Orcas spotted on the central coast

The killer whales have arrived on the central Oregon coast.

Orcas start showing up in spring on the central coast around April 15, lingering for approximately a month, until the middle of May. And as if right on schedule, a group of seven Orcas were spotted by the Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay last week, on April 16.

Killer whales approach the area and patrol the central coast waters, looking for baby gray whales and maybe a few sea lions or seals to munch on. They are rarely seen in these waters, except at this time of year. And when it does happen, it's in the Depoe Bay and Newport areas, but they may be seen from Cascade Head all the way down to Florence and farther.

They are seen more often on the central coast because there are more officials that spend more time watching for them.

The killer whales are what are known as "transient" whales, meaning officials don't know where they come from. They're also more predatory, living off seals and baby gray whales.

Morris Grover, with the Whale Watch Center, says these are smaller and more shark-like in appearance than what are nicknamed the "friendly" killer whales, which visit here from the San Juan Islands and live on salmon.

Grover said orcas know that gray whales are migrating through the area, in mother/baby configurations. They know they can't take on a full-grown whale, so they go after the calves. Often, their technique involves some distracting of the mother, while others take out the baby whale.

Officials at the Whale Watch Center have seen them gobble up seals and sea lions in the waters of Depoe Bay.

Grover said the public's ability to spot Orcas or even gray whales is largely dependent on oceanic conditions, which haven't always been prime so far in April. "We know they're out there," he said. "But looking for whales blow on a day like today, with a lot of white caps, it's like camouflage for whales."

March viewing conditions were excellent. While April has had a few good days, they weren’t as numerous.

To catch sight of these killer whales, just like spotting any whale, Grover suggests patience, and head to a high vantage point. The Newport area has many of these, such as the lighthouse at Yaquina Head, Devils Punch Bowl and nearby at Cape Foulweather. The headquarters for the Whale Watch Spoken Here program is in Depoe Bay, at the seawall, and is another good spot for seeing them as well.

Grover said they sometimes can be seen coming into Yaquina Bay in Newport when they can't find baby whales, attracted by the proliferation of seals and sea lions in the bay. Some years, they have also been known to linger at the edges of the bay's jetties. One sighting in recent years was of a killer whale chasing a seal all the way through Yaquina Bay, almost as far east as Toledo.

"It's all food related," Grover said. "They come up here all the time. Basically, they will take the easiest prey."