See up-close photos, video of gray whale swimming near Santa Barbara wharf

A juvenile gray whale was spotted Feb. 12 at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, and the up-close occurrence drew a crowd of onlookers.

Around 2 p.m., the whale was spotted swimming back and forth on the east side of Stearns Wharf. It was between the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center and the side for vehicles leaving from the area.

It looked healthy and was feeding, according to Samuel Dover, executive director and chief veterinarian for the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute.

“It is probably just taking a break from its migration going from Mexico back to Alaska, where they normally go during the summers to feed,” Dover told Noozhawk. “This time of the year, we see whales all of the time up and down the coast, and this is not uncommon this time of year for a gray whale.

“It is probably stopping and feeding on the way back north. I see a nice, plump whale doing normal behavior. To me, this is a whale who happened to stop for a snack.”

The CIMWI received a call about the whale’s appearance in the area on the afternoon of Feb. 12, and Dover arrived at the wharf shortly afterward. The organization was monitoring and capturing photographs of the whale.

“It rarely is going to be this easy to watch,” Dover said, adding that the whale is not a newborn and is OK on its own. “It is fully grown.”

The marine mammal drew dozens of individuals and families to the bird’s-eye viewing area along the wharf, including Santa Barbara resident Ann Morton.

“I have been here 40 years, and I have never seen anything like it,” Morton said. “This is extraordinary. This is not an everyday thing.”

There were lots of vocal “oohs and ahhs” and “this is pretty cool” from masked spectators of all ages.

A young gray whale recently showed up in the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, the Ventura County Star reported Feb. 10.

“We think this is the same one that was in Channel Islands Harbor,” Dover said. “It was cruising inside the harbor.”

The CIMWI’s mission is to positively impact conservation through marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, education and research to promote ocean and human health, according to the organization.