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In between Christmas and New Year’s Day, Oregonians are treated to a holiday of a different kind thanks to our proximity to the Pacific Ocean: Whale Watch Week. And this year, trained guides will be on hand to help you spot those giant marine mammals.
Oregon State Parks has announced that volunteers are scheduled to be posted at 15 locations up and down the coastline from Dec. 27 to 31. The last time there were actual people helping people spot dorsal finds and spouts from the shore during winter was in 2019. The event itself was paused for several years due to the pandemic; however, when Whale Watch Week returned, staffing shortages put the guide program on hold. Assistants were finally back at their stations this past spring, though, for the migration.
The popular Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will also be open from 10 am to 3 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Not only are interactive exhibits and rangers on hand, but binoculars are provided at that location (in case you don’t own a pair). And even if you don’t spot any whales for some reason, the view is pretty spectacular from that perch just above the “World’s Smallest Harbor.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, some 14,500 gray whales made their way past the Oregon Coast last winter. Their journey from Alaska ends near Baja, Mexico, where females give birth in the warm lagoons. They’ll then head back north from late March through June.
“We really enjoy sharing the experience with visitors,” park ranger Peter McBride stated in a press release. “It’s been a tradition at Oregon State Parks for more than 40 years.”
You can check out a map of sites with volunteers on the agency’s website.