Dead Whale Washes Ashore at Surfer Haven Lower Trestles

SAN CLEMENTE, CA - A dead whale has washed ashore near San Clemente at Lower Trestles, and surfers are warning each other to stay away from the area due to the presence of sharks.

The 40-foot whale reportedly washed ashore on Sunday. Another one has been seen floating in the area, but the cause of the whale deaths remains undetermined.

Federal officials today collected samples from the beached whale to determine the cause of death, but investigators have not seen any signs that the marine mammal was the victim of a collision with a vessel or got tangled up in any nets.

The beaching was not considered unusual, said Justin Viezbicke of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"The reality is when you've got 20,000-plus gray whales swimming by our backyard, there will be some that come ashore," he said. "This is not something we're viewing as abnormal at this point."

"It looked like nature. There were no marks from ships, no propeller marks, no abrasions, no entanglements," Todd Mansur, a boat captain for Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, told The Orange County Register.

Mansur warned beachgoers about the shark danger.

“You should always be worried when an animal of that magnitude is on the coastline,” Mansur told the newspaper.

Mansur said he expects the second whale to wash up at San Clemente State Beach in the next few days.

Authorities have not yet announced plans for dealing with the carcass.

Dead whales are known to attract the great white sharks that frequent the area. On Monday morning, social media was flooded with surfers warning each other of sharks spotted in the area.

City News Service contributed to this report.