Thar She Blows

Sun., March 30, 1997

Associated Press

Whale watching

Watching for migrating whales along the Oregon and Washington coasts is a spring break tradition for many families.

The hot time near Oregon’s Depoe Bay is late March, when up to 15 whales an hour can be seen making their way north to Alaska from the warm lagoons of Baja California, where they spent the better part of the winter.

Many of these same whales paraded down the coast en route to Mexico in late December and early January.

Whale watchers can observe through binoculars at various points along the coast, or they can see the whales up close by taking a charter-boat ride.

In Westport, Wash., where whale-watching activity peaks in late March and early April, charterboat skippers run whale tours for $20-$25 for adults and less for kids.

More than 200 trained volunteers are on duty from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to assist whale watchers at 29 coastal viewpoints in Oregon.

Last spring, volunteers helped 24,601 whale watchers and recorded 4,075 sightings, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

While migrating south, whales often are seen a half-mile to two miles offshore. Whales migrating to the north travel closer to shore - sometimes just outside the surf line.

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