Depoe Bay

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I’ve been fascinated by marine biology for as long as I can remember. As a little girl in Michigan, I dreamt of working with Jacques Cousteau. My passion for biology never waned through four academic degrees in this field.

Twenty-one years ago, I got a job teaching biology for Lane Community College, and I settled into life in Eugene, commuting to Depoe Bay on weekends so I could research gray whales. The best gray whale sightings in the continental United States are just offshore in Depoe Bay eleven months out of the year.

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photo by Talia Galvin

In 2000, I received my captain’s license and started running my whale-watching business with my dog and first mate, Kida, in 2005. The tours allow me to educate people about the gray whale while funding my field research. My first boat was named after Eagle Eye, a whale that I’ve come to know through many encounters over the years.

In 2012, I bought another boat and opened the Whale, Sea Life and Shark Museum in the heart of Depoe Bay. I have collected so many marine specimens and fossils over the years, and I’m happy that I can now share them with Depoe Bay visitors.

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  1. says: Carolynn Craft

    Dear Carrie;
    I enjoy whales and animals. When I grow up I want to be a marine biologist too. I have read a little about you, and I want to be like you. What college did you go to? I am from Michigan too. I have really good grades and I am in the advanced class at my school. Right now I can identify about ten different whale species. Can you give me any advise? I wonder what a whales breath smells like. I imagine it smells like fish. Have you ever seen a squid? A giant squid is my second favorite marine animal.
    From,
    Carolynn Craft 8years old Taylor, MI
    p.s
    I also do gymnastics