Plan Your Trip Pacific Northwest Outdoors - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 82

called Whale Watching Spoken Here ( www.whalespoken.org )rallies hundreds of
trained volunteers to assist visitors in spotting whales at various sites all along the
Oregon Coast. Check the website for details. And be sure to drop into the Whale
Watching Center (Depoe Bay), offering exhibits and sea views.
Although whales can be seen with the naked eye, it's best to have a good pair of
binoculars. After seeing a blow, watch for glimpses of the whale's head, knuckled
back and flukes (tail). A whale's rhythmic breathing and diving usually follows a
pattern of three to five short, shallow dives spread a minute or two apart, followed
by one deep dive (called a 'sounding') lasting five minutes or more. A tail that
breaks the surface usually indicates a sounding - the whale should reappear
300yd to 400yd from where it was last sighted. If you're lucky, you might even wit-
ness a breach, where the whale propels nearly its whole body out of the water!
Washington
You can spot gray and humpback whales from Washington's coastline, especially from
Long Beach (near the Oregon border), Westport and Ozette. The most famous kind of
whale in this state, however, is the killer whale or orca.
About 90 resident orcas in several pods live year-round in the Puget Sound and San
Juan Islands area, feeding on fish. The San Juan Islands in particular are the best place
for spotting orcas, since they often swim close to shore. You can take boat tours from the
islands or spot them from land - Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island is an es-
pecially good place. And while you're here, be sure to visit the Whale Museum ( Click
here ) in Friday Harbor.
The best time to spot orcas is from April to September; numerous charter companies
run cruises from the San Juans, Puget Sound and Seattle. You might be able to spot orcas
from a ferry too.
Out on the coast, any orcas you might see are part of transient pods that can roam from
Alaska to California. These killer whales don't interact with resident pods, and their diet
includes seals, sea lions and even small whales.
British Columbia
Every March, Tofino and Ucluelet - the communities surrounding Pacific Rim National
Park Reserve on Vancouver Island - put on the Pacific Rim Whale Festival
( www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com ), celebrating the northbound travels of the gray
whale during its spring migration. With an estimated 20,000 whales passing through,
you're likely to spot a few blowholes around here from March to May.