A young humpback whale was spotted breaching and tail slapping during a whale watching tour in Dana Point, California. File photo
James Lee via Unsplash
A humpback whale performed for over an hour, giving beachgoers and whale watchers an “amazing” and “rare” show in California.
The young whale was spotted splashing in the ocean Sunday, April 21, in Dana Point as Dana Wharf Whale Watching led a tour group.
It breached, propelling its body out of the water “over and over,” the business said in a Facebook post. The whale was also seen slapping the water with its tail and pectoral fins as it put on a show close to the shoreline.
Donna Kalez, the chief operating officer of the whale watching business, said it’s rare to see a humpback whale so close to the shoreline.
But because it was close, beachgoers stood and watched, cheering as the whale appeared out of the water, Kalez told McClatchy News.
Residents in homes with ocean views also got to catch a glimpse of the whale, Kalez said.
At one point, the whale was even feet from the tour group’s boat.
Whale watchers also got to see a pod of 200 common dolphins, 13 endangered fin whales, a minke whale and four humpback whales in total.
“What a day!” one person commented on Facebook.
“I was showing an oceanfront condo at Table Rock when we spotted the baby Humpback right in front of us performing the amazing Sunday morning show!” another person wrote on Facebook.
Dana Point is in Southern California, about a 60-mile drive southwest from downtown Los Angeles.