ENCINITAS — A whale initially believed to have been beached was confirmed dead Monday, floating about 400 yards off the coast of San Elijo State Beach.
Lifeguards were dispatched early in the morning to tow the carcass out to sea with assistance from California State Parks, according to the city of Encinitas.
Officials advised beachgoers to exercise caution before entering the water for several days, as at least one shark was spotted following the whale’s carcass during the tow.
The whale’s cause of death was unclear.
In a similar incident, a whale carcass washed ashore at Grandview Beach in Encinitas in July 2016 after drifting along the Southern California coast for weeks. The humpback whale, nicknamed “Wally,” estimated to be between 10 and 20 years old, had previously been towed out to sea multiple times by lifeguards in Los Angeles and Orange counties after first washing up at Dockweiler Beach.
*The feature image was enhanced for clarity with photo editing software.
