Oregon Coast This Week: Grisly 'Globster' Stuck in Devil's Punchbowl, Rescue Near Tillamook (Video)

Published 01/01/26 at 7:25 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Depoe Bay, Oregon) – There's something unusually gross stuck in a famed central Oregon coast attraction, one that falls under the rather infamous category of a “globster.” However, in the good news department there was a heartwarming rescue on a north coast trail.

Both incidents, however, are few on details.

On Wednesday, Tillamook Fire District and Bay City Fire and Rescue responded to a call of an injured hiker at Bayocean Peninsula Park near Tillamook. While the extent of his injuries were not disclosed, TFD posted a video of the two teams lugging the man on a Stokes basket.

The more disturbing find on the Oregon coast happened last week at Devil's Punchbowl near Depoe Bay, when part (and only part) of a deceased whale showed up inside the structure.

Rescue Video Below

“Oregon State Parks staff first observed a whale head inside Devil’s Punchbowl on December 23,” said OPRD spokesman Katie Gauthier. “The remains are significantly decomposed, and only the head is present.”

Some video of it made social media earlier this week, such as this on Tik Tok.

Given the decomposition, an identification of the species can't be made.

“Visitors are reminded to observe from a distance and avoid contact with any marine animal remains for their safety and to prevent disturbance to natural processes,” Gauthier said. See State Parks' video

There are no plans to remove it – nor any means to, OPRD told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Again, it's far too decayed to go near. So the rather grisly carcass will continue to slosh around inside the Punchbowl until it disintegrates in some way.

Indeed, this advanced stage of decay and other non-appetizing aspects appear to classify it as a “globster” - a rather odd bit of archaic slang that actually has interesting history. Spotting these is still somewhat sought after in some circles around the world, and there are both scientists and paranormal / horror fans that find it fascinating.

A globster is a term only occasionally used these days, referring to the corpse of a whale that is often barely recognizable because of its advanced decayed state. It was used before the mid-20th and realy only finally disappeared from general use when DNA could ID species.

For centuries, people have often misunderstood what these mysterious things were and sometimes believed they had come across new, perhaps even mythical creatures, such as sea serpents, a giant octopus or giant squid, a la Jules Verne. Even the possibility these were aquatic dinosaurs was presented on occasion (those often turned out to be long-dead sharks).

When the body gets so decayed it looks like it is hair – that usually puts it into “globster” territory.

The last time a verified globster hit the Oregon coast some media in England picked up the story.

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