A small whale, possibly a minke whale, has been drawing crowds in Long Beach after being spotted swimming around the harbor for consecutive days. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on April 3, 2025.
A small whale drew a crowd this week when it entered harbor waters in Long Beach.
Video from NewsChopper4 showed the whale late Thursday morning near a Catalina Express dock in the Shoreline Marina. The whale surfaced a few times as people watched from nearby office buildings and the walking path overlooking the water.
The whale reappeared Friday.
Witnesses said the whale, possibly a minke whale, has been in and out of the area for about two days. It did not appear to be in distress.
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Harbor crews could be seen moving booms in the water in an apparent effort to guide the whale back toward the open ocean.
Tyler Askari with Harbor Breeze cruises first spotted the whale Monday near where the cruise company's boats dock. He said the whale simply may be in the area to satisfy its appetite.
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"We think it was tracking a path of food, finding it, ended up in docks," Askari said. "Wherever the food is, is where the whales are going to be."
Minke whales are members of the baleen family. They are the smallest baleen shales in North America waters, reaching lengths of up to 35 feet and weighing up to 20,000 pounds.
The whales are usually sighted alone or in small groups. Their distinct vocalizations vary with clicks, grunts, pulse trains, ratchets, thumps and even boings.
