Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Oregon Coast Whale Watching

Whale Watching on the "Whales Tail"


The Whales Tail is a 26' Zodiac style inflatable boat that carries up to 6 people. It was designed to give passengers the utmost in sightseeing and whale watching experiences. The Whales Tail offers a unique vantage point that puts you "up close and personal" for observing Oregon's resident gray whales as they feed along the shores of Depoe Bay. Don't be surprised if you notice the whales watching you as intently as you watch them.


If you're looking to go whale watching tomorrow, please give us a call at:
541-765-2545
1-800-733-8915

To make a reservation for whale watching, just send the requested information below. I will get back with you as soon as possible.


Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm


Please select trip duration: 1hr. $25.00 or 1 1/2 hr. $35.00


Name
Phone
E-mail
Date
Trip Time
Trip Duration
Number of People

If you would like to make a reservation you can E-mail me at: garybosn@gmail.com

For more information on Whales Watching visit: Depoe Bay Whale Watching

For more information on Dockside Charters and the Whales Tail visit: Oregon Whale Watching

Dockside Charters
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

Phone: 541-765-2545
Toll Free: 1-800-733-8915

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Depoe Bay Whale Watching




Gray Whales, What do they Eat
Gray whales are opportunistic feeders, which means they will eat food from a wide range of sources. Along the coast of Depoe Bay, Oregon, it appears they feed on mysid shrimp found at the edge of kelp beds. Billions of mysids are found in the waters off Depoe Bay. In the Bering and Chukchi Seas in Alaska, they feed on bottom sediments packed with amphipods. There have been studies that have shown that prey items included anphipods, crab larvae, krill, ghost shrimp, pelagic red crabs, skeleton shrimp, mysids, small fish, polychaete worms and other organisms.


How They Eat:
Gray whales are baleen whales and they are in the Mysticeti category which means moustache whale. In place of teeth on the upper jaw, the Mysticetes have a series of overlapping plates made of keratin its the same substance as your fingernails. The inner margin of each plate, next to the tongue, is fringed with bristles that trap organisms but still allows water to pass through.

Feeding:
Hanging from the top jaw of a gray whale are blonde colored baleen plates about one foot long. The inside edges of these plates have bristles which trap food organisms like mysid shrimp or crab larvae. Like all baleen whales, gray whales draw in food-laden sea water and push it through the baleen plates, filtering out food with the bristles.


Heres how it works:
The gray whale depresses its 2000 pound tongue. This forms a suction and a piston that brings in water and small food items. Once the food-laden water is inside the mouth, the tongue is lifted up and the mysids become trapped on the inside edges of the baleen plates and the water leaves through the openings of the baleen plates. The tongue licks these bristles clean and then the prey move through the grapefruit-sized throat. Two to five throat grooves also expand when the whales feed to increase the surface area. Baleen plates hang from the roof of the mouth and these one foot long baleen plates filter food like mysids from the water.


Where They Eat:
Resident gray whales are most commonly seen feeding in and around kelp beds in water depths of 10 feet. Huge swarms of mysids live in these kelp beds during spring, summer and early fall. These huge swarms range from 3 to 20 feet thick and have billions of mysids. One gray whale is estimated to eat a ton of these mysids per day. One sign of grays feeding on these mysids is when a partial fluke is exposed at the surface.

A Closer Look At Gray Whales
The most conspicuous identifying characteristics of gray whales are their size, distinctive mottled gray coloring, dorsal hump (no dorsal fin) and the knuckles along the back behind the dorsal hump.


Size: Gray whales range in size from 35 to 45 feet long, and weigh 30 to 40 tons­about the length of a school bus and the weight of ten elephants, mush larger than a diver. Females weigh more and are longer than the males. Gray whales are intermediate in size in comparison with other well-known whales. By comparison, blue whales are 80 to 100 feet long and orcas (killer whales) are 20-25 feet long.


Coloration: Gray whales are so called because of their mottled gray coloration. The natural pigmentation can range from almost black to almost white, and can include white spots that range from the size of a marble to a basketball.This mottled appearance is enhanced by barnacles, barnacle scars, and whale lice.

Rostrum (Head Region): The rostrum extends from the tip of the snout to the blowholes, a length of about six feet. The rostrum of adult gray whales is covered with barnacles and whale lice. Gray whales that feed on the bottom, rub off barnacles and leave barnacle scars. Young gray whales have a dimpled rostrum with one hair in each dimple.


Eyes: The eyes of the gray whale are brown in color and the size of an orange. Eyes are located at the end of the mouth line, seven or eight feet from the rostrum tip.

Blow: The gray whale blow is 6-10 feet high and is heart-shaped if seen from behind on a calm day. About 100 gallons of air is expelled from the blow at speeds that range from 150 and 200 miles per hour.


Dorsal Hump: Gray whales have no dorsal fin, instead they have a dorsal hump at the end of the back.

Knuckles: 6-12 bumps called knuckles are seen behind the gray whale's dorsal hump. In some whales they are very distinct and in others they are not.


Baleen Plates: 300 blonde baleen plates about one foot long hanq from the top jaw. Bristles on the inside edges of those plates trap food organisms.


Blowholes: Gray whales have two blowholes like all baleen whales.

Throat Grooves: Two to five throat grooves on the bottom of the throat expand when the whales are feeding.

Flippers: Behind the throat grooves are pointed, paddle-shaped flippers.


Tail Fluke: An adult's tail fluke is 9 feet wide. When the tail fluke goes under the ocean's surface it leaves a characteristic print called a "fluke print".

Flukeprint: A large circle of smooth water formed by tail fluke turbulence when a whale dives.

Something new this year we are offering are sweatshirts that have our Whales Tail logo on the back, different colors and sizes are available.

Thank you for your interest in whale watching on the Whales Tail. I am sure that you will have a fun and a memorable experience. If you're looking to go whale watching tomorrow, please give us a call at 1-800-733-8915 or 1-541-765-2545. To make a reservation for whale watching, just send the requested information below. I will get back with you as soon as possible.


Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm

Name
Phone
E-mail
Trip Date
Number of People

If you would like to make reservations you can E-mail at garybosn@yahoo.com

Thank you for visiting our website, we hope to see you aboard the Whales Tail.

For more information on Whales Watching visit: http://oceannavigation.blogspot.com

For more information on Dockside Charters and the Whales Tail visit: Oregon Whale Watching

Dockside Charters
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

Phone: 541-765-2545
Toll Free: 1-800-733-8915

Friday, July 9, 2010

Whale Watching in Depoe Bay Oregon





The gray whale is the most common large whale seen from along the coast of Depoe Bay, Oregon. Gray whales are found off the Oregon coast all year. They feed in shallow water near shore during the summer and fall, migrate south for breeding and calving during the winter, and migrate north in the spring. The gray whale gets its name from its blotchy color pattern. Some of this pattern is present at birth, but most of it is caused by barnacles growing in the skin or by depigmented areas where barnacles have been.

Gray whales can reach a lengh of 45 feet and weigh about 35 tons. Adult females on average are larger than males. Whales are mammals, they are warm blooded, breathe air, have hair (single hairs around the front of the head that are visible on calves), and give birth to live young that suckle on milk from their mothers. Mid spring to mid fall is the gray whales feeding season. Most of the population spends this time in the Bering and Chukehi Seas off Alaska, although every summer some whales are observed feeding from British Columbia to Mexico. The summer population off the Oregon coast is about 200 to 400 animals, with many of the same individuals returning to Depoe Bay year after year. Summer feeding is better at higher latitudes because the long days produce lots of phytoplankton (small marine plants), which are eaten by zooplankton (small marine animals).

These are the basic food for all ocean life, stimulating the growth of the marine food web, including bottom-dwelling amphipods, the primary prey of gray whales. There are two basic types of whales: toothed and baleen. The gray whale is a baleen whale. Instead of true teeth, a row of 138-180 baleen plates grows along each side of the upper gum line. The baleen is made of material like a human fingernail. These are quite stiff and solid at its outer edge, each piece of baleen is “fringed” inside the mouth and tapers from 3 inches wide at the gum line to nearly a point at its bottom. These plates are separated by approximately ¼ inch inside the mouth, where their fringes overlap to form an effective screen.

Gray whales feed primarily on benthic (bottom-dwelling) amphipods (shrimp like animals). They go to the seafloor and suck up an area of the bottom about a foot deep. Sometimes this makes conspicuous pits on the bottom. The amphipods are trapped on the baleen filter inside the mouth, while mud, sand, and water pass between the baleen plates. This is the way the whale washes the amphipods clear of sand and mud. It then uses its tongue to suck the amphipods off the inside of the baleen fringe. Since gray whales filter animals from mud and water, their baleen is stiffer and has coarser fringes than that of other baleen whales.

Something new this year we are offering are sweatshirts that have our Whales Tail logo on the back, different colors and sizes are available.

Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm

Click to view Depoe Bay Whale Watching and Oregon Whale Watching

Dockside Charters
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

Phone: 541-765-2545
Toll Free: 1-800-733-8915

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Whale Watching in Depoe Bay Oregon at Dockside Charters




July 3
We had good whale sightings all day from Rocky Creek to North Point. The weather was sunny with light winds and sea conditions this morning, but the wind did come up this afternoon which made the ocean a little choppy. If planning a whale watching trip in the next few days it's usually better in the morning as the wind does have a tendency to come in the afternoons.

July 2
We did see a whale today just South of Rocky Creek that put on a good show while feeding close to shore.

Dockside Charters located in Depoe Bay, Oregon offers whale watching zodiac style aboard the “Whales Tail”. This is a very unique experience that puts you "up close and personal" for observing Oregon's resident gray whales. This is a great trip that gives you and your family an adventure that is not to be missed along with some great memories. Here you can enjoy the incredible scenery of the Oregon Coast, transit the worlds smallest navigable channel, and enjoy watching gray whales, humpback whales, orca whales, seals, sea lions, and other marine life.

The Whales Tail takes up to 6 people and has all the latest safety equipment.

Whale Bits
A mysterious gray whale sighted off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea has been seen again off the north east coast of Spain. The second sighting, made 23 days has perplex whale experts. Gray whales were thought to be extinct across the Atlantic Ocean, so the appearance of an individual within the Mediterranean Sea was a major surprise. Now it is not clear where the whale is heading or why.

Once, three major populations of gray whales existed in the western and eastern North Pacific Ocean, and in the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic population of gray whale became extinct sometime in the 17th or 18th Century, for reasons that are not clear. No sightings of the species had been made in the Atlantic Ocean since.

That was until a single individual gray whale was sighted off the coast of Herzliya Marina, Israel on 9 May 2010. That sighting excited the experts it could either mean that the gray whale had recolonised the Atlantic Ocean, or that a single gray whale had shattered the record for the longest known migration by the species.

The whale appeared to be consistently heading south at a slow pace. It is the first time a gray whale has been seen in the western Mediterranean Sea. Its likely route would be to leave the Mediterranean, and then head north along the coasts of Portugal and France, possibly coming as far north as the UK and North Atlantic waters. I'll keep you updated on the latest news.

Something new this year we are offering are sweatshirts that have our Whales Tail logo on the back, different colors and sizes are available.


Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm

Thank you for visiting our website, we hope to see you aboard the Whales Tail.

Dockside Charters
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

Phone: 541-765-2545
Toll Free: 1-800-733-8915