Dozens of people lined the shore and docks to watch officials try to coax a humpback whale out of the Ventura Harbor and into the ocean. Rick Montanez reports for the NBC4 News at 11 on Saturday, May 20, 2017.
Officials were working to corral a whale back into the ocean Saturday after the marine mammal somehow became stuck in the Ventura Harbor.
The 30-foot-long humpback whale was spotted swimming inside the harbor around 3 p.m., according to the Ventura Harbor Patrol.
Since then, dozens of people lined the shore and the docks to watch.
In a video posted to Instagram, the whale was seen swimming off the end of a dock.
"I’ve grown up here all my life and I’ve never heard of a whale in the harbor," Ventura resident Michele Gambill said.
Ventura Harbor Patrol was trying to encourage the whale to leave.
News
Top news of the day
It's unclear if the whale is sick or injured.
The plan now is to leave the whale alone for the night -- hoping it calms down and heads out to the ocean.
NBC4's Rick Montanez contributed to this report.
