Oregon Whale Watching

The Whales Tail provides passengers with the adventure of a lifetime through excellent customer service, first class vessel, the highest possible safety standards and added value from an on-the-water education of not only whales and marine life but navigation and boat handling. We emphasize science and conservation while maintaining a fun and professional atmosphere.

The Whales Tail is dedicated to ensuring that your time spent whale watching with us is the highlight of your vacation. We pride ourselves on our level of excellence in customer service and seamanship. So sit back and enjoy as we take you on the ultimate whale watching adventure!

Check out our Whale Watching FAQ

Make your reservation's online at: Reservations

Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm

Trip Rates
1hr. $25.00
1 1/2 hr. $35.00

For more information visit our website at: www.whalestaildepoebay.com

Whales Tail @ (Dockside Charters)
270 Coast Guard Dr.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

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

Oregon Coast Scenic Tours

Depoe Bay, Whale Watching, Scenic Tours

Because of its proximity to the ocean, only minutes away, whale watchers can be from dockside to viewing whales and other marine life in a matter of minutes on one of our whale watching tours. Depoe Bay is the site of the world’s smallest navigable harbor. The beauty of Depoe Bay’s rocky coastline along with it's caves and small coves make this a popular coastal destination.

Whale Cove is a small cove, approximately one-third of a mile in diameter, located just South of Depoe Bay. Whale Cove was the location where Francis Drake spent the summer of 1579 during his circumnavigation of the globe by sea. The exact location of Drake's landing spot, at which he claimed a portion of the west coast of North America as "New Albion" has long been a mystery. One of our favorate places to show our customers is Whale Cove, here you can enjoy watching whales, bald eagles, sea lions and harbor seals.

In the spring, March through June most of these gray whales make the journey from their breeding lagoons in Baja California to the Arctic feeding grounds. On this northbound migration, small numbers of gray whales fall out of the migration group and stop at various locations along the Oregon coast, one of these places is Depoe Bay; these whales are called resident whales.

For whales to be known as residents, they must stay around a certain area for at least two days, exhibit feeding behavior, and return year after year. This distinguishes them from migrating whales which stop on their migration and feed then move on their way. Along the coast of Depoe Bay, our resident gray whales begin showing up in June.

On any one day throughout the summer, numbers range from 1 to 20. Some arrive in early summer, leave, and then return in late summer or early fall. Resident gray whales remain around Depoe Bay for a period of days to months, there is one whale Scarback who has been around for at least 20 years.

One of the main attractions for people coming to the Oregon coast is whale watching.We hope you will join us to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Hop aboard the Whales Tail at Dockside Charters, we are the premier whale watching tour on the Oregon coast.

To learn more about whales and our whale watching tours visit our website at: The Whales Tail Chartered Whale Watching

Whales Tail @ (Dockside Charters)
270 Coast Guard Dr.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

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

Sleeping Whale's

Gray whale observations by scientists searching for clues on gray whale sleep studied a rescued gray whale. For nine days they made continuous video-recordings and observations. They collected data on the whale’s behaviors, here’s what they found:

The gray whale rested in two ways:

(1) by hanging just below the surface with its blowhole above water and

(2) by lying on the bottom of the pool.
In both cases, the whale’s breathing slowed, its fins and tail moved slowly until it was fully resting, then the whale only moved to take breaths of air.

When the whale rested on the bottom of the pool, it rose to the surface every few minutes and breathed.

At different times, the whale slept with both eyes open, both eyes shut, and just one eye open (indicating that only half its brain was active).

The whale was more likely to be active during the day and resting or sleeping at night.
During sleep, the whale’s body sometimes jerked and twitched, in humans and other mammals, these movements indicate a deeper state of sleep and dreaming.

Young gray whale calfs actually rest, eat and sleep while their mother swims, towing them along in her slipstream, this is called echelon swimming. At these times, the mother will sleep on the move, in fact, she cannot stop swimming for the first several weeks of a newborn’s life. If she does for any length of time the calf will begin to sink, this is because the calf is not born with enough body fat or blubber to float easily.

Whales Tail @ (Dockside Charters)
270 Coast Guard Dr.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

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

Whale Watching in Depoe Bay, Oregon

Visit our website at: http://www.whalestaildepoebay.com/


The Whales Tail operates out of Dockside Charters which is located on the east side of the Bay in the center of the harbor next to the Coast Guard Station. We have put our thoughts and ideas together, forming the premise, that ocean charters should be a more personal experience. Be honest and caring, making safety, comfort and satisfaction of our customer’s our first priority. Whether you're heading out on one of our whale watching trips or just got back from a trip, you are always welcome to stop by to relax and say hi, the coffee is always on, and free. We have built our business on satisfied, repeat customers, give us a try and you’ll see why.


The Whales Tail is a 26' zodiac style boat that carries up to 6 people. It was the first and original zodiac style whale watching boat on the Oregon Coast, designed specifically to give passengers the best sightseeing and whale watching experiences.


One of the features the Whales Tail offers is a unique vantage point that gives you 360° viewing for observing Oregon's resident gray whales as they feed along the coast of Depoe Bay. Don't be surprised if you notice the whales watching you as intently as you watch them. We try to provide you with a once in a lifetime experience that is not to be missed along with some great memories.


For more on whale watching visit: http://depoebaywhales.wordpress.com/


Whales Tail (Dockside Charters)
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341


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

Gray Whales and How to Identify

For more on whale watching tours visit our website at  http://www.whalestaildepoebay.com/

Gray whales appear gray with splotches of different colored abrasions, scars and barnacles on their heads and backs. The barnacles are most prevelant on the areas of the skin that are exposed to air when the gray whale breathes. The gray whale can carry over 400 pounds of barnacles and whale lice. These parasites create yellow and white patches on the whales skin.

Grays have a narrow jaw and there are 2-5 pleats on their throat to help their mouth to open and expand when they feed. Like other baleen whales, they also have 2 blow holes. Having 2 blowholes, instead of the usual 1 in most whales, allows the gray to have a varied blow. The gray will spout every 20-30 seconds and can be as high as 10-13 feet into the air. They can also produce spouts that are low and wide. Some people say their blows are heart shaped.

Grays do not have a dorsal fin, but instead a small hump with a series of knobs. They have large paddle shaped flippers and broad flukes that are 25% (one-fourth) of their total body length.

Gray whale baleen is very coarse, with 20 bristles per inch. In comparison, Sei whales have over 100 per inch. They have 300 plates of yellow-colored baleen hanging from their upper jaw.

Gray whales are medium sized as compared to other whales. Adult females are always larger than males. Full grown gray whales range from 36-50 feet (10-15m) long and weigh 16-45 tons.

How long do Gray Whales live?
The average life span is 40-50 years, with some reaching 70 years.

The only predators of gray whales are orcas (killer whales) and humans. The scarring on the gray's skin reflects the battles with the orcas. Some grays flee into shallow water while others have beached or stranded themselves to escape orcas pursuing them.

How do they communicate?
While not being know for a wide variety of sounds, the ones they make are fairly simple. Gray whale calls involve moans, rumbles and growls, with the most common being knocking sounds. These sounds range from 100 Hz to 2000 Hz, with the majority between 300 and 900 Hz. To the human ear, this is very low sounding. Low sounds travel much farther than higher pitched sounds, and allow the whale to communicate for distances over a mile or more. Gray whale sounds are much quieter than other baleen whales. Their most vocal time is during breeding season.

For more information on whale watching visit: http://depoebaywhales.wordpress.com/

Whales Tail (Dockside Charters)
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341

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