Rare whale sightings thrill Vladivostok as marine giants approach shore

Rare whale sightings thrill Vladivostok as marine giants approach shore

Janet Carey
Janet Carey
1 Min.
Poster showing a whaling scene in the California Lagoon with boats, people, trees, hills, and text at the bottom.

PrimaMedia, April 27

Rare whale sightings thrill Vladivostok as marine giants approach shore

Whale-watching season has begun in Vladivostok. According to eyewitnesses, last week a marine giant swam right into the city limits—into Tikhaya Bay. As the press service of the National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS), told PrimaMedia news agency, such behavior is typical for this time of year and is linked to feeding migrations.

"Most likely, it came in search of food. There were reports of large schools of herring approaching the coast. Striped whales are very fond of feasting on herring," the scientists explained.

As previously reported by PrimaMedia, the last whale sighting in Vladivostok's waters occurred on December 8, 2025, when the marine mammals were spotted in Amur Bay, directly across from Fyodorov Bay. Witnesses said the whales were just a few hundred meters from shore. Social media was flooded with photos and videos capturing the rare spectacle so close to the city.