One of the loudest animals on Earth spotted off the coast of California. See it

Boaters off the coast of California got the chance to see one of the loudest — and largest — animals on the planet.

Passengers aboard a boat got the “privilege” of seeing a blue whale, according to an Aug. 5 Facebook post by the Dana Wharf Whale Watch. The whales were spotted about 12 miles from shore, the group said.

“It doesn’t get much better than when you have the privilege to see the largest (150-200 tons), the longest (can get up to 90-100 feet in length), and the loudest (180 decibels at a range too low for the human ear to hear) animal on the planet,” the whale watchers said in the Facebook post.

Blue whales can weigh up to 330,000 pounds and grow to 110 feet long, making their length about the same as the height of a 10-story building, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“They are among the loudest animals on the planet, emitting a series of pulses, groans, and moans, and it is thought that in the right oceanographic conditions, sounds emitted by blue whales can be heard by other whales up to 1,000 miles away,” NOAA said on its website.

They can live up to 90 years, though there was one that famously lived to be 110 years old, according to the nonprofit Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Boaters got to see five blue whales feeding on shrimp-like crustaceans in the area, the group said.

Throughout the day, groups got the chance to see common dolphins, a minke whale, and sea lions, the group said.

Dana Point is about a 70-mile drive southeast from downtown Los Angeles.

This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM with the headline "One of the loudest animals on Earth spotted off the coast of California. See it."