‘Tis the season for thousands of spouts of water, splashing tails and barnacle-backed mammals off Oregon and Washington shorelines.

Every winter, about 25 thousand gray whales swim down the coast to Baja, Mexico. The annual migration not only impacts the flow of life below the surface, but also on shore. Tourists and locals alike flock to viewpoints along the coastline to catch snippets of the massive mammals as they pass by.

To prepare for the flow, volunteers will be stationed at viewpoints along the way to help people spot them during Winter Whale Watch Week, which starts Friday and runs through Tuesday.

A rare sight to see

Luke Parsons, an Oregon Parks and Recreation ranger at the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, said witnessing this migration is pretty unique to the North American coastline.

“People travel across the world to the Oregon Coast to seek out this natural event that takes place every year,” Parsons said. “Our coastline offers so many great viewpoints and it’s a perfect place to enjoy nature.”

He said whale watchers need to keep their fingers crossed in hopes for good weather and lots of sightings.

Scouting the shoreline

On the North Coast, volunteers will be stationed at Cape Disappointment, Fort Stevens State Park, Ecola State Park, Neahkahnie Mountain Historic Marker and more sites.

Because of its elevation, the overlook at Neahkahnie can be a good viewing spot in the winter, according to Parsons.

“On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles,” he said.

Fundamentally Oregonian

John Hoffnagle and Cub Hale have both volunteered during winter and spring whale watch weeks for years.

Hoffnagle said he’ll be at Cape Lookout on Dec. 28 and 29.

“There’s something fundamentally Oregonian about hiking through the mud at Cape Lookout to go see whales,” Hoffnagle said. “Sometimes you see whales, sometimes you don’t, but you meet such a great group of people.”

Hale, who has been a whale watching volunteer since the early ’90s, said he plans to be at the Ecola and Neahkahnie sites this year.

He added it’s fun to see people of all ages and backgrounds at the viewpoints.

“It’s neat to see the excitement people have when they actually can see the whales or spouts,” Hale said. “It’s good to educate people about whales and the environment.”

Volunteers are scheduled to be ready to help from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Oregon State Parks will also live stream the migration from Depoe Bay so whale watchers who can’t make it out to the viewpoints can still enjoy them online. For more information, visit oregonstateparks.org.

“People travel across the world to the Oregon Coast to seek out this natural event.” — Luke Parsons, ranger.