Whale Watching Update

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Winter Whale Watch Week is in full swing, with volunteers staffing 26 locations along the Oregon Coast from 10 a.m. -1 p.m. through January 1st. There hasn’t been much action yet, with only 12 gray whale sightings reported so far. The sightings have been on the Southern Oregon Coast. Unfortunately, the coastal weather is not cooperating this week. The forecast is for rain almost everywhere on the coast. Calmer days are much better for whale watching!

I’m the eternal optimist, so I’m not giving up hope. Over 19,000 whales are expected to pass Oregon over the next five weeks, with about 30 whales an hour passing the Oregon Coast. The Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay keeps records of whale sightings on their website at www.whalespoken.org. The site also has tips on how to spot whales and a map to the Whale Watch locations.