Whale Spotted Near Agua Hedionda Lagoon In Carlsbad

CARLSBAD, CA – A small whale surprised onlookers Monday when it made a roughly two-hour appearance in a lagoon near Carlsbad State Beach before making its way back to sea.

Believed to be a juvenile gray whale, the marine mammal was spotted by the inlet of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, just south of Tamarack Avenue, at about 2:15 p.m., according to the city of Carlsbad.

The whale did not appear to be in any distress, so authorities opted to wait until high tide to see if it would leave the lagoon on its own.

After about two hours, it did just that, with the city proclaiming on its Twitter page the whale was heading back to sea.

"Safe travels little guy!" the city posted.

The whale drew plenty of attention from onlookers during its stop in the lagoon, despite police urging people to avoid the area. Police helped control traffic as pedestrians stopped to watch the whale.

A whale expert from SeaWorld was among those responding to the scene, quickly determining the whale appeared to be in good health.

Do you have photos or videos of the whale? Share with us at kristina.houck@patch.com.