Oregon Returns In-Person Whale Watch Week in Time For Spotting 20,000 Gray Whales Swimming to Mexico

On the final Wednesday of 2022, Whale Watch Week in Oregon resumed in person for the first time since the pandemic, attracting tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the yearly gray whale migration to the state's coastline.

More than 500 people had gathered at the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center by early afternoon, where a volunteer with binoculars views whales in the distance.

A representative for Oregon State Parks, the event's organizer, described scenes of animated spectators after a number of them were spotted.

According to Stefanie Knowlton, a volunteer is noticing the spray and reporting it.

Throughout her phone call with AP News, Knowlton observed the center's volunteer while the audience applauded in the distance.

There is just so much energy, she continued. It seems as though everyone was eager to return and view whales with one another.

Through Sunday, January 1, volunteers helped people spot the 20,000 gray whales that travel south to Mexico each year at 17 state parks along the coast.

Whale Watch Events in Oregon

According to Knowlton, one of the locations, Cape Meares, was shut down on Wednesday as a result of the day before's violent winds that toppled trees.

Two times a year, Oregon State Parks hosts whale-watching excursions: in the winter for the southern migration of gray whales and in the spring for their return to the northern waters near Alaska.

As per the agency, the gray whales that remained in the state's coastal waters during the summer migration show up close to shore to feed from June to mid-November, making Oregon's central coast a popular location for whale watching, AP News reported.

According to Travel Portland, the central coast of Oregon is one of the best places to see whales, but they can be seen almost anywhere.

Popular viewing spots include Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint, Cape Meares Lighthouse, Cape Kiwanda, Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center, Depoe Bay Whale Watching Charters, and Cape Perpetua.

Whale Watch Spoken Here Program

The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, according to Oregon State Parks, is the ideal location to see whales.

Volunteers and park staff are available to respond to your inquiries and assist you in locating whales and other marine life.

Visitors can use the center's binoculars, and there are displays with information about whales and possible whale swimming patterns.

The Whale Watching Spoken Here volunteer program, which supports the spring and winter break Whale Watching Weeks, is located at the center.

According to research, there are currently more than 18,000 gray whales living in the eastern north Pacific region.

During the height of the southward migration, about 30 whales pass by the Oregon coast every hour.

On the northbound trip, six vehicles pass by each hour, but the return trip takes four months.

More than 200 of these whales divert from their migratory path and spend the summer feeding along the Oregon coast.

Since the start of the program, the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay has had the pleasure of working with thousands of volunteers.

The team is grateful to have more than 300 active volunteers right now who enable their work.