Boaters spot ‘greyhounds of the sea’ off CA coast. See the ‘non-stop’ action

Boaters got “lucky enough” to spot a plethora of sea creatures off the coast of California, spotting multiple species in one day.

On June 30, boaters encountered “non-stop” action when, in only 200 feet of water, they saw a minke whale, according to a Facebook post by San Diego Whale Watch.

Passengers were on the edge of their seat while the whale was “cruising in every direction,” the group said.

Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The whale kept everyone’s attention as it kept surfacing before passengers came across a pod of 400 long-beaked dolphins racing through anchovy bait balls, the group said.

Soon after, the group spotted one of the “greyhounds of the sea” – a fin whale, the group said.

Fin whales, able to speed at 29 mph, made for a show before onlookers got a chance to see a baby great white shark, the group said.

Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on the planet and have a “distinctive coloration – black or dark brownish-gray on the back and sides and white on the underside,” according to the NOAA.

The magic didn’t stop there, as the group later spotted a humpback whale breaching and tail-slapping, the group said.

Humpback whales’ tails can reach 18 feet wide and have different “pigmentation patterns, in combination with varying shapes and sizes of whales’ flukes and/or prominent scars” that can be used as “fingerprints” to help identify them, according to the NOAA.

The boat’s captain had a “great hunch” and began heading toward La Jolla, the group said.

Boaters saw a “massive splash” and after using their binoculars, spotted a “very surface-active humpback whale” slapping its tail against the ocean’s surface, the group said.

Then the ultimate show took place, leaving the group “squealing with excitement” – the humpback breached three times, slapping its tail, before surfacing only 20 feet away from the boat, the group said.

Although the breaches were “random and unpredictable,” which meant photos of the moment were limited, the group was able to land a “triple baleen whale species day,” the post said.

This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Boaters spot ‘greyhounds of the sea’ off CA coast. See the ‘non-stop’ action."