Minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
At up to 35 feet, minkes are small enough to mistake for a large dolphin, but the bright white band across each flipper is definitive. Solitary and fast, they surface unpredictably — your best chance is the kelp lines off Dana Point and the outer Channel Islands.
Shorter than a single school bus — about 67% of its length.
A minke whale runs about 26.5 ft. Lined up against a school bus everyone already has a mental ruler for, each one 39.3 ft per the manufacturer's own spec sheet.
School bus: 39.3 ft (472 in), Blue Bird Vision 72-passenger conventional bus, manufacturer spec sheet.
Drawn to the same scale. 26.5 ÷ 39.3 ≈ 0.7.
There are only about 915 minke whales in the entire California/Oregon/Washington stock, which is why sightings are uncommon overall. Individuals appear to hold coastal home ranges, so a single operator working the same kelp line can encounter them far more often than that number suggests.NOAA Minke Whale CA/OR/WA SAR, rev. 5/31/2024 source →
There are only about 915 minke whales in the entire CA/OR/WA stock — no second data point exists to draw a trend line against, so this counts up to the one real figure rather than inventing a starting value.
At a glance
Length/weight/lifespan/diet: NOAA Fisheries species page →
There are only about 915 minke whales in the entire California/Oregon/Washington stock, which is why sightings are uncommon overall. Individuals appear to hold coastal home ranges, so a single operator working the same kelp line can encounter them far more often than that number suggests.
NOAA Minke Whale CA/OR/WA SAR, rev. 5/31/2024 source →
HOW RARITY IS JUDGED →What to look for
Best months to see
Last 30 days
This chart includes numerical reports only. Uncounted sightings do not appear in its totals; see the daily archive for presence reports.
Where to go (operators publish dated sighting reports)
We monitor public trip reports across Newport Beach, Long Beach, Dana Point and San Diego. Reporting schedules vary; summaries show the latest available report. Newport's shared feed is counted once.