Thornton worked for the oregon highway division later renamed the oregon department of. Is it possible to see whales in late october depoe bay forum. The killer whales come to this region to feed on the salmon that are returning to the fraser river to spawn. The whaleplanner october a whale watching infographic whaletrips. Depoe bays resident gray whales scarback, depoe bays most famous resident gray whale some gray whales do not continue on to alaskan waters but stay off the coast of oregon between june and october. Best time to see oregon whales whales tail charters. First of all, is october 711 too late to go whale watching in maine. Contrary to that popular belief, the best time to see whales here in depoe bay is june through september. I was born last spring in the warm waters near hawaii. Whaletrips oregon the best tips for whale watching in oregon. Its a fun little town worth exploring, as is the rest of the oregon coast. Most of the whale watching trips involve the california gray whales. Whale watching during summer and fall off depoe bay is also spectacular.
The depoe bay whale watching center is also closed. The depoe bay whale watching center, also known as the depoe bay ocean wayside, is an oregon state parksstaffed visitor center in depoe bay, oregon, u. An average of six 6 whales per hour migrate past the oregon coast during the peak northbound migration, but that return trip is spread over four. Most sightings happen from july to october and, as the whales tend to come very close to the coast, you can. Hopefully will see you tomorrow on your future dates you are at the oregon coast. As andrew theen reports, visitors should see plenty of whales from depoe bay to yaquina head. We are driving about 16 hours extra for this stop of our road trip and want to make sure. Oregon parks whale watching center in depoe bay will be open from 10 a. The twoway highway engineer george thornton, who led a 1970 operation to blow up the dead whale on a beach, died this week at age 84. The migratory season begins in december and usually extends until mid may. No volunteers will be stationed for the spring whale watch week, set march 2129, to help slow the spread of covid19. All whale watching was cancelled today as the ocean was very rough, windy and wet this morning. In any event, the exploding whale with the help of syndicated humor columnist dave barry, who had great fun with it has become part of our entire nations pop culture and has been mistaken for an urban legend. Bc whales have been identified in british columbia, and are given an x, y, or z depending on the amount of white on their flukes.
These include the mighty gray whale, the aweinspiring killer whale, and the charming and intelligent bottlenose dolphin. Monday is the start of the summer whale watching week on the central oregon coast. Many florence residents were not pleased they felt this was the wrong way to get ones hometown on the map. From december to february, visitors to the blms yaquina head interpretive center can witness these majestic mammals traveling the oregon coast en route. Our whale watching tour focuses on magnificent orcas killer whales, majestic humpback whales, and other marine wildlife such as porpoises, sea lions, seals and bald eagles. They are right next to shore feeding within 12 mile and stay off depoe bay for months at a time.
Each winter some 20,000 great grays swim along the shore south from alaskas bering sea to the warmwater. Whales, dolphins and porpoises oregon department of fish. Spring whale watching week is coming up here are six spectacular spots to see the migrating gray whales in oregon. Head to washingtons san juan island between may and october to catch sight of orcas playing in the water.
Ethelbert was a juvenile killer whale or orca that surfaced in the columbia river near portland, oregon in october 1931. Best whale watching depoe bay oregon tradewinds charters. The whaleplanner november a whale watching infographic. Oregons whale interaction guidelines for all vessels why watch out for whales. I am finding conflicting information online as to whether whales are in the. Oregon state parks made this decision to protect the health and safety of our volunteers and visitors.
With a donation or an adoption of a whale you can help to make the world a place where whales and dolphins are free and safe. The explosion threw whale flesh over 800 feet 240 m away. A widely reported case of an exploding whale occurred in florence, oregon, in november 1970, when a dead sperm whale was blown up using dynamite by the oregon highway division now the oregon department of transportation in an attempt to dispose of its rotting carcass. Whaletrips oregon the best tips for whale watching in. Apr 12, 2016 this is the single craziest thing you never knew happened in oregon. If you had to pick a mascot for the oregon coast, you might choose the gray whale. We are driving about 16 hours extra for this stop of our road trip and want to make. Any location with an ocean view may yield whale sightings, and morning light with the sun at your. Published 12042012 not many whales were spotted in october and november by the whale watch center in depoe bay, oregon coast but things did start to improve. As early as october, as the northern sea ice slowly creeps southward, the first gray whales begin migrating back south from the. There are two peak gray whale migration seasons to know for the best whale watching in oregonfrom march through may and from middecember through midjanuary.
Weve rounded up five incredible whalewatching spots along the pacific, from alaska to hawaii. The summer whale watch locations are those along the central coast and focus on the parttime resident whales. The conditions did improve somewhat by afternoon but it was still very wet out on the waters so we decided to cancel todays activities. Depoe bays resident gray whales whales tail charters. Humpback whales the world over are known for their epic migrations, complex songs, and the acrobatic jumps that earn them their name.
These gray whales move about and feed off the oregon coast during the summer and fall months. It has got to be one of the most bizarre things that has ever happened in oregon. Basic tools like screenshot, translator and calculator are preinstalled, and you can easliy customize it as you wish by adding extension apps and sites. The summer months from late may through october offer the very best opportunities to see our resident whales. This whale makes the longest migration of any mammal on the planet. Oregon parks and recreation department 2017 spring whale. A widely reported case of an exploding whale occurred in florence, oregon in november 1970, when the oregon highway division now the oregon department of transportation blew up a decaying sperm whale with dynamite in an attempt to dispose of its rotting carcass.
This time, on march 26, we got to see some in the form of their blows shooting up from the surface of the water and quickly turning into. Download our whale watching brochure to learn out about whale swimming patterns and habits, such as breaching, spyhopping and diving. Where to go whale watching in the western usa visit the usa. In 1970, an 8ton whale carcass washed ashore on a beach near florence. The season typically goes from middecember through october. Folks seem to think that the best time is during the annual migrations. Take a trip with us for an exciting time while we set some pots for crab and look for whales along the oregon coast.
Spring migration the spring migration season is when the gray whales migrate from their baja mexico breeding lagoons to their feeding grounds in the arctic. Each winter some 20,000 great grays swim along the shore south from alaskas bering sea to. Nov 21, 2017 if you had to pick a mascot for the oregon coast, you might choose the gray whale. Often less than onehalf mile from shore, these resident whales, as we call them, provide excellent sightings. Migration of the gray whale begins in baja california and ends in the bering sea of alaska. Dead sperm whale washes ashore, will not be moved the 36foot whale had been dead for quite some time, according to the seaside aquarium. Oct 07, 20 the other whale was bcy0324 after writing this blog post, whale names like j2 seem so much more manageable.
Any location with an ocean view may yield whale sightings, and morning light with the sun at your back is best. The oregon parks and recreation department oprd whale watching center in depoe bay will also be open 10 a. Some of the gray whales do not migrate all the way north to alaska and spend from late june through october right here off depoe bay. Main season starts in march and ends in october, tours for gray whales take place in march and april.
The twoway highway engineer george thornton, who led a 1970 operation to blow up the dead whale on. You dont have to rent a whale watching boat or have a powerful telescope to see the whales display the listed behaviors. We stayed there for a few months and then we swam thousands of miles to alaska for the winter. Whale watching is not difficult, but a few tips make it easier. There are about 80 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises with 10 of those in the waters off oregons coast. I am finding conflicting information online as to whether whales are in the area that time of year.
Whale watch center numbers, oct late nov, oregon coast. The chances of meeting whales are very high in the whole region, as there are a lot of resident orcas around san juan island, who live here all year long. The gray whales leave their feeding grounds in alaska in late october passing oregon middecember through january heading for their nurseries, the warmwater lagoons of baja california, mexico. Oregon, located a bit further south, benefits from the annual migration of the gray whales. Twice patrick and i have headed to the oregon coast attempting to see migrating gray whales. Hi, i have a few questions about whale watching in october. 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 best place to see whale sharks is the home of the largest aggregation of whale sharks in the world, isla mujeres, mexico, just off the coast of cancun, says john vater, cofounder of ceviche. As not all gray whales travel all the way north but also spend their summers in the waters of oregon, sometimes joined by humpbacks, whale safaris are done all year long in oregons depoe bay and from newport. Most sightings happen from july to october and, as the whales tend to come very close to the coast, you can easily see them from land. Will there still be many whales around or will it be like 2 or 3 whales in four hours. These whales do not make the trip to alaska and make the oregon coast their feeding area.
If you cant do that, you can fast forward to around. George thornton, the highway engineer who supervised the detonation of 20 cases of dynamite in an attempt to dispose of a dead sperm whale on the oregon coast, died on sunday, october 27, 20, in medford, oregon. Since 2004, a third whale watching spoken here week has been added, and its scheduled during the last week of august through the first monday in september. Whale watching on the oregon coast our ordinary life. Hey, i know this is a feature length video at over 4. While many of us have our favorite activities, one that is growing in popularity up and down the coast is whale watching. In the fall pacific humpbacks are readying for their winter migration to hawaii. Dockside charters runs whale watching excursions on a daily basis during our whale watching season. These whales are also known as the pacific coast feeding group. Whale watching is a yearround activity on the oregon coast with gray whales by far the most commonly seen. Summer whale watching begins on central oregon coast.
The truth about the legendary exploding whale of florence, oregon. Tiffany boothe with the whale watch center in depoe bay. The whale watching center has interpretive exhibits on whales, whale size windows with panoramic ocean views, and rangers on hand to answer questions. We offer our interpretive whale watching tours nearly yearround. Depoe bays resident gray whales whales tail charters oregon.
Ocean crab, whale watch and private bay crab yaquina bay. During the migration season late december to late may some 20,000 gray whales migrate just offshore. My mom named me that because i sing beautiful songs while im playing around in the water. The entire oregon coast celebrates the gray whale migration along its shores twice a year spring and winter with special whale watching weeks. Swim with dolphins in mexico, caribbean and jamaica at dolphin discovery up to 40% off.
From december to february, visitors to the blms yaquina head interpretive center can witness these. July will bring summer feeding whales with peak viewing august through october. Port townsend and san juan island whale watching tour from puget sound express up to 51% off. Whale watching tours whale watching april 1 to october 31. Plan to stop in the depoe bay area from october 21 to 28.
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