Group of ‘mysterious’ sea animals seen in rare, ‘bucket list sighting’ off California

It was a typical day for whale watching on Monterey Bay on May 13. The people in the boat had enjoyed seeing humpbacks and being out on the water that morning.

Suddenly, an intern with Monterey Bay Whale Watch and the lead deckhand noticed something else in the distance. Bursting above the water were the recognizable water clouds of whales exhaling. Looking closer, they spotted flukes and dorsal fins that looked nothing like what you’d find on humpbacks’ bodies.

The “mysterious” beings disappeared. The people waited for them to return. Five minutes, 10, 20.

Then, the surface of the water broke. It was a Baird’s beaked whale, one of the rarest whales to see off the California coast.

Excited, the crew steered the boat to where they saw the whale breach, they recounted in a May 14 post on Facebook.

Sure enough, it was the elusive Baird’s beaked whale. And not just one – there was a pod of 10 of them.

Sightings of Baird’s beaked whales are so unusual in northern California, whale watchers will sometimes go years without seeing even one.

It was “a once in a lifetime bucket list sighting for whale watchers,” the organization said.

Baird’s beaked whales are the largest of the beaked whales, growing to be up to 36 feet in length, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. They travel in pods and are impressive divers, able to hold their breath for 80 minutes at depths of 3,300 feet or more when feeding.

Experts don’t have as much information on these whales as they do for other species. According to NOAA, they are “elusive and shy.”

This is also what makes this particular sighting extra special.

“You never know what the bay will have in store,” Monterey Bay Whale Watch said.

This story was originally published May 16, 2024 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Group of ‘mysterious’ sea animals seen in rare, ‘bucket list sighting’ off California."