Rare Sperm Whale Sighted Off Orange County Coast: Photos

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Passengers traveling with Davey's Locker & Newport Landing Whale Watching were treated to an exceptionally rare sight this week: a pod of sperm whales off the coast of Orange County.

The sighting was made by crew members aboard the Newport Coastal Adventure vessel, where the crew saw the large whales about 30 miles from the Newport Beach Harbor.

After spotting the pod of sperm whales, crew members used a hydrophone in order to help locate the pod.

"Sperm whales hunt by using an extremely loud echolocation, which you can hear clearly with the use of an underwater hydrophone," Newport Landing Whale Watching representative Jessica Roam told Patch. "The hydrophone brought aboard the Newport Coastal Adventure boat today was able to help our crew listen for the sound of the echolocation to spot where the whale might surface — and it worked great."

Davey's Locker & Newport Landing Whale Watching tours are available year-round. To learn more about whale and dolphin-watching tours, visit their website.