Massive sea creature makes eye contact with boaters off California. See it stare

A massive sea creature spotted off the coast of California really kept its eye on boaters.

Boaters got the chance to see an “absolutely incredible once in a lifetime encounter” with a humpback whale, according to a July 17 Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The “friendly” humpback “rolled over on their side” and made direct eye contact with the onlookers, the group said.

But the “outstanding day” on July 16 didn’t stop there – the whale even showed off some “fun behaviors” like breaching and displaying its tail, the group said.

Humpbacks usually display this behavior as a means of communicating with other whales as the sound of them slapping their bodies against the water can be “heard for miles” underwater, according to The Marine Mammal Center.

Later, the group was able to spot a “big beautiful cetacean” – a blue whale, the group said.

Along with the bright-eyed humpback and blue whale, the group was able to see a combined 60 other humpback whales and 45 Risso’s dolphins throughout the day.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive south from San Francisco.

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Massive sea creature makes eye contact with boaters off California. See it stare."