Oregon Coast Ocean Waves I

Oregon Coast Ocean Waves II

Oregon Coast Ocean Waves III

Depoe Bay

Besides the whales, there are other things to see; a harbor seal looking at us.

Depoe Bay

Besides the whales, there are other things to see; pelicans flying through.

Depoe Bay

Besides the whales, there are other things to see; turning around in the boat and looking out to the horizon for example.

Whale watching in Depoe Bay

Whale Watching with Carrie Newell, Marine Biologist at Whale Research Eco Excursions in Depoe Bay, Oregon. Her site is OregonWhales.com

We watched a video prior to going out that introduced us to the gray whales, most which Carrie had named and can recognize instantly. She then took us out in a Zodiac Boat (a big inflatable dingy but with a hard floor) that seats 8 people; Teri and I were in the back behind Carrie.

This is the classic shot of the tail fluke disappearing into the sea.

 

Whale watching in Depoe Bay

 

These whales feed in shallow water so they were close to the shore, we didn’t have to go very far out to see the first one! Carrie’s dog Kita, a golden lab malamute mix also joined us as Kita can smell a whale when it is close and barks.

It was just a few short minutes after clearing the wake that Kita started to bark and we met our first gray whale “Salt & Pepper.” None of the whales came really close to the boat but we got within 100 – 200 ft of them. This is the blowhole with a heart-shaped blow.

 

Whale watching in Depoe Bay

 

We learned a great deal about these whales, what they feed on, why they are in Depoe Bay, and don’t migrate up to Alaska. They are considered “residence whales” because they make the choice not to go up to Alaska each year; they stay in the bay and feed on mysids (tiny shrimp).

They stay close to the coast when migrating to Depoe Bay and when they get there because of the transient killer whales trying to eat their calfs. They are 5 ft tall but can swim in 6′ of water, unlike the killer whales who need deeper water. Those white marks on the back of this female are killer whale teeth scars.

We saw 4 whales in the 90 minutes that we were on the water and highly recommend the experience!