Whale Watching Center

We went to here to see what was being offered. The place was under construction, which was understandable. There were four government employees standing around talking to each other. Not one of them said hello to us or anyone else who entered. They were not available to answer questions of visitors or give information about whales. My thought was «Oh here’s a good example of lazy government employees and government waste» — there was no reason to have four employees in this small location on a weekday in May. I found this thought ironic since my husband is a government employee and I’m usually sensitive to such remarks.
There were informational displays about whales being set up and I’m sure when it’s finished it will be informative. I just hope the employees figure out they are there to serve the public not stand around and talk to each other.

The place was under a bit of construction during our drive through Depot Bay. The center has a wonderful view of the ocean, but you can get the same view from outside. It was raining when we were there, so it was nice to have a place to look out while staying dry. They have a sign posted that’s visible outside that shows the whale count for the day and month. That’s nice.
A quick tip, there is a walkway under the bridge that you can take to the other side of the road. Probably easier to take than waiting for a light during the busy summer, definitely safer than dodging the traffic!

Nope. We didn’t see any whale from this observation center. This place doesn’t have anything else besides spaces. They have restroom downstairs, but I don’t know why there was a big piece of poop by the outside stairs of this place. It’s definitely a whale’s size.

Really wish I could’ve seen a whale. But all in all — great place! Even with all the water damage they’re repairing right now.

Even though it is free, the Whale Watching Center ended up saving me a lot of money. The plan was to take the family on a whale watching trip out of Depoe Bay. The first day of our trip, no boats left the harbor due to poor weather conditions. We thought we’d give it a try the following day.
Fortunately we stopped here first and they have a handy dandy chart at the front of the building that shows the daily and monthly count of whales spotted off the coast. It turns out that no whales had passed through in two weeks. So it would have been an expensive, but rather boring, sightseeing trip.
We ended up choosing other activities that day and enjoyed our visit to the Whale Watching Center. It is very small with an enclosed upstairs observatory and educational displays on the main floor. There is also an outdoor observation area at the mouth of Depoe Bay. The staff is very helpful and enthusiastic. Actually there were whale watching docents at almost every park and beach that weekend, so this wasn’t our only whale stop of the weekend.
There is a small room that shows videos and if you ask at the counter, there is a little game for the kids to play. They complete a puzzle by finding clues at the various stations and hopefully they get a little education along the way. It was not nearly as interesting as the Hatfield Marine Science Center (also free), but I am sure my rating would increase if the whales cooperated and were feeding close to the center that day.
Whether they are putting on a show or not, it is a good place to get some information and get out of the wind if you happen to be there on a not-​so-​nice weather day. You know, ten months out of the year.

The coolest Whale Watching Center I have ever been to, by far. Helpful fun staff, lots of cool whale stuff, no jokes about porpoise, and my favorite slogan ever (seen over a picture of a whale swallowing a kid, or something) — «because children should not grow up thinking this only happens on the Discovery Channel».

Find out everything about whale watching
For examples, killer whales (orcas) are really dolphins!
Knowledgeable rangers
Great videos on whales
Bonus: It’s free

If you like seeing multiple whales surfacing every couple minutes right in front of you, come here during feeding season. We randomly stopped here on the way back to SF and witnessed many whales surfacing!

There we lots of gray whales visible here feeding near Depoe Bay’s narrow harbor. Awesome!