Rare Basking Shark Sighting In Dana Point

DANA POINT, CA -A plethora of sea life has greeted local whale watchers in 2019. On Monday, a ship full of sight-seers enjoyed the rare sight of a basking shark.

Capt. Dave Anderson of Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari shared his excitement of seeing the rare basking shark just off their vessel near Dana Point.

"We've seen whales, and certainly dolphins. Now we can add rare basking shark to that list of creatures that come straight to the boat!" Anderson said.

The shark, estimated to be about 20-feet-long, was spotted Monday just below Dana Point Harbor by Capt. Dave's Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari's catamaran, Manute'a.

"Craig DeWitt captured the shark sighting on camera, showing the shark coming over to our boat, with passengers in the foreground," Anderson told us.

According to Anderson, the last recorded sighting of a basking shark was March 31, 2016.

"At that time, two sharks were seen during one trip that day!" he added.

Before then, Capt. Dave's has only seen them twice; in 2012 and 2013. Anderson keeps a detailed database of sighted marine wildlife, they told us.

Basking sharks are the second largest shark species, after the whale shark. Adults can reaches lengths up to 45 feet. Despite their size, they are not dangerous to humans. Basking sharks are filter feeders. They feed krill and other zooplankton.

Not much is known about the basking shark's habitat, behavior, and migratory patterns, according to Anderson.

Sightings of a basking shark can be reported to basking.shark@noaa.gov.

Book a whale watching adventure with www.dolphinsafari.com