Photo: Author unknown / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
For a few years in the 1990s, the most famous resident of Newport was an orca. Keiko, the killer whale who starred in the film “Free Willy,” arrived at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in January 1996.
A new home
Keiko had been living in a small tank at an amusement park in Mexico, and his health was poor. A foundation raised money to build a large pool at the aquarium so he could recover and eventually be prepared for a return to the sea.
Crowds in South Beach
His arrival brought huge crowds and international attention to Newport. Attendance at the aquarium surged, and local businesses felt the boost.
Leaving for Iceland
In September 1998 Keiko was flown to Iceland to continue his rehabilitation in a sea pen. He was later released and died in Norway in 2003. The pool built for him in Newport was later turned into another exhibit, and his stay remains one of the best-known chapters in the aquarium’s history.
Dewey Albrecht covers the Port of Newport, commercial and sport fishing and the Yaquina Bay bar.
