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OCEAN & BEACHES: Seals & Whale Watching |
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MISSING!
Last Seen: San Francisco Pier
We're not Missing! We're just on Vacation!
Makes sense to us, the Shell Island/Simpson Reef has long been the stopping point for California Sea Lions; in fact Shell Island is the largest haul-out of marine mammals on the Oregon Coast. It stands to reason that some of the 1700 sea lions that abruptly departed San Francisco would land here.
California Sea Lions typically go where there are good fishery sources. The hot ticket item being anchovies and sardines, they go where there are large supplies of these. Potentially some of the missing San Francisco Sea Lions have alighted at Shell Island and the Charleston Marina, but without studying previously tagged sea lions, there’s no way of knowing for sure.
Science aside, its fun to think that these Californians have opted to take a little vacation to Shell Island and the Coos Bay Area.
We have managed to secure the very 1st known interview of a Sea Lion and we were impressed with how articulate they were, I guess its true that San Francisco natives are very well spoken. You can see the interview here:
See Our Seals on Your Visit
The Simpson Reef Interpretive Stop:
Located on Charleston's Cape Arago Highway Loop, you'll find plenty of parking and excellent views of Oregon's largest haul-out of seals and sea lions.
Shell Island:
Part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Shell Island hosts Northern Elephant Seals on the rocks in front, Harbor Seals on the island and behind it, and Steller Sea Lions on the pointed rock to its north. The Stellar Sea Lions can also be seen on the rocks north of Simpson Reef and California Sea Lions take over Cape Arago in the fall.
Simpson Beach:
Directly below Shore Acres State Park, a path leads to a secluded cove that provides great whale watching and a different view of Shell Island.
A Whale of a Time for Everyone
Oregon State Park designated Whale Watching Spoken Here sites dot the Oregon Coast. Thousands of visitors flock to these sites to spot migrating gray whales each winter and spring. We have some of the best sites along the coast, at both Shore Acres State Park and Face Rock Wayside State Scenic Viewpoint. See Gray Whales traveling between Mexico and The Bering Sea. They travel to the warm waters to birth their calves. Although most continue north, around 200 stay along the Oregon Coast to feed.
