Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
5h ago

Humpback Whale That Washed Ashore in Newport Beach Vanishes Overnight

Officials say strong surf likely pulled the subadult back offshore.

A dead sub-adult humpback whalefloats in the surf between 10th and 11th Streets on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The 27-foot whale came onto shore at about 3 p.m. Officials at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center examined the whale and said their current plan is to wait to see if the coming storm brings the whale back out to sea. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A dead whale washed up on the sand in Newport Beach on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Tim Burnham)
Image

Overview

  • The roughly 29.5-foot, 11-ton carcass had come ashore near 11th Street between the Newport and Balboa piers on Feb. 18.
  • Pacific Marine Mammal Center teams collected skin, blubber, baleen, and fluid samples, confirmed the whale was a female subadult, and used a thermography drone to document the carcass.
  • Rough surf and a rising tide made a full necropsy unsafe, and hazardous conditions had already prevented a tow vessel from attempting removal.
  • Lifeguards warned people to remain at least 200 feet away due to shifting surf hazards and protections for humpbacks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
  • Authorities had weighed letting tides refloat the carcass or cutting and hauling sections for disposal, and the cause of death remains undetermined pending further analysis.