It was a good day to be a whale watcher.
In what was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a group of amazed onlookers witnessed a grey whale give birth to a calf near Dana Point off the coast of California on Monday.
The sighting was documented by Capt. Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari, the company leading the expedition.
Dave Anderson, the owner of the whale-watching business, told Fox News that the group had first spotted something red and orange in the water and figured it was a grouping of kelp.
“Blood in the water is not usually a good sign. It often means something predatory,” the company wrote on social media. “Today, though, it meant something wonderful. The birth of a gray whale calf, right off our coast!”
Upon closer inspection, the group saw the grey whale calf breach the water’s surface.
The Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari crew, who have been operating for more than 25 years, said the sighting was a first for them, as well as their astonished customers.
The company claimed the grey whale was migrating to the lagoons of Baja, Mexico. Anderson said most grey whales are born in the warm waters there, though some impatient calves, like this one, simply can’t wait that long.
In the video, the calf and mother can be seen bonding as they swim. The adult grey whale at one point even approached the whale-watching boat to seemingly show off the newborn.
Capt. Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari shared a second video of the whale calf and its mother on Wednesday. The whales can be seen swimming, though the calf has yet to earn its full sea legs and struggled to propel itself forward.
The company joked on social media that the calf was “learning quickly though!”
Grey whales can be found off Dana Point in California from now until early May. They can grow to be over 15 metres long and weigh up to 40 tons.
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