Coming up in the Spring, we will have a second Whale Watch Event to see the northern bound journey of gray whales. Dates for the Spring ’26 Event are March 21st through 29th. Volunteers and rangers stationed at 15 locations stretched along the Oregon coast. If you are interested in becoming a new Oregon Whale Watch Volunteer, registration is now open until March 1st. Come join us to catch the gray whale migration as they pass by!

Whale Watch Week Numbers Winter 2025

Date	Total Number of Whales Spotted
12/27 Saturday	33
12/28 Sunday	77
12/29 Monday	123
12/30 Tuesday	161
12/31 Wednesday	112

*Whale numbers will be updated as counts are reported in. Last update 1/6/2026 8:45am

History

In 1978 Don Giles of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport headed out to Yaquina Head Lighthouse with his binoculars and a great idea. Colleagues Bruce Mate and Denise Herzing were counting gray whales migrating past Yaquina Head. They confirmed what Don and others intuitively knew: Gray whale migrations along the Oregon coast peak during two special times of the year. The southbound migration happens during the winter holiday season, and the northbound has one of its two peaks near the end of March.

This knowledge motivated Don to create the Whale Watching Spoken Here® program. Since 1978, it has grown to become one of the most organized onshore whale watching programs in the United States.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department began organizing this program in the early 1980’s and has been the caretaker for the last 40 or so years. The original program name has been changed  to “Oregon Whale Watch” but the mission stays the same. We help tens of thousands of people visiting the Oregon Coast learn about gray whales and other cetaceans visible from the shore and most importantly, help people see them! 

Reasons for Success:

Location: Thanks to the 1967 Beach Bill, public access is protected along virtually the entire Oregon coastline. In addition, most of the whale watching locations are located in or near state parks.

Abundant whales: Researchers estimate that 13,000-plus gray whales now live in the eastern north Pacific area. About 30 whales per hour migrate past the Oregon coast during the peak southbound migration. By comparison, six per hour pass by on the northbound trip, but that return trip is spread over four months. Some 200-plus of these whales drop off the migration route and feed along the Oregon coast all summer.

Timing: The migrations peaks coincide nicely with times when many visitors are able to visit the coast. Since the main emphasis is on volunteers meeting and greeting visitors interested in whale watching, Don Giles and another colleague, Bev Lund, coined the phrase, “Whale Watching Spoken Here.”

Volunteers: We have had the joy to work with thousands of volunteers since the programs inception. Today we are thankful to have over 300 active volunteers that make this effort possible.