A rare whale sighting took place in the East Bay Monday as Coast Guard officials received reports of additional whale sightings along the coastlines.
The city of Emeryville isn’t known for its whale sightings. But Hillsborough resident Dan Fung was able to capture today’s sighting on his phone after noticing the whale while he was pumping gas.
“I thought it was maybe, I don’t think there’s dolphins in the area, or a shark?” he said.
Fung said that he is still in shock after witnessing a whale sighting in Emeryville. The whale was large enough for him to spot from the gas station he was at across the street.
“It was maybe 20 feet long, it was kind of staying, going, going in circles,” he said.
The Marine Mammal Center said it is likely a minke whale but it still needs to be officially confirmed. It added the whale was at low tide in Emeryville at around 2 p.m. Monday before moving to deeper waters, on its own about two hours later.
The first sighting of the whale was on Apr. 2 in the area and it appears to be in a good condition with some peeling connected to an unknown trauma or skin on its back.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it’s received several reports of whale sightings in the coastal areas with migration season underway in the region.
“What an amazing opportunity to see whales up close. I’ve seen whale watching tours but you have to go out to sea for that,” he said.
Minke whale sightings are rare in the Bay. If confirmed, it would be the fifth documented minke whale sighting in 16 years.
Source: NBC Bay Area