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Whale Sightings on Oregon Coast At Record Levels This Year |
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Covering 180 miles of Oregon coast travel: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Oceanside, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats & Florence.
12/19/07
Secrets of the Season |
Whale Sightings on Oregon Coast At Record Levels This Year
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| Whale photos courtesy Whale Watch Center and Morris Grover |
(Depoe Bay, Oregon) – The weather may be cold but the whale viewing will be hot between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, as the Whale Watching Spoken Here” week gets ready to kick into high gear, running December 26 to January 1.
During this week, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will be stationed at overlooks and parks all over the Oregon coast, helping the public learn about gray whales, and spot them in the ocean. Volunteers will be at the Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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This time around could be an especially engaging one, as officials say whale sightings have been running at record levels all year. Morris Grover, with the Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay, said the rush is already on, with whales well on their way during their southbound migration.
In
a press release, Grover said sightings of whales have been smokin’
all year long, and it could mean a bonanza of whales and their tails for
tourists to the Oregon coastline.
“Weather always plays a part in determining how many whales are seen,” Grover said. "Otherwise, I see no reason why our counts shouldn’t follow this year’s trend. The number of sightings recorded last spring was the highest it has been in more than 10 years. We also had a very good summer for whale watching on the central coast.”
Weather can interfere with whale watching not because they are annoyed or frightened by heavy surf, but because tall waves make it hard to see them.
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| Depoe Bay |
"Rough weather presents a visual whale watching problem,” Grover said. “A whale’s back or tail usually would only be visible about three to six feet above the water line. A four- to eight-foot wave would make them ‘invisible’ to watchers looking across the waves. Even the whale’s spout that could be as tall as 12 feet is usually blown sideways by the wind, making it only three to four feet tall. We have seen whales during storms, but that is usually when a swell pushes the whale up to where we can see it.”
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In October, Grover and his crew noticed a brief dramatic decline in whale sightings immediately after the big storms of that month. But the two are probably not directly related. Whales react more to their food sources, which may have been tossed around and jostled into hiding during heavy surf events.
“The whales will migrate regardless of weather,” Grover said. “They are driven by nature to get to the Baja for birthing; pregnant females are usually the first whales headed south. Weather is just something they live with. It’s their ocean and they are used to it.”
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| Whale Watch Center, Depoe Bay |
A flat ocean is better for spotting them. In fact, Keith Chandler, with the Seaside Aquarium, says he spots more whales in Seaside during the fall's "second summer" months - when there is the least wind at any time of the year - because the waves are at their flattest. More on that here.
Even in bad weather, Grover said visitors “always have a chance” to spot a whale by following these tips offered by volunteers:
- Have your binoculars ready, but watch with your eyes. "When you locate a blow, then bring up your binoculars for a closer look," said Grover.
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- Learn the diving and traveling habits of the whales. "Ask a volunteer, or go to our whale watching web site at (www.whalespoken.org) so you will know how often and where they may surface."
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If possible, use the morning light, which helps a watcher spot blows.
"Afternoon light reflects off the water, shining in your eyes and
making viewing difficult. Also, the sea is usually calmer in the mornings
because the winds are quieter at those hours."
Grover added that the 28 official whale watching locations offer the best chances for seeing whales. "We've selected the very best viewpoints. Although whales can be visible anywhere along the coast at this time of year, viewing from the beaches offers the poorest angles." More information about "Whale Watching Spoken Here" sites, exhibits and related products and services is online at www.whalespoken.org.
This is the 30th year of the twice-annual event, which in recent years expanded by adding a summertime whale watch week for the central coast.
Whale Watch Sites (from Washington to Florence - does not include south coast):
Lewis
and Clark Interpretive Center – at Ilwaco, Washington
Ecola State Park - Cannon Beach
Neahkahnie Mountain, at turnout – above Manzanita
Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint – just west
of Tillamook, north of Oceanside
Cape Lookout – at the tip of the cape (a 2.5-mile
hike), between Oceanside and Pacific City
Cape Kiwanda - Pacific City
Inn at Spanish Head – Lincoln City (lobby on 10th
floor)
Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint – just north
of Depoe Bay
Whale Watch Center and sea wall – Depoe Bay
Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint – just s. of
Depoe Bay
Cape Foulweather: Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint
– just north of Newport
Devil's Punch Bowl State Natural Area at Otter Rock –
north of Newport
Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area
- Newport
Don A. Davis Memorial Park – Newport, Nye Beach:
at the kiosk
Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site - Newport
Cape Perpetua Overlook – s. of Yachats
Cape Perpetua Interpretive Center – s. of Yachats
Cook's Chasm, Cape Perpetua – s. of Yachats
Sea Lion Caves – north of Florence, at the turnout
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