Community Corner

Pod of Sperm Whales a Rare Sight

The whales were seen west of Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon, mid-channel between Point Fermin and Catalina Island.

A pod of about 15 sperm whales was seen west of Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon, the largest showing researchers have seen in decades.

The whales are usually spotted in much smaller groups—the largest confirmed sighting by one researcher a group of three.

The whales were seen Wednesday afternoon on two occasions by passengers and crew aboard the Christopher, a split-level whale-watching boat.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first sighting was in mid-afternoon while on the boat's return from a non-whale-watching trip to Catalina Island. The second was during its 3 p.m. whale-watching run, according to this report.

The Christopher, part of Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach, will search for the whales again on Thursday.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Spotted occasionally off Southern California, sperm whales usually are seen as individuals or in very small groups.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society researcher, said it has been more than 30 years since researchers confirmed a large group of sperm whales here. Her records show a sighting of three, possibly six, whales in 1976.

"It's extremely rare," she said.

Schulman-Janiger also runs the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The last confirmed sperm whale sighting that occurred off of Palos Verdes was on Dec. 10, 2005, she said.

Sperm whales usually travel in groups of males or in larger female groups with juveniles, she said.

Based on reports from those who saw the whales Wednesday, Schulman-Janiger said the group likely was made up of females and young sperm whales.

She said it's difficult to say how long they'll be in the area and noted the whales are probably traveling at about eight miles per hour.

"It's very exciting," she said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here