The coast of Southern California is a bit of a haven for great whites. There are nurseries there, housing juvenile sharks until they’re ready to head off into deeper waters. Depending on the time of year, there’s a fairly good chance there is a shark somewhere in the vicinity if you’re surfing near La Jolla, Ventura, Santa Barbara, or anywhere in Orange County. What you’re less likely to share the lineup with is a minke whale. But a minke whale and a few great white sharks were recently spotted by the drone of Carlos Gauna.
Gauna spends a lot of time peering down at the surface of the sea in Southern California. He’s seen a lot of interesting things happen over the years, but this one stands out, even to him.
“A great white shark and a minke whale crossed paths just off the Southern California coast, leading to one of the most unusual wildlife encounters I’ve ever documented,” he wrote. “Over the course of the encounter, the minke repeatedly approached several great white sharks. Some sharks moved away, others barely reacted, and one turned and began closely following the whale, increasing its tail beats as it closed the distance.”
This isn’t the first time Gauna has seen whales and great white sharks crossing paths, but the minke whale acted differently.
“A few years ago, I filmed a gray whale swimming alongside a great white shark after predicting where their paths might cross,” Gauna continued. “This encounter was completely different. What makes this footage so interesting to me is that there was no single response from either species. At times the whale appeared to approach the sharks. At other moments, the sharks followed the whale. One shark that pursued the minke earlier in the encounter later turned away when the whale approached again. Exactly what motivated these interactions is impossible to determine from the footage alone. After years of filming great white sharks from above, this was behavior I had never witnessed before.”
