What a way to start the week! A large, majestic blue whale was spotted by a Dana Wharf Whale Watching tour boat in Southern California on Monday, and the entire encounter was captured on video! Video footage captured by Newport Coastal Adventure shows the giant mammal peaking above the water as if to say "hello" to the boat and its passengers for a brief moment before disappearing into the sea once again.
Newport Coastal Adventure took to Instagram to share the fun footage and to provide details on the best months to spot one of these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
"It’s that time of the year ALREADY!! The opportunity to see Blue Whales has begun, with sightings of this same whale occurring on Sunday and Monday. The largest animal to ever live typically can be seen May through September in Newport Beach. There are only a few thousand Blue Whales off of California during the season so it’s never a guarantee, but sightings are a possibility to look forward to on any late Spring and Summer Adventure!"
Drone footage of the ginormous animal was was captured by photographer Mark Girardeau.
KTLA spoke with Dana Wharf Whale Watching owner Donna Kalez who expressed how lucky she felt to get to see Blue Whales mere miles from "her backyard."
“Seeing the largest animal on the planet takes your breath away and reminds you how truly lucky we are to be able to see this in our own backyard within a few miles of the harbor.” Passengers of the tour were given, "I just saw a blue whale with Dana Wharf" buttons to take home after their extraordinary trip.