Whale Research Eco Excursions

Whale Research Eco Excursions Unique, educational adventures spotting Gray Whales and other wildlife! OregonWhales.com Call to make your reservations today!
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Call or book online to book your tour with Marine Biologist and Researcher, Carrie Newell! We offer Whale Watching Zodiac Eco Excursions with Marine Biologist and Gray Whale Researcher, Carrie Newell. Learn about the individual whales, their names & personalities, and whale behavior while experiencing them close up! Carrie and her Captains also educate you on all the sea life you encounter, from b

irds to seals and everything in between. These unique tours will leave you with a new appreciation and excitement for marine life and conservation.

Depoe Bay Whale Watching Update from Carrie:“We are at about a 99% success rate at finding gray whales now. Some of the ...
09/03/2026

Depoe Bay Whale Watching Update from Carrie:

“We are at about a 99% success rate at finding gray whales now. Some of the awesome whales we have now are Boo-boo, about a 1 1/2 year old who got attacked by orcas and survived. Towards the last knuckles, there is a chunk of flesh missing and a big white scar-a boo-boo. There are also lots of orca tooth rakes on the side of the body and tail. I think the orcas took a big bite out of his tail stock. Bullseye, the female who had the calf, Bandit, also showed up again. She weaned Bandit the first week of August. These whales have been giving us great encounters!

On Saturday offshore, my favorite whale, Eagle Eye showed up. As usual, he was chasing a female. He is 32 years old and was chasing Yogi, a fully mature female. I named her Yogi before she was an adult because of the Yogi bear face below the left dorsal hump. OSU found out that Eagle Eye has the 2nd highest testosterone levels of all the males around so that is probably why I always see him chasing females. If I were a gray whale, he would be my honey!

I was so excited the other day when O’Valentine showed up. She has a white dot on her right dorsal hump and a beautiful white heart on the underside of her right tail fluke. I have seen her for a quarter of a century. I have her life-sized tail fluke painted on the wall in my museum in the whale room.

We also have had about a half a dozen other whales, some of which have the white skin disease. September has always been our best month so I would love to see you before our whales leave!

Love Carrie”

Oregonwhales.com

Photos by Carrie Newell, 2026:
1 - Young Boo-boo, a 1 1/2 year old juvenile gray whale with whale lice and barnacles on its head.
2 - Boo-boo, right dorsal hump. Notice the orca rakes on the dorsal hump and body.
3 - Boo-boo, left dorsal hump and the large scar, its 'boo-boo'. The Boo-boo was probably caused by an orca ripping part of its flesh away.
4 - Bullseye, close up of the white markings that look like an arrow just missing the bullseye.
5 - Bullseye, full view of her right dorsal side.
6 - You've been fluked in Depoe Bay by Bullseye!
7 - Eagle Eye with its namesake boat, Eagle Eye. The boat even has the matching 'eye'!
8 - Yogi (notice the pointed dorsal hump) with Eagle Eye in hot pursuit! Capt. Andrew and his guests had a great encounter with these two!
9 - O'Valentine, right dorsal hump. Notice the large white spot, her "O".
10 - O'Valentine's beautiful fluke. Notice the heart on the underside of the right side of the tail fluke.

All photos were taken with telephoto lenses and heavily cropped.

Hi All, A few updates about the whales. Both mothers, Morisa and Bullseye, weaned their calves early. Morisa and Nebula ...
08/14/2026

Hi All,
A few updates about the whales. Both mothers, Morisa and Bullseye, weaned their calves early. Morisa and Nebula were together on Aug. 5 but separated on Aug. 6. All other times that I have seen the females wean it was around Aug. 15. My guess is that they taught the calves what they needed to know and the mothers had to get back to replenishing their blubber layers. Both Morisa and Bullseye showed up extremely thin with caved in sides, ribs showing and the scapula showing. Carrying a calf and then nursing a calf is a huge caloric drain. I have photographic documentation of how slowly the females are gaining back their weight. I have not seen Nebula nor calf Bandit since they have been weaned. I know Nebula was well fed because he was one the most energetic calves I have ever seen. I saw him breach 4 different times. One time there were 8 breaches in a row. Morisa breached twice after she weaned Nebula! Nebula was also curious and would continually do head lunges where you could see his eye.

Other gray whales that I had seen last year and also this year include Rambolina with her 10 prop cuts and white skin disease. She is probably at least in her 50’s since I have a picture of her from 1985 and she was an adult at that time with her prop marks. Lovey de Nachos whose blow is almost always heart shaped and she has a nacho looking wound on her head. We have Blade Runner, a young whale that has 12 prop cuts from a larger boat due to spacing of cuts. We saw him last year with fresh cuts but this year at least they have healed some.

There are at least 10 others but I will do a post later on them.

Lots of good whales now!
Love Ya, Carrie

Photos by Carrie Newell, 2026:
1 - Nebula, calf to Morisa, in one of its many breaches.
2 - Morisa breaching the day after she weaned her calf.
3 - Nebula, calf to Morisa, head lunge.
4 - Bullseye, notice the white marking that looks like an arrow just missing the bullseye.
5 - Bullseye treating us a to a beautiful fluke in Depoe Bay!
6 - Rambolina, with her 10 prop cuts on the left dorsal and white skin disease.
7 - Rambolina, close up of the prop cuts and skin disease on a very foggy day.
8 - Lovey de Nachos and her signature heart shaped blow.
9 - Lovey de Nachos fluking off the Depoe Bay coast line.
10 - Blade Runner with its 12 prop cuts that are showing healing since we saw it last year with the fresh cuts. Notice the whale lice in the top lateral cut.

07/30/2026

Whale watching is incredible today! Spots open at 3:30pm, Thursday July 30. If you were on a waiting list, check your email!
Oregonwhales.com and click Book Now!

Video of Morisa and Nebula from today's 10am trip.

A first for Whale Research EcoExcursions and Carrie!UPDATE- SOLD OUT! JOIN US for a one of a kind trip where there is a...
07/27/2026

A first for Whale Research EcoExcursions and Carrie!

UPDATE- SOLD OUT! JOIN US for a one of a kind trip where there is a possibility to see 4 cetaceans on one trip! Limited Seating: Monday, July 27 from 7:30am - 10:00am (2.5 hour trip). Follow the link below to book your seat.

Incredible Field Report from Carrie:
Today we saw 4 different cetaceans. Mr. Max had posted that Fins and Blues were offshore. We headed offshore on our first trip. We encountered a Blue whale at 250 ft and then shortly thereafter a Fin whale, slightly deeper. I was pointing out the differences between the blue and the fin, telling my people to look for a small 1 foot dorsal fin 2/3rds of the way back on the Blue whale. Also the blow of the Blue is 25-30ft tall and the body color is blue-gray in the right sunlight. A Fin whale, on the other hand, has a much taller and pointed dorsal fin, also 2/3rds of the way back. Their body looks like a big black submarine and their blow is not as tall. We then saw a Humpback whale which, when it humps up, has a pointed dorsal fin at the apex of its hump and a shorter body then the Fin. It is also dark in color but has beautiful black and white markings on the underside of its tail fluke. The Gray whales have no dorsal fin, only a dorsal hump and knuckles with varying patterns on the tail fluke.

During tomorrow's 2.5 hour trip we may also have the opportunity to see Creamsicle, Morisa and her calf Nebula (who is known for its head lunges) and courting whales. Of course we will be targeting the offshore Blue, Fin and Humpback whales but during this time we will also see Grays.

Love to have you come aboard!
-Carrie

BOOK NOW: sold out!

Photos by Carrie Newell
1 Blue whale back showing tiny dorsal fin.
2 Fin whale back showing much taller dorsal fin
3 Humpback whale showing triangular dorsal fin on apex of hu***ng
4 Gray whale showing dorsal hump and knuckles (Creamsicle)
5 Blue whale blow up to 25 or 30 feet tall
6 Close up of Fin whale fin
7 Underside of Humpback tail fluke
8 Dorsal fluke of Creamsicle showing unique "ice cream spots"
9 Courting whales
10 Nebula, Morisa's 6-month old calf, doing a head lunge

We are OPEN for whale watchers and museum visitors! It seems there may be some confusion about the recent announcements...
07/24/2026

We are OPEN for whale watchers and museum visitors! It seems there may be some confusion about the recent announcements that the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be closing temporarily for repair work on August 1st. This closure will effect the viewing center on the west side of the highway, just north of the bridge and its surrounding viewing areas. Our Whale, Sea Life, & Shark Museum and Whale watching tours on the south side of the bridge are very much open for business from now through early October. We hope to see you soon!

07/08/2026

Meet Nebula, Morisa’s newest calf! 🐋✨

Nebula loves practicing head lunges, and you can even spot her curious little eye watching the world around her. Likely born in the 3rd–4th week of January, she’s now just over 5 months old.

Morisa has been teaching Nebula how to feed on mysids through “sharking” behavior, preparing her for independence. Morisa will begin weaning her calf in mid-August.

Carrie’s records show it’s been 10 years since we last saw Morisa with a calf, making Nebula’s arrival extra special. 💕 🌊🐳⚓️

07/01/2026

Nothing beats watching orcas glide through the Pacific. 🖤🤍 Every sighting is a reminder of just how wild and beautiful the Oregon Coast is. 🌊 🫍

A new calf for Morisa! - Details from Carrie Newell (WREE Owner, Captain, and Marine Biologist):”For years I have not s...
06/27/2026

A new calf for Morisa! - Details from Carrie Newell (WREE Owner, Captain, and Marine Biologist):

”For years I have not seen Morisa (CRC #196) with a new calf but today, June 26 2026, all that changed. Around 11am I was notified by Captain Laird that he had seen a mom and calf. Upon seeing them, I noticed a crescent moon on the right dorsal hump and a dot and dash on the left dorsal hump. (Think Morse code). Yeah it was Morisa! I have seen this whale for nearly a quarter of a century! She is a common summer resident to Depoe Bay and usually spends 2-3 months here. This year she showed up 2 weeks later than last year but she has a calf in tow which may have caused her delay.

She traveled from Cape Foulweather to Depoe Bay where she spent the afternoon teaching her calf how to feed on mysid shrimp. Morisa would go on her right side and you would see her left tail fluke sharking and then you would see a tiny tail fluke sharking. Besides sharking, the calf did a lot of head lunging! Morisa’s flukes are distinctive because they have orca tooth bites out of them. At times the calf became adventurous and left mom’s side for a few minutes.

This little calf was probably born mid to late January and will stay with mom for 7 months, leaving on its own in mid August. Looking at the calf’s right and left dorsal hump, we all noticed a dark continuous pattern which will stay with the calf its whole life so we named it Nebula. Look at the pictures and let me know if you also see that pattern of what looks like dark, gaseous nebula. Excited to see you all at some point!
Love Ya!
Carrie”

Photos from June 26, 2026 excursions in Depoe Bay.
1-Morisa & new calf, Nebula. Photo by Carrie Newell.
2-Morisa & Nebula. Notice Morisa’s dot on her left side. Photo by Carrie Newell.
3-Morisa’s right side showing her unique crescent moon marking. Photo by Carrie Newell.
4-Morisa sharking. Notice the notch in her tail from orca tooth bites in her past. Photo by Carrie Newell.
5-Morisa and Nebula. The new calf did a lot of head lunges as it checked out its new neighborhood. Photo by Katt Wamsley.
6-Morisa and Nebula head lunge. Photo by Katt Wamsley.
7-Nebula showing its distinctive patterning on the right side. Photo by Carrie Newell.
8-Nebula showing its distinctive patterning on the left side. Photo by Katt Wamsley.
9-Nebula checking out its surroundings during a head lunge. Photo by Katt Wamsley.

All photos were taken with telephoto lenses and heavily cropped.

Address

234 S Highway 101
Depoe Bay, OR
97341

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

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(541) 912-6734

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