National

8 sea creatures stun onlookers in ‘exciting’ sightings. Take a look

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

A white whale calf swimming with its mother off Australia created a memorable moment, while a pod of rare Baird’s beaked whales surfaced in Monterey Bay, thrilling onlookers who waited for their return. People also observed a peachy orange baby killer whale rolling in the Salish Sea, and watched as rescuers freed a gray whale tangled in fishing gear 100 feet down in California waters.

Read the stories below.

 Frosty, a white killer whale, was spotted off the coast of Newport Beach on April 29, 2024. Photo from Delaney Trowbridge/Newport Coastal Adventure

NO. 1: ‘EXTREMELY RARE’ WHITE KILLER WHALE STUNS ONLOOKERS OFF CALIFORNIA COAST. SEE FROSTY

“When Frosty is swimming underwater, he is like this glowing white object.” | Published April 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

This species is seen less than once a year, even by the most avid whale watchers. Rajvi Khatri on Unsplash

NO. 2: GROUP OF ‘MYSTERIOUS’ SEA ANIMALS SEEN IN RARE, ‘BUCKET LIST SIGHTING’ OFF CALIFORNIA

There’s not much known about this “elusive and shy” species, experts say. | Published May 16, 2024 | Read Full Story by Julia Daye

A rare white right whale calf was recently spotted off the coast of Australia, according to local news reports. Google Street View © May 2018

NO. 3: WHITE WHALE CALF SPOTTED WITH MOTHER OFF AUSTRALIA. WATCH THE HEARTWARMING ENCOUNTER

The encounter was a “rare treat,” officials said. | Published June 21, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

A “rare” humpback whale was recently spotted in the English Channel, photos show. Photo from Laura Lezman, UnSplash

NO. 4: MIGRATING SEA CREATURE MAKES ‘RARE’ APPEARANCE OFF THE COAST OF ENGLAND, PHOTOS SHOW

It was photographed leaping out of the water off the coast of Hastings. | Published January 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

Researchers caught all 26 members of the J pod on camera, including a baby. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 5: BABY KILLER WHALE SEEN BOUNCING AND ROLLING OFF WASHINGTON. SEE THE PEACHY ORANGE CALF

The Southern Resident killer whale calf is “among the world’s most endangered marine mammals.” | Published February 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Helena Wegner

A dead sea creature was spotted off the California coast, officials said. Akira Hojo Unsplash

NO. 6: 36-FOOT EMACIATED SEA CREATURE WASHES UP ON CALIFORNIA BEACH. ITS DEATH IS A MYSTERY

Researchers will know the creature’s cause of death in several weeks, officials said. | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez

A group saw a “rare” sighting while whale watching in California, the company wrote on Facebook. By Matt Hardy

NO. 7: ENTANGLED SEA CREATURE LEFT TRAPPED 100 FEET DOWN OFF CALIFORNIA. SEE RESCUE

The sea creature quickly swam away after the two-hour rescue mission, officials said. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez

An “exciting sighting” of a sea creature occurred in California. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 8: MASSIVE SEA CREATURES SPOTTED OFF CALIFORNIA COAST. SEE THE ‘EXCITING SIGHTING’

The group was able to see a plethora of sea creatures. | Published June 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez

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.