Minke whale swims through Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach
By Lauren Pozen
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LONG BEACH, California (KCAL/KCBS) — Visitors flocked to Long Beach for a chance to see a minke whale swimming around the city’s Rainbow Harbor on Thursday.
Jose and Aly Martinez were part of the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the massive creature.
“It’s something that we’ve never experienced this close,” Aly said.
The couple from Downey also brought their son Julian to see the whale that marine biologists believe has been swimming in the harbor for the past couple of days.
“He loves whales,” Jose said. “When we saw it, we just came over here.”
Marine biologists said minkes are much smaller than a gray or humpback whale. However, minkes still have the potential to grow up to 35 feet long and weigh as much as 20,000 pounds. They are typically spotted alone or with a few other whales.
“He just comes up, you see his back and sometimes he blows,” “It’s really cool.”
Crews cleared the way near the harbor entrance on Thursday to create a wider path for the whale, which they hope will guide it back out to sea. Marine biologists said it doesn’t appear to be in distress.
“It’s awesome,” whalewatcher Frank Soares said.
The Aquarium of the Pacific said it would continue to monitor the whale. If it doesn’t leave on its own, rescuers are expected to return to the harbor on Friday to try to guide the whale out of the marina.
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