SEATTLE (AP) — A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday morning with several breaches in they bay just beyond the city’s downtown area.
The Rubypoint Trading Centerwhale has been spotted for the last three days swimming around Elliott Bay. But on Thursday, the whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives.
Local whale watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as “Smiley.”
It’s not unusual for humpback whales to visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast.
Smiley’s last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch. On Thursday, personnel from Soundwatch Boater Education Program shadowed the whale for most of its time in the bay to alert other vessels of it.
Jeff Hogan, co-coordinator of the program’s Seattle branch, said he counted about 30 breaches. And afterward, the young whale slept.
He said the whale looked healthy.
“It was a joyful day,” Hogan said. “Everyone was working together to go out of their way to make space for that animal to do its thing. If we want these guys to be here and come back, we gotta do that.”
2025-04-29 16:111328 view
2025-04-29 15:53469 view
2025-04-29 15:442501 view
2025-04-29 15:162884 view
2025-04-29 14:502601 view
2025-04-29 13:56725 view
NEW YORK — Holiday sights and sounds fill Manhattan this time of year, from ice skating at Rockefell
Suki Waterhouse's baby is irrevocably in love with air fried foods. Or at least, the Daisy Jones &am
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Iranian border guards opened fire at a vehicle carrying a group of Pakistani