day so give our office a call for reservations.

12/30/2023

Hey folks we have some decent weather coming up the next two days and we have lots of boats and quite a few whale watchers already signed up to go New Year\'s Eve day and New Year\'s Day. Give us a call and make some reservations to watch the northerly migration in full swing.

12/29/2023

A Happy New Year to all of our past, present and future customers for a happy and prosperous 2024. Spring is coming and so is the better weather so the staff and captains of Dockside Charters hope to see you soon in this new year.

12/23/2023

As the twinkling lights brighten our streets and homes, we, here at Dockside Charters, would like to pause and extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones during this holiday season.

12/21/2023

This is the time of year that the migrating whales begin to make their return journey from the Mexican waters. As of this morning the fishing boats have spotted some migrating whales so make some plans to come see one of the oldest migrations known to man. We also have spotted some whales feeding in the area so they are out there and around the Depoe Bay area. Because this is winter the ocean quite often is not cooperative so please give our office a call to check in on the best times to schedule and come down when the ocean weather is decent.

11/22/2023

The skippers and staff at Dockside Charters would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

11/21/2023

For the rest of this week there are a few days \"that might\" pan out for some cruise trips but best idea is to keep in touch with the Dockside office on what might be available as we try to put some trips together. The weather this time of year can be day to day and sometimes week to week. There are some forecasts models that look like the beginning of next week look pretty good for several days so keep that in the back of your mind.

11/17/2023

We are running cruises on the days when we can get out there and believe it or not we are still seeing whales out there as historically by this time they are under way down to the Mexican waters returning around the Christmas holidays. They are however out there as we are running cruises today and tomorrow (Saturday).

11/07/2023

We will give the whale watch reports from this point forward during the winter months as it relates to the northerly migration which will begin around the Christmas and NewYears holiday season. This time of the year the whales leave the area to follow the migration to the south. We will give you updates as we get closer to the holiday season and our operating times as well as ocean weather reports.

11/03/2023

As we get closer to winter the weather becomes an issue more and more each and every week. There will be some really nice days as there always are even in the dead of winter but the next 4+ days appear to be wet, windy with pretty tough looking ocean conditions. Best bet is to keep in touch with the Dockside office as they are open every day to answer any of your questions.

10/30/2023

The ocean weather thru Wednesday sounds good for whale watching so give our office a cal if interested in some really good fall whale watching. Thursday sounds like a rainy windy day but Friday thru the weekend could be OK so give our office a call for updates.

10/28/2023

The whales are still around really close to the city so still a good time to get out and see them when the ocean weather is nice. Soon they will be leaving the area heading out to the southerly migration down to the Mexican waters for the winter.

10/18/2023

Looks like one more day of moderate swells out in front of Depoe Bay but the ocean weather for Friday thru Sunday looks good for ocean activities. Call Dockside for information and to make a reservation.

10/15/2023

Won\'t be doing a lot of whale watching in the next few days as we have a storm series that will affect the ocean conditions thru at least Thursday with Friday possibly a go. Next weekend as of now looks pretty good so call the Dockside office for any ocean updates and what we are seeing from the shoreline and the ocean weather reports.

10/10/2023

We\'re going thru another early fall weather cycle at least thru Wednesday and possibly Thursday. Basically heavy seas will be with us into the evening Wednesday and right now Thursday is still a toss up. Contact the Dockside office for more up to date information. The weekend right now including Friday looks pretty nice.

09/29/2023

Getting around that time of the season when the whale migration begins to move to the south into the Mexico waters where the breeding takes place. That has not happened yet as they are still in the area in good numbers so come down and see them.

09/27/2023

After four days of really rough oceans, rain and wind things are coming back to nice fall weather beginning Friday thru the weekend. Looks like a nice time to get out on a whale watch trip with Dockside Charters.

09/24/2023

We will be off the water for at least three days thru Wednesday so keep in touch with the office on when we will be returning running trips. Lots of rain and wind on the way.

09/21/2023

No whale watch trips today as after the fishing trips in the morning the ocean swelled up again so we canceled for the day. As of early evening the ocean was coming down and should be a nice day tomorrow.

09/18/2023

We will be off the water today and Tuesday and hope to be back out there by Wednesday. We will keep you informed as the end oof the week and the weekend lipoids like nicer weather returning.

09/16/2023

The whales are still in the area with 2-3 whales were spotted just south of the bell buoy out about a half mile offshore. Normally the whales that have been here all summer will remain in the area until sometime in the first half of October until the southerly migration goes by.

09/05/2023

Two whales up outside Lincoln City this morning put on an absolute spectacular show around one of the charter boats. For nearly an hours they circled the boat blowing and diving down to feed down around the bottom we can assume. Both of them showed whale tails every single time and the videos taken had to be really good by the fishermen on the boat.\r\n\r\nBack around Depoe Bay there were two whales north of the city a few hundred yards and at least six of them off of Whale Cove about a quarter mile south.

09/02/2023

The whale watching remains terrific with not much different from day to day. The whales are close by and there are multiple whales in the area for our customers to watch. There are good whales and not so good whales meaning some are more fun to watch by showing there tails and coming close to the boats.

08/27/2023

ORCA WHALES:\r\nSeeing killer whales off the Oregon coast is a rare treat, but whale watchers can usually count on a pod of orca\'s patrolling the coast in mid-April – just in time to intercept marine mammals moving thru. Periodically you will see them moving south in the summer months. Orcas are most often seen in the ocean off Depoe Bay and Newport, but can be spotted coast wide.

08/26/2023

Lots of whales out in front of the city yesterday and today. They are spread out over the ones feeding to the north, south and right out in front of the city. One of the fishing boats coming home this morning noticed that two of them were feeding out in about 130 feet of water somewhat unusual. Great sightings all day long with Dockside Charters.

08/20/2023

We have been experiencing quite a bit of choppy water the past week but all of that is forecasted to come to an end and back to summer type ocean weather with nice weather beginning on Tuesday and beyond.

08/18/2023

No whale watching today (Friday) as the ocean by mid-day wad to rough to sail. Be back at it tomorrow.

08/14/2023

No boats out today as the ocean waters are a little squirmy today but as of now did not come up as much as was forecasted. The same thing for tomorrow but we are hoping to get out with the larger boats tomorrow. call the office for more details.

08/11/2023

Breaching whale....

08/11/2023

Nothing really new to report as the whale watching continues to be terrific but we did have a breaching whale today. Enjoy the photo.

08/09/2023

Nothing much changed since their last report with whales pretty much north-south and in-between. The kelp is over growing in our area this summer and the whales seem to like it. Find the kelp and you will find the whales.

08/04/2023

It\'s hard to find something new and exciting to tell you about the whale watching as it is great each and every day. The whales are very easy to find and they are close to the harbor right outside the city. Because there are multiple whales in the area our passengers get to see different whales on there trip as all of them are a little different in how they do there thing and they are all different in there looks. We have folks coming back multiple times to see these magnificent creatures of the Pacific Ocean so come down and go out on the most comfortable vessels with easy access to ALL of them.

08/01/2023

Not much more to say that we have not been saying for a month or so now that the whale watching is as good as it gets. There are multiple whales out there very close to the harbor and sometimes right outside the harbor entrance. There has been at least 2-3 every day and some times double that on some days.

07/29/2023

One of the captains coming home from there morning fishing trip noticed and reported that he say whale watch vessels already out there viewing whales north of the city, south of the city and right out in front of the city. Also a salmon captain reported Humpback whales offshore from the city about 4-5. miles.

07/26/2023

We had two Gray whales feeding in the kelp beds together right out in front of Depoe Bay today. Come down and see this pair do their thing pretty much every day.

07/26/2023

07/26/2023

We had two whales feeding right out in front of Depoe Bay all day today right next to each other.

07/26/2023

Whale watching in Depoe Bay Wednesday afternoon

07/25/2023

If you were in Depoe Bay today you could from afar watch the Dockside boats out watching multiple whales right out in front of the harbor about a half mile. Today it was really fun watching them feed off the bottom then come up thru the fields of kelp we have right out in front of the city. You can see from the boats kelp hanging from their body as they prepare to dive again.

07/22/2023

We had whales everywhere today with 2-3 directly out in front of the harbor and another one out about a half mile and north just a few football fields. We also had two more south of Depoe Bay about 2 miles to the south.

07/19/2023

Very foggy day but the whales were easily found just about a half mile outside the channel entrance over feeding along side the kelp beds. Was told there were multiple whales in the same location approximately.

07/17/2023

Lots of whales out there today and most of them were just outside the harbor door out to the open waters. maybe a quarter mile from that entrance. Terrific whale watching and great shows put on by the whales this afternoon and at 4pm still going on out there. .

07/13/2023

Great while watching off the coast of Depoe Bay today as we not only had good Gray whale sighting but a nice pod of Orca whales with some right outside the harbor entrance.

07/12/2023

Excellent whale watching today and has been the past week or so. Sometimes it is just better than excellent but the whales put on there shows some days better than others. The ocean weather has been so good here the past 3-4 days it seems that is a great time to watch the whales.

07/11/2023

Lots of whales out there today as our whale watch boats could just sit still the entire trip and watch multiple whales doing what they do.

07/07/2023

Good whale watching Friday afternoon with one whale found about a mile to the north of the city but there was a really good whale that put on a nice show for the folks on the Dockside boats just a little north of the bell buoy. This was a really large one that came up and blew three times before diving in shallow water. In an hour trip the folks on board saw him arch his back and show a little tail shot once in a while about every 2-3 minutes.

07/05/2023

Even on a really foggy day Dockside boats were able to find the whales about four miles to the south of the city down around Gull rock. A little drive to get there there but we got the folks onboard the chance to see the whales on Wednesday afternoon.

07/04/2023

Excellent whale sightings out there today as of 4pm we are still running trips out there to see them. They are most definitely in there feeding cycle big time right now

07/04/2023

Happy Fourth of July everyone. It\'s a great day for family activities and if your plans include being at the Oregon Coast drop by Dockside Charters and take the family out on a whale watch trip. Trips beginning in the morning thru the afternoon.

06/28/2023

Lots of whales to see today both north and south of the city area and there was one calf in the area as well.

06/24/2023

There has got be be upwards of 8-10 whales around the area because our fishing boats saw at least 2-3 up off the LincolnCity reefs north of Depoe Bay and there were as many as 5-6 north and south of the harbor area that the cruise boats were watching. There was one young whale up off Government Point about a mile north of the harbor entrance.

06/23/2023

There are 3-4 whales right out front of Depoe this afternoon all Gray whates so the boats were traveling around looking at all of them. It was foggy today but not so much right out front so the whales were really easy to find and stay with as they feed.

06/21/2023

Lots of whales out there today with the Gray whales putting on a great show and there have even several breaching whales which is really opening the eyes of Dockside passengers. To see one of these magnificent creatures pretty much get their whole body out of the water is something you have to see.

06/18/2023

We ran 10 whale watch cruises today using three boats to get It done. On top of that we saw whales on all of those cruises today.

06/15/2023

We have had an interesting week of whale watching when out there as we have been watching both Gray whales and a Humpback whale for about a week now. What is so interesting about this its the same Humpback back every day. Normally Humpback whales pass this area and don\'t stop. You see them on one trip and then an hour later they are so far north on their travel we don\'t see them again. This one is a younger whale that feeds right along side the Gray\'s and does not seem to be in any hurry to move on. We will keep you informed.

06/13/2023

Just a word about tomorrow Wednesday, June 14th....we have cancelled all ocean an activities for that day due to an incoming large swell 8-9 foot in size....the good news is this time of year these weather systems go away as quickly as they arrive so we will be back at on Thursday.

06/12/2023

We saw whales on everyone of our trips this afternoon as the Humpback whale seems to be sticking around we have been watching for the better part of the past week. Normally they are not here this long but this one seems to be sticking around feeding with the Gray whales. We also saw one of the Gray whales today also.

06/10/2023

Good whale watching today with multiple whales right out in front of the harbor and others down south of the harbor a half mile or so.

06/08/2023

Whale watching today was really great and this is two days in a row that we have seen both Gray whales and Humpback whales on our tours. Its a great time to comedown and visit Depoe Bay and go out on a whale watch trip with Dockside charters.

06/07/2023

Very good whale watching today especially after the ocean which was rough for the fishing boats calmed down just in time for the whale watch cruises to begin. We had three whales out there just north of town putting on a great show for the folks onboard.

06/06/2023

Lots of whales out there today and we also had opportunities to see some Humpback whales passing by Depoe Bay on the way to Alaska. Most of the Gray whales were in close pretty much right off north point.

06/05/2023

Moderation is taking place today so we should be good to go and watch some whales tomorrow (Tuesday).

06/04/2023

Some windy rough seas forecasted for the next few days but we will keep you informed if that changes but will be back in action for sure on Tuesday.

06/03/2023

Good whale watching today as we had whales both north and south of the city with some great Gray whale sightings. Even better not sure how long the Orca whale and her baby stuck around but there was the pair north of the city in the morning hours. It appeared that mama Orca was teaching her baby how to hunt.

06/01/2023

Several in the area on this Thursday right out front of the harbor a little more then a half mile offshore. Our guests today get almost the full hour cruise time watching the Gray whales and of course quite a few sea lions sitting on the buoys. When the ocean is nice we go into Whale Cove and see the harbor seal colony where there are hundreds of them there swimming around and sun bathing.

05/28/2023

05/28/2023

05/28/2023

Two to three whales were down on the south side of the Deopoe Bay harbor this afternoon. A little windy and choppy on the trips today but the folks all looked like they had a good time on the Dockside whale watch fleet.

05/25/2023

A quick note on the whale watching for Thursday was that our cruise boats were seeing great whale watching on all of the trips out today.

05/22/2023

It\'s at that point where the whale watch report might be every other day or when needed. The resident whales are arriving and we do have multiple whales already in the area plus one newcomer it seems. Normally the report will be the same thing daily so will make a report when needed but certain every other day or daily when needed. \r\nToday there are multiple whales that we were seeing on all our cruises and they like the past few days are down south of the city a half mile or so.

05/21/2023

Dockside\'s newest member of the fleet is the Sportfisher and he is our cruise boat for the day. He is on his third trip of the day and has seen whales so far on all three of those trips. The small craft winds which were forecasted have not shown up so far this afternoon. That is a good thing.

05/20/2023

The ocean like yesterday was a little windy and choppy but we did see whales on every trip today from the report. There are two out there one really big one and then a smaller one.

05/19/2023

We have seen whales all afternoon even though the ocean got into a little windy conditions today but we were still able to keep track of the whale thru the afternoon.

05/18/2023

We had two great crises this afternoon with a great group of folks onboard and we did see whales on a beautiful ocean day.

05/17/2023

One whale in the area today as it was feeding right at south point which is just about a football field in length from the bell buoy or the entrance buoy into Depoe Bay. It was just feeding and showing its tail and made for some good photos for our guests.

05/16/2023

There were two whales down south today about a mile and one more up about a mile to the north of Depoe Bay. Lots of good Kodak moments for our cruisers today.

05/14/2023

The fishing boats saw whales right out front of the harbor on North Reef and there was another north about a mile and a half 0off of Fisherman\'s Rock. There were two down south of Whale Cove this afternoon the cruise boats are watching on all of the trips.

05/13/2023

After quite a few whales in the area yesterday today was slim on sightings as we had to go a few miles south to find the whale we did catch up to. Whale watching can be not so good one trip then the next trip on the same day all of a sudden they are back.

05/12/2023

Quite a few whales in the area today some real close to the shoreline and others out a little deeper. Seems like we have our resident whales here for the summer.

05/11/2023

\r\nAn update to the first report of whales off Depoe Bay Thursday is when the cruise boats began their runs for the day we spotted up to five whales. One was a calf following the mother around and feeding up close to the shoreline.