Although not the “Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast,” a self-assigned title that belongs to Depoe Bay, Newport could just as easily hold this designation. Indeed, there are more companies in Newport, Oregon that offer whale watching than there are in Depoe Bay, and in any case it is hardly worth drawing a distinction between the two cities because they are essentially right next to each other. Newport is about 12 miles south of Depoe Bay, and the majority of Oregon’s whale watching cruises are in one of these two places. If you are in this part of the state, either city should be equally easy to get to. Having written about whale watching cruises in Oregon in general and whale watching cruises in Depoe Bay in particular, there is nothing left to write about but the whale watching cruises in Newport, Oregon. Below we have written a guide to these cruises, which provides a list of, and links to, every whale watching outfit in Newport.
As an essential preliminary note, Newport, Oregon should not be confused with Newport Beach, California, another hotbed along the West Coast for whale watching cruises. We mention this because when you search for something like “whale watching in Newport,” basically all the initial search results will be for Newport Beach. (If any place can be called a “whale watching capital,” it is the entire state of California, at least up until about San Francisco, further north of which whale watching opportunities start to dwindle for the simple reason that civilization starts to dwindle.) Even if you search for “whale watching cruises in Newport Oregon,” there will still be search results for Newport Beach. So, be mindful which Newport you are looking at when researching whale watching cruises.
However, if you have come across this page, you don’t need to do any further research for whale watching cruises in Newport, as we have compiled a list of every company we could find that offers whale watching in Newport. It was surprisingly difficult to track down all of these companies, so it is advisable to rely on this list as a road map of what is available, even if you end up searching around on your own.
Newport Tradewinds
Yaquina Bay Charters
Captain’s Reel Deep Sea Fishing
Marine Discovery Tours
Bayfront Charters
Sea Gull Charters
(Note: The last two companies – Bayfront Charters and Sea Gull Charters – do not appear to have websites, so the links take you to business directory pages that list each company’s contact information. Sea Gull Charters supposedly has a website, but this site evidently fell out of their control and is now just a page of advertising links that has nothing to do with the company.)
Of the companies listed above, the only one that exclusively offers tours is Marine Discovery Tours. The company has two-hour “sea life cruises” that are essentially classic whale watching tours. Every other company above is first and foremost a sport fishing outfit that happens to offer whale watching cruises on the side. (This is why it was hard to put together the list above – these companies advertise themselves as sport fishing companies, not whale watching companies.) This doesn’t mean that their offerings are subpar, but it does mean that information about their whale watching cruises is difficult to find. We recommend calling any company you are interested in sailing with to figure out when they offer whale watching cruises (generally during the grey whale migration seasons in winter and spring) and determine specific details about their whale watching outings.
There are plenty of whale watching opportunities in Newport, but this isn’t the primary function of any of the companies that operate out of the city (with the possible exception of Marine Discovery Tours, depending on how narrowly you interpret “sea life cruises”). This should not, however, deter you from whale watching if you are in the area. For more general information, check out our article on whale watching cruises in Oregon.
