California Whales Move Closer to Sea

A humpback whale and her calf that have captivated the San Francisco Bay area for two weeks made progress in finding their way back to open waters.

Late Tuesday night, the U.S. Coast Guard reported the two were less than 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean but still had to traverse the narrow channel under the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Since May 13, the 45-ton female and her calf have been swimming around coastal delta waters. They resisted efforts to drive them back to sea using water cannons and loud sonar blasts.

The Coast Guard has created a flotilla with a 500-yard buffer zone around the pair to protect them from boats, as each has already suffered gashes, likely from propellers.

Tuesday, the whales swam 30 miles toward the Pacific, where scientists hope they will join the California-Mexico whales feeding off the Farallon Islands, the report said.

Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jon Copley told the Chronicle that if the whales stayed in San Francisco Bay on Wednesday, ferries would be rerouted and delays should be expected.