Winter Whale Watching Week Begins Today

Whales off the Oregon Coast sometimes come very close to the shoreline.

Photo courtesy: destination360.com

(DEPOE BAY, Ore.) - Whale Watching volunteers will be present at 28 sites in Oregon between Wednesday, December 26th and Tuesday, January 1st, from 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM, to show visitors the migrating gray whale population.

Experts say this is not the only time you can see the whales, but winter whale watching can be spectacular. About 18,000 gray whales will pass by in about 4 weeks, from mid-December to mid-January. The same locations are still great viewing spots.

The main body of whales is about 5 mile off shore, but some can be seen as close as 1-2 miles off shore. Winter migration has the highest numbers (30 per hour) but the whales are usually farther off shore (1-5 miles) because of stormy weather.

During the southern migration whales seldom stop to eat, but travel steadily to the Baja lagoons of Mexico.

Bring your binoculars and dress for the weather. Focus your binoculars and have them ready, but watch with your eyes. When you locate a blow, then bring up your binoculars for a closer look.

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Spring Whales - Northbound

This is not the only time you can see the whales. About 18,000 whales will pass by our coast during March, April, May and June on their way to Alaska's Bering Sea. Spring Whale Watching Week runs between Saturday, March 22nd to Saturday March 29th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Juveniles pass first followed by adults. Last are the mothers and babies. Many of them come close to shore feeding on Oregon's great food supply. In April and May you may be able to see mothers and calves resting in protected coves close to shore. This is seen quite often from the Whale Center. The same locations on the map are still great viewing spots.

During the spring migration, the whales are more spread out (6 per hour) but they are closer to shore (1/2 - 3 miles), sometimes stopping to eat.

Summer Whales

There are about 200-400 gray whales that do not go as far north as Alaska to feed in the summer. Oregon generally sees feeding whales on the central coast from July through October. These whales are very close to shore while feeding and can often be seen from many of the same locations on the map.