Largest toothed sea creature spotted off California coast. See the ‘rare treat’

A group got the chance to spot a sea creature off the coast of California, and boaters are calling the experience “amazing.”

On June 23, boaters were hanging out with a humpback whale named Snowy Owl when they saw something in the distance, according to a Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

That’s when they “quickly realized” the whale in the distance wasn’t exhibiting the same behaviors as Snowy Owl, the group said.

What they were seeing was a “rare treat”: a sperm whale, the group said.

The whale gets its name from the “waxy substance” called spermaceti that is found in the species’ heads, which is a sac of oil that helps them locate sound, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This type of whale is one that could go years before being spotted again by this group of boaters, so the sighting made for an “incredibly special and unexpected” moment, the post said.

The group got the chance to collect data after seeing the whale’s tail wasn’t in the database, boaters said.

Sperm whales, the largest whale with teeth, are mostly gray and can reach depths of 2,000 feet as they hunt for food, with the ability to stay underwater for 45 minutes, the NOAA said.

During the “amazing looks,” the group was able to watch as it took short dives, allowing for the group to document the three times it surfaced, boaters said.

Users rushed to the comments to let the group know how “spectacular” the pictures were, with one person saying, “still on my bingo card.”

“How exciting, wish I was there,” someone wrote.

“Wow,” another said.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.

This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Largest toothed sea creature spotted off California coast. See the ‘rare treat’."