Published Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017 | 4:20 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017 | 9:43 p.m.
DANA POINT, Calif. — Southern California beachgoers have gotten up close and personal with a baby whale.
A gray whale about 15 to 18 feet long cruised into Dana Point Harbor on Tuesday morning. It swam into a shallow children's area called Baby Beach and circled a pier.
Kayakers were able to get within a few feet of the animal, which at one point swam under paddle boarders.
Capt. Dave Anderson, who runs whale watching tours out of the harbor, says the whale appeared to be a skinny juvenile who was foraging in the mud.
He says it's probably the same whale that was spotted Monday farther south in a Carlsbad lagoon.
The whale eventually left the harbor. Anderson says it may be moving up the coast and could find its way to Oregon.
