Photo credit: NOAA
A group of gray whales took a break from their migration along California’s coastline for a rub down. The whales moved into the shallows off Newport, CA to rub themselves along the course sandy ocean floor.
From the Orange County Register report:
Ryan Lawler, president of Newport Coastal Adventure, thought his afternoon boat tour was over last Sunday when he saw something interesting and decided to turn his boat around. A gray whale was hanging out in just over 12 feet of water, rubbing up against the sand. He saw another whale doing the same on Monday at the same shallow spot, just north of the Newport Beach Harbor jetty entrance.
Lawler said he’s seen the behavior in other whales as they take their northbound migration back to Alaska after spending a few months mating in warmer Baja waters.
It’s speculated the whales are engaging in this behavior to remove parasites that build up on their skin in the warm waters near Baja.
We’ve covered this type of behavior before on Awesome Ocean. Last month we shared a story and video of killer whales in British Columbia rubbing themselves along the smooth pebble shoreline.
Nature has her ways of giving these amazing creatures the luffa and spa day they deserve.
Check out the full story from the Orange County Register.