Tag Archives: ocean

Hike to Short Sands Beach

01 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in Beach, Cannon Beach

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If you have driven along the Oregon coast highway between Manzanita and Cannon Beach then you have gone past the parking areas for Short Sand beach. The parking lot is often filled with cars and so if you do not get here early in the day you will likely be parking off on the side of the road and walking back towards the head of the trail. A popular surfing cove is located at Short Sands beach and during optimal surfing weather and surf conditions, it can be one of the busiest places on the North Coast. Lots of surfers will be out riding the waves, but even more people will just be hanging out on the beach watching the action in the water.

main beach access at short sands beach

Despite all the visitors there are many trails and unless you are going to get in the water the extra traffic should not stop you from being able to enjoy this peaceful and beautiful place.

There are several trails that branch off from the main path, so make sure to check out the trail maps near the parking lot and down near the beach before venturing off. The creek that runs through the forestland along the trails is large enough that it splits off part of the beach. The main trail leads to the large section of the beach at the north section of the cove and will have more people. The Sitka Spruce trail heads over to connect with the South Beach access point and requires crossing over a cable bridge over a large creek. The south beach access puts you in the sand south of the creek so you can explore that side of the beach and view the impressive cliff that jut out into the ocean making the southern boundary of Short Sand beach. The various trails running through the forest are easy to moderate in difficulty, must due to the consistent moisture of the soil, good hiking shoes are a must as the trail can get muddy and slippery at certain places.

This is one of the most popular places to surf on the entire Oregon Coast, the cove is protected from lots of the weather on the coast and has the right underwater features that generate waves big enough for people to ride. Due to the limited number of awesome spots to surf on the coast, Short Sand beach should not be your first choice if looking for a place to go surf perch fishing. While the fishing can be really good in the cove, you might not make many friends chucking large weights and hooks in between the surfers.

A street view map of the Short Sands Beach trail parking and access:

Oregon Halibut Fishing 2013 Season

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in fishing, garibaldi, Newport

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Halibut fishing has been one of the most rewarding and productive types of fishing in the North Pacific. Most of the time, it serves as a race and a form of entertainment to the anglers involved seeing who can get fish in the box the fastest. First to gain the most number of pounds in a limited given time wins. Although there are certain rules that they should follow such as not catching any halibut below 30 inches or 76 cm. One of the problems faced by fisherman is the weather. When the weather is bad, it becomes dangerous to go to sea.

izik, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/izik/220648048/

izik, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/izik/220648048/

In Oregon, the fishing trip would generally take about 12 hours and a limit of one halibut per person with no length limit is given. However, this type of fishing is not recommended for children below 12 years old, because this giant flatfish has great strength and it is very difficult to bring in a huge 70 to 100 pound fish.

This kind of fishing is said to be so much fun due to the challenge of catching the big and heavy fish and being able to put it on deck. It is hard to find another fish that fights like a halibut. This fish tends to push and pull back and forth making the catch feel like you are dragging more than what you are getting.
According to The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, they will be deciding the fishing seasons in Salem on the 26th of April. The proposed dates are from the Department of Fish and Wildlife staff and the Pacific Halibut Commission.

Below are the dates for the seasons for Halibut fishing:
May 9-11, May 16-18, May 30, June 1, June 6-8 (All-depth seasons along the central Oregon coast as recommended by the staff.)
June 20-22, July 4-6, July 18-20 (Back up weekends)
August 2 and 3 then every other Friday and Saturday (Summer all-depth)
May 3 and every other Friday to Sunday (when the area of the mouth of the Columbia River opens)
August 2 (Summer season)
If there would be in season changes to open dates, they will be announced on the NMFS Hotline (1-800-662-9825; #5; #1) and posted at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/
Give Garibaldi Charters or JB and Water Sportfishing a call, if you are looking to go out for these bottom dwelling fish out at Halibut hill around 20 miles past the Tillamook Bay bar near the Garibaldi marina.
Find Oregon fishing guides here.

Here is what it is like to go fishing on a charter for Pacific Butts off the Oregon Coast.

Low Tides for November 2012

19 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Brookings, garibaldi, Newport

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The low tides during the winter months are excellent times to get out and enjoy the Oregon Coast. During these hours when the water is receded far out into the ocean can be prime time for some of the most popular beach activities including: exploring tide pools, searching rocky beaches for agates, shells, and other random gifts from the ocean, and digging in the bays and along certain beaches for clams. The following days are the days that there is a negative tide making these excursions more likely to be fruitful. I have only included times that are from dawn to dusk as it can be dangerous during no light situations along the coast especially during the winter. If you are out along the beaches remember to always keep an eye on the ocean, during winter the seas can be stormy and fun to watch, but at any moment a large wave can break on the beach so be vigilant when close to shore digging clams and looking for unique agates in the sand and stones.

Low Tide at Yaquina Bay Near Newport – compujeramey- CC – BY – via Flickr

Take advantage of these great tides for exploring the beaches and coastline. If you like to hunt for agates or dig for clams plan your next beach trip in November during one of the times below.

Location Date Time Tide
Garibaldi 11/11/2012 16:34:00 L – 0.47
Garibaldi 11/12/2012 17:22:00 L – 1.36
Garibaldi 11/13/2012 18:10:00 L – 2.0
Garibaldi 11/25/2012 16:44:00 L – 0.02
Garibaldi 11/26/2012 17:24:00 L – 0.43
Garibaldi 11/27/2012 18:02:00 L – 0.7

Yaquina Bay 11/11/2012 16:09:00 L – 0.4
Yaquina Bay 11/12/2012 16:56:00 L – 1.3
Yaquina Bay 11/13/2012 17:43:00 L – 2.0
Yaquina Bay 11/14/2012 18:30:00 L – 2.3
Yaquina Bay 11/26/2012 17:06:00 L – 0.1
Yaquina Bay 11/27/2012 17:41:00 L – 0.3
Yaquina Bay 11/28/2012 18:16:00 L – 0.4

Brookings 11/11/2012 15:36:00 L – 0.25
Brookings 11/12/2012 16:22:00 L – 1.02
Brookings 11/13/2012 17:09:00 L – 1.58
Brookings 11/14/2012 17:57:00 L – 1.87
Brookings 11/25/2012 15:59:00 L + 0.1
Brookings 11/26/2012 16:35:00 L – 0.18
Brookings 11/27/2012 17:10:00 L – 0.37
Brookings 11/28/2012 17:44:00 L – 0.46
Brookings 11/29/2012 18:18:00 L – 0.47
Disclaimer: These data are based upon the latest information available as of the date of your request, and may differ from the published tide tables.

Check out the rest of the tide data at the National Weather Service Forecast Office for a listing of each tide by local city.

Fall Fishing and Crabbing

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in crab, fishing

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Fishing and crabbing along the Oregon Coast during the fall season has been a favorite activity for generations. The large runs of Chinook Salmon begin to get moving into the coastal estuaries in August and are in the prime during the months of October and November. Whether you are out fishing in the ocean, inside the bays or up a coastal river the fishing can be fantastic this time of year. One of the other special treats is the Dungenness crab that are available in the Ocean and the bays in really good numbers and quality from September to December. This combination of big salmon and crabs makes the fall season a favorite of most Oregonians that like to engage fishing these sustainable fisheries. Most of the streams and rivers along the coasts have relatively healthy numbers of wild Chinook and coho as well as hatchery supported fish to increase the numbers of available fish for people to catch and keep for dinner. The crab fishery is also very healthy with a large population and it is possible for each person to keep up to 12 of the Male Dungeness Crab per day over the size of 5 and 3/4 inches.

A Great Fishing Day at the Oregon Coast

Whether you own your own boat or just fish from shore there are places up and down the Oregon coast to get on the action. If you do not have a boat there are several public access areas on the major rivers that have healthy populations of fish that are catch able as well as some public piers that are easy to crab from.

The primary methods of catching fall Chinook include trolling a mooching rig with a cut plug herring, trolling a big spinner or from the bank in the river system using a bobber and egg. All three of these methods will catch salmon. For crabbing it is good to have a few crab traps or crab rings and bait them with either fish carcasses or chicken from the discount section at the local market. Let the traps soak for an hour or longer and pull up a bounty of crabs for a seafood feast.

Get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery this fall and catch a salmon or a few crab before the storms and rain of winter are upon us.

Wave Energy Off the Oregon Coast a Possibility

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in Reedsport

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The Oregon Coast is a priceless treasure. It is sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, and gigantic sand dunes. The Pacific Ocean provides crashing waves, beautiful sunsets, recreational spaces, and a variety of seafood. However, a controversy is growing – should Oregon devote its coast to the production of wave energy?

Oregonians love spending time at the coast. We flock there on weekends, causing traffic jams on Highways 26 and 101. Visitors come from all over the world to enjoy our coast. Since 2004, when a 1% hotel occupancy tax went into effect to fund Travel Oregon, the state tourism commission, Oregon has gone from 47th in the nation to 26th for tourism budgets. There are so many international visitors that Lincoln City put up banners that say “Welcome” in Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

A sample wave energy device that may be deployed off the coasts of Oregon.

Quietly, a new industry has been growing that may have dramatic impact on the Oregon Coast.
A whole group of agencies and non-profits have grown up since 2000: The Oregon Wave Energy Trust, the Oregon Innovation Council, Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (a cooperative effort of Oregon State University and the University of Washington), Pacific Marine Energy Center, the Ocean Policy Advisory Council, and many others. More than $15 million has been spent on developing wave energy since 2006. These diverse enterprises are working toward building wave energy converters off the Oregon Coast.

The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center wants a piece of ocean one square mile in size, two miles northwest of Yaquina Head. Aquamarine Power applied for the use of 7,000 acres along the Oregon coast in order to discover what might be the best location for a converter, which is 70 feet deep by 1,400 feet long and rises over three stories above the ocean.

Ocean Power Technologies has plans for several sites, the first of which is already under construction off Reedsport. Located 2 ½ miles off the coast, it will contain ten PowerBuoys, an underwater substation, and a submarine cable to deliver power to the Pacific Northwest electric grid. The projection is that this will produce enough power to supply 375 homes (4,140 MegaWatt-hours/year). The buoy will be 140 feet long and 40 feet wide, with a 30-foot float.

Pressure to find alternative sources of energy come from many sources. Two of these are the fact that Oregon’s Renewable Energy Action Plan calls for 25% of the energy used in the state be from renewable sources by 2025, and another is the fact that the price of oil continues to escalate.

Wave energy conversion is in its infancy; regulations, permits, and policies are just being developed. Knowledge of how it will impact the environment is limited. There are concerns that the electromagnetic fields of the converters will disorient migratory birds and animals. What effect will the converters have on housing and tourism? How will the converters effect fishing, clamming, and crabbing. Those in favor of wave energy conversion are pushing to make the process move more quickly. Diverse opposing groups are trying to slow process to allow time for a more orderly progression.

There is no agreement at this point on where the converters will be placed. Just as the companies that want to place converters off the coast are scrambling to get their claims staked, counties and cities on the coast are struggling to evaluate and rank which sites should be protected. Oregon State University has produced a territorial sea map that concluded that only two percent of the coastal waters are available for wave energy conversion use. The rest of the coastline is used for fishing or has environmental protections.

Wave energy converters will mar the views along the Oregon Coast. Oregonians need to decide quickly, where and how many of these converters we want alone our coast, or if we want them at all.
Article written by Mary Boyer

How Wave Energy Works

Additional information on this important topic can be found here:
http://www.crbizjournal.com/news/article_006b1184-d83e-11e1-a199-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/07/wave-energy-controversy-swells-in-oregon.html
http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/02/oregon-wave-energy-trust-opens-grant.html
http://www.oregonwave.org/

Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in garibaldi

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Have you ever been to Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast? Lucy Chien, who grew up in Oregon, but now lives in San Francisco, recently won Smithsonian magazine’s annual photo contest in the “Natural World” category. She and her husband were clamming on the beach at Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast when she was inspired to place one of the clams on a rock in hopes of getting a good picture. The clam opened its shell and began to push itself off the rock. That’s when Lucy got the prize winning shot.

Garibaldi is tiny port on the shore or Tillamook Bay. Five types of clams can be found here: butter, cockle, gaper, softshell, and razor. People over 14 years of age need to buy a license, which currently costs only $7.00. That’s for an entire year of clamming and crabbing! Clamming is not the only activity on its quiet beaches. You can also fish from the shore, go crabbing, or charter a fishing boat and go deep sea fishing for halibut, tuna, or salmon. There is also terrific salmon and steelhead fishing in the streams that empty into the Bay. Almost anything you want for clamming, crabbing, or fishing can be rented in Garibaldi.

Clams dug from the flats on a low tide adjacent to the Garibaldi Pier and historic Coast Guard station.

There are four motels in Garibaldi. Garibaldi House, a 50 room motel, has been the recipient of Tripadvisor® Certificate of Excellence Award in both 2010 and 2011! It has the friendly feeling of a good bed and breakfast. This is a great place to make the center of your vacation.

The ocean activities are not the only recreation available in Garibaldi. There are some wonderful spots for bird watching. Migratory birds stop on their way going north and south. However there are many species of birds that make their home year-a-round in this area. Some of these are bald eagles, gulls, falcons, and blue and green heron.

One of the surprising things that you will find in Garibaldi is the Garibaldi Museum. The Garibaldi Museum attempts to conserve the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest. It especially focuses on Captain Robert Gray and his historical vessels, the Lady Washington and the Columbia Rediviva. The museum contains models of the two ships, as well as, reproductions clothing and musical instruments used by seamen.

Only ten miles to the south of Garibaldi you will find Tillamook with the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Tillamook Air Museum. A short distance to the north you will find the charming town of Cannon Beach, with Haystack Rock that dominating its beach.

There are so many activities located in and near Garibaldi that you cannot take them all in during a single trip.
Article written by Mary Boyer

For more great information about Garibaldi, Oregon check out these additional articles.
http://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/article_eec5b8a8-cc35-11e1-a6ba-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2011/05/to_the_coast_in_search_of_clam.html

http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/garibaldi/