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 Darden Clarkewhale 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.”
2025-05-07 15:462756 view
2025-05-07 15:222710 view
2025-05-07 15:072368 view
2025-05-07 14:26812 view
2025-05-07 14:23152 view
2025-05-07 14:022184 view
As global temperatures rise, the spread of infectious diseases is rapidly evolving in unexpected way
The Braxtons' values may not have changed, but their family unfortunately has.One year after Traci B
Long before the pandemic forced many office workers to depend on their home internet, Jared Mauch ha