Humpbacks Seen on N. Oregon Coast: Good Time to Check Columbia Near Astoria

Published 9/09/24 at 7:25 a.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Astoria, Oregon) – This might be it. Then again, it may not be the big event. (Photos from previous years' encounters courtesy Tiffany Boothe / Seaside Aquarium)

Humpbacks were spotted in the Columbia River near Astoria recently, and it could be the beginning of a bunch of sightings that often happen this time of year in this part of the north Oregon coast. In any case, it's definitely something to be on the lookout for if you're in the area.

Warrenton's mayor, Henry Balensifer, recently posted a video of a humpback whale wandering the river. It's only a few seconds, but it appears as if there may be more than one. See the video here.

This kind of thing has been happening most years in the last decade, occuring right about the end of August or in September. It's resulted in some spectacular encounters, like the one year there were about a dozen or so darting in between boats in the Columbia, clearly visible from shore moving around between vessels.

It can also mean you could spot them as far south as Cannon Beach. One year there were a few seen cavorting near Haystack Rock, and others they've been spotted off Washington's Long Beach Peninsula.

Humpback whales show up in this area chasing what are called “baitballs” - basically large schools of baitfish that can inundate these waters around this time of year. Essentially that means anchovies, herring and schade all showing up here because of all the nutrients pouring down from the Columbia and even the Necanicum at Seaside. When that happens in late summer, around August or September, suddenly the whales swoop in.

There's no telling if that's really the case now. This appears to be the only firm sighting of them, and at least one person searching Astoria waters in the last 24 hours told Oregon Coast Beach Connection they did not see any.

The presence of humpbacks around this time of year is always accompanied by the frenetic presence of birds chomping on the same little fishies.

Boothe has documented many of these events since about 2014 – and it's possible they did not occur as often before then. It may be an unusual and rather late development for the Oregon and Washington coast.

“Typically Humpbacks in our area are seen feeding during the summer months five to fifteen miles off the coast, but venture closer to follow bait balls of small fish,” Boothe told Oregon Coast Beach Connection in recent years. “A small handful of individuals have been known to brave the Columbia River when smolt runs are prolific and can spend a few days or a few weeks within the lower reaches of the river consuming up to 3,000 pounds of krill and small fish per day. A few great locations to see the river-exploring whales include Hammond Marina and Cape Disappointment State Park.”

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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