Southern California pilot Carl Sbarounis, a commercial fisherman and fish spotter with over 40 years of experience, recently captured footage of a whale shark off the Malibu coast. The sighting, which Sbarounis estimates happened about 30 miles out between Malibu and Santa Barbara Island, was prompted by a call from his friend, Ryder DeVoe, who initially spotted the rare visitor.
Sbarounis, known for documenting unusual species during his flights, quickly flew to the location to photograph the shark. He estimated its length to be between 14 and 16 feet. While whale sharks are not common in these waters, Sbarounis noted that they do appear when the water is warm, particularly during El Niño events. He last saw one approximately three years ago, remarking that he often sees "unusual stuff" when the weather is nice.
On the same day, Sbarounis also observed groups of uniquely colored manta rays, including some tan brown ones and others described as gray with a black stripe, known as spinetail devil rays.
Brendan Talwar, a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, commented on the significance of the sighting, calling it a "really unique and kind of exceptional sighting." Talwar explained that these tropical visitors are likely making their way to Southern California due to this year's strong El Niño and a regional marine heatwave that has been warming local waters over the last year or so.
Whale sharks are recognized as the largest fish on Earth, Talwar noted, but they primarily feed on plankton using their very small teeth. Despite their impressive size, Talwar anticipates these animals will not remain in the area as temperatures drop. "We wouldn’t expect these animals to stick around through the late winter, for example. They’re going to move further back south as water gets colder," he said.
This isn't the only unusual marine life to appear off the Southern California coast this summer. In August, a hammerhead shark was seen off the Malibu pier, making circles just below the surface and surprising local fishermen. Carl Sbarounis typically spends about 120 days a year fishing, from May to November, covering an expansive area from the Mexico border up to Point Conception and offshore as far as 100 to 150 miles.
