A dolphin and whale watching group off Dana Point in California witnessed a sperm whale surfacing for air on Father’s Day. It’s rare to see a sperm whale above water, as they spend most of their time in deep waters.
DANA POINT, Calif.– A rare sperm whale was seen surfacing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California during a whale watching safari on Sunday.
Video taken by Matt Stumpf, a boat captain with Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari, captured the incredible moment the massive whale came up for air.
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The sighting happened during a search for what was initially believed to be a humpback whale, Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari said.
The sperm whale blows water with the California coastline in the background.
(Andy Sanchez Alcaraz/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari / FOX Weather)
Capt. Dave’s said reports earlier in the day on Sunday had circulated of a humpback behaving unusually offshore of Dana Point, prompting multiple whale-watching boats to coordinate efforts to locate the animal.
Sperm whales are rarely seen above water, as they are deep sea whales and only come up for air for short periods of time.
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They are the largest toothed whale in the world, NOAA Fisheries said.
According to NOAA Fisheries, sperm whales are found in waters all over the world, and hunt deep into the ocean for food, sometimes up to 2,000 feet deep.
The sperm whale arching its back out of the water.
(Andy Sanchez Alcaraz/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari / FOX Weather)
Stumpf was leading a whale-watching excursion when the encounter happened.
“We eventually saw the spout about two miles offshore of our position and raced over for it,” Stumpf said. “But it dove before we could get a positive identification.”
Using the whale’s dive interval to estimate where it might resurface, the crew remained in the area longer than usual.
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Roughly 30 minutes later, another blow appeared on the horizon, Capt. Dave’s said.
A rainbow is created in the mist from the whale’s blowhole.
(Andy Sanchez Alcaraz/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari / FOX Weather)
Stumpf noted something seemed odd about the way the blow occurred, especially if it were a humpback.
So, he borrowed some binoculars and took a closer look at the animal.
“By this point, I had a sneaking suspicion of what we were seeing, but wanted to be sure,” Stumpf said. “I took the binoculars, looked at the animal, turned to my crew, and let them know that what we were seeing was not a humpback, but a sperm whale.”
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Unlike humpback whales, which are commonly encountered off Southern California, sperm whales are only occasional visitors to Orange County waters, Capt. Dave’s said.
The sperm whale’s fluke splashes out of the water.
(Andy Sanchez Alcaraz/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari / FOX Weather)
“Sperm whales are absolutely incredible,” Stumpf said. “They are so uniquely tied to the Earth and oceans, yet look completely out of this world.”
Capt. Dave’s said while sperm whales remain exceptionally rare visitors to Dana Point, the Sunday encounter marks the fourth year in a row that Capt. Dave’s crew has documented the species.
Previous recorded sightings occurred in 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2014, following a nearly nine-year gap without a documented encounter.
