Spotting a breaching gray whale or orca while whale watching on the oregon coast is an absolute rush and is something youll never forget i vividly remember taking an extended tour and being out on a boat with my wife. Whaletrips oregon the best tips for whale watching in. To help you plan your trip, here is a 2day winter whale watching itinerary. Port orford offers great whale watching during the year. Also whale excrement jump starts the food chain by excreting tons of iron and nitrogen into the environment and since whales excrete at the surface, this whale pump shifts nutrients from deeper in the water column to the surface. The annual migration of the gray whales actually covers a course stretching from alaska to baja, but it is in the winter and early spring that oregon coast whale watching is best. Paddling along the calm coast lines of the san juan islands makes for a fun adventure for singles, couples, groups, and families. Our resident whales are a group of roughly 20 whales that, though they do migrate dont 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. Whale watching tour combines a scenic coast tour with the excitement of seeing 40ton gray whales up close on the pacific ocean. Fullday northern oregon coast tour cannon beach expedia.
Falling out of the northward spring migration and sticking along the oregon coast in summer and fall, this group of whales offers reliable, yearround whale watching in or egon. Washington coast whale watching beachcombers nw blog. Between the months of december and may, gray whales make an appearance off of the coast of oregon. Some gray whales do not continue on to alaskan waters but stay off the coast of oregon between june and november. One hour of fun and excitement on a personal scenic tour of the beautiful oregon coast. The oregon coasts best places for whale watching oregon. Whale s tail charters offers oregon whale watching tours in depoe bay. We also found several private rv resorts along hwy 101 between tillamook and depoe bay. Whale watching on the oregon coast the official guide to portland.
San juan island is the center of whale watching in the pacific northwest and therefore friday harbor on san juan island is the best location for departing on a whale watch tour in washington state. This adorable town is one of the most popular oceanfront locations on the coast, and for good reason. Sunday the conditions are forecast to be significantly improved and getting even better through the week. In washington, whale watching boils down to the waters around vancouver island. Tours are also launched at port townsend eastern entrance to the puget sound, anacortes on fidalgo island, port angeles at the south coast. The depoe bay whale watching center is also closed. This tour will travel along one of the most picturesque driving routes in the country, us hwy 101. Why are so many gray whales washing up dead on pacific. Up to 20000 gray whales migrate along oregons coast every winter and spring.
Scroll down for some companies that provide whale watching boat trips. Any location with an ocean view may yield whale sightings, and morning light with the sun at your back is best. One way to find gray whales a little bit easier is to look for whale watching boats. Our trips are fun, informative and interactive, our captains are devoted to making your oregon coast whale watching tour an experience of a lifetime. The trip down oregon coast highway hwy 101 was made at a leisurely pace, as we stopped frequently to scan the ocean for whale spouts at picturesque spots like roads end state recreation site, just north of lincoln city. Whale watching spoken here is a volunteer gray whale watching program during peak migration times coinciding with winter and spring breaks. Middecember to february, march to june oregon features sprawling coastlines that beckon to whale watchers. The best whale watching spots are port orford heads, cape blanco and battle rock park. Fullday northern oregon coast tour by americas hub world tours. Whale watching tour is normally scheduled from 8 am to 5. Miles phillips, a coastal tourism specialist with oregon sea grant and the oregon state university extension service, found that their online presence ranged from prominent to nonexistent. Whale watching on the oregon coast loon lake lodge and. Whales, storms and brews on the peoples coast travel oregon. Learn about the whales of the world, and the natural and local history of oregon.
Mid to late may is when our resident whales begin to arrive. All along the pacific coast, oregon whale watching sites make viewing easy and informative one of the top reasons people visit oregon is to have an opportunity to view whales in their natural ocean habitat. Whale watching seattle and whale watching washington are commonly associated with whale watching in the san juan islands. Whale watching brookings whale watching spoken here whale watching spoken here is a volunteer gray whale watching program during peak migration times coinciding with winter and spring breaks. Seaside is a cantmiss location on your oregon coast road trip. Once we are able to resume operations, we will continue to follow all safety directives and best practices issued by the state. Watch for whales from neahkahnie mountain on the oregon coast. From the loud speaker, the captain explained exactly what we should be looking for and when and where we should be watching. A lot of tour operators offer both classic and kayak tours there. Following current restrictions and precautions put in place by oregon state, we have suspended all tours until official guidelines are issued. Thats on top of 21 strandings on california beaches since the beginning of the year.
At the time, oregon beaches were under the jurisdiction of the states highway division, which, after consulting with the united states navy, decided to remove the whale using dynamite assuming that the resulting pieces would be small enough for scavenger. We also offer 3 hour, full day, and multiday sea kayaking tours departing from the westside of san juan island. A twoday oregon coast whale watching trip itinerary oregons. With a huge expanse of ocean before you, this is one of the coast s best whale watching locations. About 60 whales are seen repeatedly off the central coast and have been photographed and identified. With over 300 miles of public coastline, oregon s beaches are sure to amaze with their dramatic offshore rock formations and reborn beach towns. Join us at whale s tail charters in depoe bay for an exciting and thrilling ride to see gray whales and other marine life. Posted by outdoor project contributor vanessa ball december 1, 2017. They go south at the end of december, and north again in march.
How to go whale watching at the oregon coast on your own. Conditions saturday were too rough to get out whale watching. One of the best kept secrets in oregon is that there are traveling and resident california gray whales along the central oregon coast from late march through november. The oregon parks and recreation whale watching center on depoe bay, about 160 kilometers southeast of portland, is a great place to see gray whales making their biyearly migrations between alaska and mexico. There are so many familyfriendly oregon coast attractions here, with activities for people of all ages one of the most popular attractions in seaside, oregon is the seaside aquarium. Look for everything from grey whales to tiny plankton. Here you can learn about depoe bays resident gray whales and experience transiting the worlds smallest navigable harbor. Because of the unusually rich kelp and algae beds in port orford bay, california grays hang out here anytime during the year, and are usually most active here in the late summer july through sept. Oregon coast whale watching the oregon coast visitors guide.
Whaletrips california the best tips for whale watching. Many beautiful coastal photosightseeing stops throughout the day. To take advantage of the california gray whale s 12,000mile migratory route from a gold beach standpoint, southbound migrating whales move past the oregon coast dec. Hop aboard a 65foot 20meter whale watching boat for a fantastic adventure off the orange county coast. Yearround whale watching cruises like this one are rare, so dont miss this chance to see giant blue, finback, grey, minke and humpback whales. No volunteers will be stationed for the spring whale watch week, set march 2129, to help slow the spread of covid19. This is a place for whale watchers to join and share sightings of whales on the oregon coast. The central coast of california offers a lot more whale watching possibilities. During your whale watching cruise, learn fascinating details about california sea life from the crew, and enjoy the pacific coast scenery. This was a great addition to our vacation on the oregon coast. It is open from 8 am to 4 pm daily and is only closed on federal holidays. Whalewatching overlooking oregons spectacular south coast. On each trip, approximately 18,000 gray whales pass close to the oregon coast. To take advantage of the california gray whales 12,000mile migratory route from a gold beach standpoint, southbound migrating whales move past the oregon coast dec.
Oregon gray whale license plates to go on sale friday ktvz. Whale research ecoexcursions where learning meets the sea. We deliver fun, narrated ocean, bay, and river cruises with friendly. Whale watching in oregon offers a chance for whale lovers to get out onto the open sea and look spend some time with. There are more than 20 tour operators and more than 20 designated places for sightings from the mainland. Top 10 depoe bay hotels near whale watching center. Oregon whale watching oregon coast whale watching trips.
There were a total of 25 dead gray whale strandings west coast wide in all of 2018. Our whale watching excursions are a great opportunity to get out, see the incredible oregon coast for a perspective and then observe the whales in their natural environment. While whales can be seen year round on the oregon coast, the winter and spring months are the best times for seeing these enormous creatures. Po box 552, depoe bay, oregon 97341 541 7652545 or 800 7338915 oregon s premier charter fishing service. Lookouts include fort stevens state park on the north coast and shore acres state park on the south coast. Download our whale watching brochure to learn out about whale swimming. Adding osu background the oregon state university marine mammal institute gray whale vehicle license plate will be available for oregon passenger vehicles only starting friday, feb. Oregon coast whale watching every year thousands of gray whales take the journey back and fourth between alaska and mexico and they pass by just outside the oregon coast. The gray whale makes the longest journey traveling 1014 thousand miles round trip from feeding grounds to breeding lagoons.
Whale watching is not difficult, but a few tips make it easier. Northbound pods pass from march through may and cruise closer in, just beyond the surfline. Trained volunteers stationed at thirty locations on or near the oregon coast provide information and assist spotting whales. The prices and online presence of companies offering guided tours on the oregon coast vary widely, according to the author of a new report. Whales are visible from oregons shores all year long although some months are. Winter migration peaks in late december while the spring migration peaks in march. Join us for an exciting and thrilling ride to see gray whales and other marine life. On the water, whale watching tours can track the whales easier. If you had to pick a mascot for the oregon coast, you might choose the gray whale.
But the federal agency noaa fisheries has already logged nine dead whales washed ashore in washington and one in oregon. We will spend the day exploring breathtaking beaches and viewing stunning coastline vistas. Thinking about heading to oregons adventure coast this holiday season. Moreover, each year there are about 200 to 400 resident gray whales in oregon.
Gray, humpback and sperm whales can be observed at any time along the south oregon and northern california coast, but the most active time is during the winter and spring migrations, from november through early april. Whale watching is a yearround activity on the oregon coast with gray whales by far the most commonly seen. While the area includes 40miles of the oregon coast, the oregon dunes visitor center is located in reedsport. Approximately 18000 whales cruise along the oregon coast with prime whale watching in march, april, may, june and middecember to midjanuary. We offer whale watching and sea life cruises daily from march through october. When it comes to whale watching on the pacific coast oregon has dozens of developed sites, including those that are. Head to the oregon coast to spy gray whales as they make their annual migration south during the winter months.
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