I want to start off by saying that I would not call us a coastal family. We used to visit Topsail Island each year with family for a week and we loved the time together but we are not the sit on the beach and read a book type of family. So, we spent most of our time walking down the beach looking for shells or visiting the local Sea Turtle Rescue facility. As Brittany planned this latest trip, she decided to take us down the Oregon coast and it was really beautiful! We made a stop in Depoe Bay for a whale excursion but ended up finding one more gem right there in the bay. So here are 2 things to do in Depoe Bay if you find yourself there.
Whale Eco Excursions
I really can't say enough about Carrie Newell (owner) and her team. Carrie has been working with and studying the resident gray whale population in Depoe Bay for over 30 years. What stood out the most to us was that she wasn't just knowledgable about the whales, but she was so passionate about each whale sighting.
Upon arriving we were greeted by the nicest lady at the reception desk who got us all checked in for our tour. She made sure we had all the info we needed, including where the bathrooms were, and then pointed us in the direction of an informational movie we were going to watch before our whale excursion. We learned A LOT about the different gray whales that live/visit Depoe Bay each year. The best part was listening to our youngest reteach it all to us after the movie like we weren't just sitting there with her. But an aspiring teacher flame should not be put out at this age!
Once we boarded our boat, Carrie and her dog Koda took us out to the bay. On our way out of the harbor we were greeted by some harbor seals posing for pictures, aka napping (cute harbor seal picture below). Once we got out to the bay Carrie spotted "the first blow", I'd never seen anyone more excited to see a whale take a breath before. I'm sure she has seen this a million times but her excitement was contagious and next thing we knew, we were all yelling and pointing every time we saw a whale come up for air. Interesting fact time...a gray whale takes a breath every 3-5 minutes.
Next thing we knew, 2 hours had flown by and we were heading back toward the dock. We saw 3 gray whales. Dipper, Creamsicle, and an unknown gray whale that I called Frank. It was an amazing experience that was made even better by our captain, Carrie. 10 out of 10 would recommend! You can find out more about Carrie and Whale Research Eco Excursions at https://www.oregonwhales.com/
Tidal Raves
As we left our whale excursion we were all STARVING. So we asked our nice welcome lady where we should eat and she pointed us toward Tidal Raves. This place is always busy but we lucked out and got a table right by a window overlooking the bay. The food was great but the view was even better. Now that we were whale spotting experts, we couldn't keep our eyes off the bay as we watched the other whale spotting boats move back and forth finding the next spot they thought the whale would surface.
If you happen to find yourself in Depoe Bay, DO NOT pass this up! Bookmark this website under "must have one of everything from the menu and sit by the window watching seals and whales all day"...or whatever you want to name your bookmark. https://www.tidalraves.com/
In conclusion, we may not be the sit on the beach type of family but add us to the list of people who will sit and watch the ocean for the next time a whale needs to breath.
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