Whale Watching at Depoe Bay, Oregon
See Gray Whales Spouting, Breaching and Diving Almost Year Round
Jul 9, 2009
Whale watching is one of the prime attractions in the central Oregon Coast town of Depoe Bay. It’s such a popular activity, in fact, that Depoe Bay is called the “Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast.
Depoe Bay 0Whale Watching Center Offers Indoor Viewing Year Round
Now, a new Whale Watching Center overlooking the ocean offers views of the whales from a second floor of a cozy indoor observation deck, plus a wealth of information on the migrations of the gray whales and local marine ecology.
A natural basalt rock seawall girds the small town of Depoe Bay against the crashing waves of the sea. It is this proximity to the ocean path of the migrating whales that makes it ideal for wale watching.
The Whale Watching Center is in the middle of town, on the ocean side of U.S. Highway 101, just north of the town’s only bridge. It is easily spotted by the sign “Whale Watching Spoken Here.”
The Center is open daily according to the following schedule:
- Memorial Day to Labor Day : 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Daily
- September through May: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday
Just south of the Whale Watching Center, Depoe Bay’s rocky face is broken by a 50-foot wide channel leading to the world’s smallest navigable harbor. This tiny, picturesque fishing harbor is home port for a number of charter boats that leave throughout the day on whale watching tours as well as charter fishing trips.
Cost for an hour whale watching venture is about $18; a two-hour trip is about $30. Charter companies Tradewinds (800-445-8730) and Dockside charters (800-733-8915) can be reached toll-free to provide schedules and reservations for whale watching.
Whale Migrations along Oregon Coast
Gray Whales migrate along the Oregon Coast twice yearly between their feeding grounds in arctic waters and their breeding grounds in the lagoons off Baja California in Mexico.
The peak of the southbound migration comes around the last week in December and the first week in January. Christmas vacation draws thousands of visitors to view the whales at this time. The northbound journey peaks between the last week of March and lasts through June. But some whales are generally present at other times as well.
In addition, Depoe Bay hosts a number of resident whales that feed in the kelp beds just offshore year-round. Some may stay only for only a season, rejoining the herd as it passes through on its next migration.
Spouting, Breaching, and Spy-hopping
Gray whales can be observed in several different modes of behavior. The first sign of whales is usually spouting, or a "blow" as the whale surfaces. Spouts can rise 12 feet in the air.
The iconic tail or “fluke” rising above the surf signals a dive. The head and upper body can be seen when the whale “breaches.” In “spy-hopping” the head appears above the surface as the whale surveys its surroundings. Tour boat viewers often report whales spy-hopping, perhaps as curious to watch people as the people are to watch whales.
Besides the gray whales, minke, humpback, blue and sperm whales are occasionally seen offshore, along with occasional orcas.
Depoe Bay lies along U.S. Highway 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) about 15 miles north of Newport on the Oregon Coast.
References
Oregon State Parks: Whale Watching Center
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