National

5 times sea creatures stunned onlookers. See the ‘incredible’ encounters

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

Whales have surprised scientists and spectators alike with bold appearances. This list of stories includes a killer whale teaching session off British Columbia, a fin whale in Massachusetts performing a rarely seen high fluking dive and a sperm whale’s mysterious upriver journey in Ireland.

Take a look at the stories below.

Boaters off the coast of Canada spotted orcas teaching their young how to hunt, video footage shows. Photo from Kelen Loewen, UnSplash

NO. 1: MASSIVE SEA CREATURES SEEN TEACHING THEIR YOUNG TO HUNT OFF CANADA COAST, VIDEO SHOWS

The “unbelievable” sighting occurred off of British Columbia. | Published May 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

A pygmy blue whale was rescued after it became wedged underneath a wharf in New Zealand, officials said. Photo from the Department of Conservation

NO. 2: 50-FOOT WHALE GOT WEDGED UNDER WHARF. THEN CAME ‘HUGE’ RESCUE OPERATION, PHOTOS SHOW

The rescue operation took place on Kawau Island, New Zealand. | Published September 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

Four pods of orcas, also called killer whales, visited Monterey Bay in California | Photo by Monterey Bay Whale Watch/Daniel Bianchetta

NO. 3: ‘INCREDIBLE’ ORCA INVASION AWES BOATERS AS FOUR WHALE PODS SWARM CALIFORNIA BAY

Sightings included a newborn calf, whale-watchers say. | Published September 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

Fin whales rarely lift their tails out of the water on any dive, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 4: BOATERS WATCH ‘IN AWE’ AS ELUSIVE SPECIES SHOWS OFF RARELY SEEN BEHAVIOR. SEE PHOTOS

“Of all the sightings this season, one of the rarest might have been this,” a Massachusetts group said. | Published October 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Lauren Liebhaber

In a “rare” sighting, a sperm whale was observed swimming into the mouth of a river in Ireland. Just a few dozen sperm whale sightings have been made off the coast of Ireland since 1990, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Photo from IWDG, Facebook

NO. 5: DEEP WATER WHALE SEEN SWIMMING UP SHALLOW RIVER IN IRELAND, PHOTOS SHOW. ‘RARE EVENT’

The species has only been documented off the Emerald Isle about two dozen times since 1990. | Published March 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.