In addition to the fishing charter companies, which all offer whale-watching tours, the best company on the coast in terms of state-of-the-art equipment and natural history interpretation is Marine Discovery Tours (345 SW Bay Blvd., 541/265-6200 or 800/903-2628, www.marinediscovery.com, $35 adults, $33 seniors, $17 ages 4–13).

The two-hour SeaLife tour is narrated by naturalist guides and includes, depending on the time of year, whale-, seal-, and bird-watching, an oyster bed tour, estuary and ocean exploration, and a harbor tour.

The 65-foot Discovery features video cameras that magnify the fascinating interplay between smaller life forms, but the real attractions can be appreciated by the naked eye. Landlubbers will especially relish the full crab pots pulled up from the deep and the resident pod of whales often visible north of Yaquina Bay off Yaquina Head.

During the prime whale-watching weeks of late December and late March, volunteers from Whale Watching Spoken Here staff the Don A. Davis City Kiosk in Nye Beach to answer questions and help you spot whales.