‘Extremely curious’ sea creature stares down boaters in CA. Meet Boomerang

A massive sea creature was spotted eyeing boaters off the coast of California, officials said.

Passengers got the chance to get up close and personal with an “incredibly friendly” humpback whale, according to an Aug. 12 Facebook post by Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The star of the show was Boomerang, an “extremely curious” whale named in July 2024 who’s known for the boomerang-shaped white mark on their fluke, passengers said.

Throughout the day, Boomerang, living up to their name, was spotted “boomeranging” between boats, the group said.

“This whale loves to make eye contact with our passengers which is a life changing experience!” boaters said.

Although Boomerang captivated passengers with their friendliness, earlier in the day, the whale was spotted lunge feeding on a bait ball during an “exciting” sighting, the group said.

Boomerang also decided to slap their pectoral fin against the water before holding passengers in “whale jail” — basically, forcing the boaters to sit in neutral for over an hour — as two others “joined the party,” the group said.

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

This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM with the headline "‘Extremely curious’ sea creature stares down boaters in CA. Meet Boomerang."