California resident Mark Girardeau captured video of a gray whale swimming through kelp off Laguna Beach on Super Bowl Sunday.
Mark Girardeau is a wildlife photographer who has been tracking the gray whale migration from Alaska to Mexico with Newport Coastal Adventure, a Newport Beach-based tour company.
Girardeau told Storyful the mammal was traveling down the coast to Mexico when it entered and started rubbing against a kelp forest. “Usually when we watch the gray whales, they go around the kelp forests but this was really enjoyed it,” said Girardeau. “It has about 400-500 more miles to its destination in the lagoons off Baja California, Mexico. Its total round trip journey is around 12,000 miles.” Credit: Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure via Storyful