Whale Gets Up Close and Personal With Onlookers at Newport Beach, California

A whale swam close to a pier at Newport Beach, California, much to the delight of onlookers, and the encounter was captured by a drone camera and published on March 17.

In this video, captured by photographers Chelsea Mayer and Mark Girardeau for Davey’s Locker Whale Watching, the curious whale puts on a show for sightseers at the Newport Beach Pier.

“Gray whales like to travel very close to the coastline on their annual migration from Alaska to Mexico, and use the coast as a navigational aid and for protection,” a spokesperson for Davey’s Locker Whale Watching told Storyful.

“Occasionally, as we saw with the drone, they will swim very close to beaches and piers to the delight of all those watching!” Credit: Chelsea Mayer & Mark Girardeau via Storyful