Docents help spot whales along beaches this week

A whale fluke is shown at the tail end of a dive.

Of course we’re talking about whales, and more specifically the Eastern Pacific gray whale and the humpback. Both species, fresh off a season of feeding in northern latitudes, will be making their way south, past Curry County, in the next few weeks.

Whale Watching Spoken Here is a program designed to maximize whale watching opportunities on the West Coast. Each year the OPRD sets up 26 unique stations and staffs them with volunteers, who are on site to help people catch a glimpse of the elusive behemoths.

And there are three stations in Curry County: Cape Sebastian, Cape Ferrelo and Harris Beach State Park.

Stations will be open beginning today until Jan. 1. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.

Two possible experiences await Winter Whale Watch week sightseers. Either one, says Oregon State Park Ranger Morris Grover, “is exciting.”

Clear skies and a calm ocean offer the possibility of exceptional whale watching at this time of year, says Grover, who coordinates whale watching volunteer efforts at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Whale Watching Center at Depoe Bay. “Good weather combined with our viewpoints and the expertise of our volunteers can add up to highly rewarding experiences,” he said.

Even when conditions are far less than ideal, Grover adds that the chances of seeing whales from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 improve significantly at the 26 selected “Whale Watching Spoken Here” overlooks. Trained volunteers are ready to help at the sites from 10 a.m. to1 p.m. each day. All but two of the overlooks are spaced along the Oregon Coast between Washington’s Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on Cape Disappointment and Crescent City, Calif. In addition, the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The other exciting experience occurs when the weather turns stormy and the seas get wild. The same viewpoints then become prime storm-watching sites.

A map of the sites, along with more information on the “Whale Watching Spoken Here” program, is online at http://www.whalespoken.org.

Whether looking for whales or experiencing a storm, Grover advises watchers to bring binoculars and wear appropriate clothing. “It’s best to dress in layers that can be removed as the weather warms up,” he said. “The top layer should be waterproof.”

Marine mammal experts estimate that 18,000 gray whales and about 1,100 humpback whales pass the Oregon Coast at the peak of their winter migration south to the waters off the Baja Peninsula. Although some may come as close as a half mile from shore, Grover notes that most stay farther out to sea, looking for the fastest passage south.

OPRD coordinates the winter and spring whale watch weeks in partnership with Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center and Marine Mammal Institute, the University of Oregon’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, and Washington State Parks, which operates Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

Thursday afternoon, whales were visible off of Harris Beach.

Readers looking for more information should visit whalespoken.org.