Whale Watch Week begins on Friday along the Oregon coast.
A release from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said visitors can watch the thousands of Gray whales that are migrating south through Oregon’s waters.
Trained volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoke Here program will be stationed from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each day at more than 20 of the best whale watching sites along the coast, ready to help visitors spot whales and answer questions about the animals.
The release said an estimated 25,000 Gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores over the next several weeks, part of their annual migration south to the warm calving lagoons near Baja, Mexico. This week is the peak time for their migration as roughly 30 whales pass by visitors per hour.
The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Those who visit can see interactive whale exhibits and take in the panoramic ocean views. Binoculars are provided. Park rangers will also be on hand to answer questions about the whales.
A map of the volunteer-staffed sites is available at: https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=thingstodo.dsp_whaleWatching