Long Beach lifeguards on Monday were trying to usher a juvenile gray whale back out to sea after it somehow found its way into Alamitos Bay overnight, according to authorities.
An onlooker posted video of a crowd watching the whale surface while it swam parallel to Bay Shore Avenue near Horny Corner. Community organizer Justin Rudd also shot video of the whale swimming in the ocean Sunday near Rosie’s Dog Beach.
The whale, which is about 18 to 20 feet long, has been working its way up the West Coast after it was somehow separated from its mother, Long Beach Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina said.
It was first spotted in Baja California a few weeks ago, then in Dana Point, Newport Beach Harbor, Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, and over the weekend, it showed up at the Long Beach oceanfront, according to Medina.
The whale seemed to leave around Sunday afternoon, but overnight, it made its way into the marina area of Alamitos Bay, Medina said.
Crews were following the whale around Monday but keeping their distance while trying to encourage it to leave the harbor.
“We take a very kind of delicate approach with it,” Medina said. “We don’t want to scare it.”
Medina said people should keep their distance from the mammal.
“We’re really just trying to not agitate the whale and let it find its way out of the marina,” he said.
Local authorities are coordinating with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and marine mammal experts to try to get the whale out safely, Medina said.