&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "16-foot sea creature seen near California: Super El Nino drives rare animals towards SoCal")
A giant sea creature classified as endangered was spotted about 500 kilometres off the California coast last week. The whale shark, measuring 14 to 16 ft, was spotted in the Pacific Ocean between Santa Barbara Island and Malibu. Carl Sbarounis, a commercial fisheries pilot, recorded the whale's appearance near California. The sighting has been linked to El Niño, which is driving the whale sharks and other creatures towards the coast.
Sbarounis's friend Ryder DeVoe informed him about the creature over the phone. He was flying over the ocean at the time and made his way to the region. "[Ryder] found this 14- to 16-ft whale shark between Santa Barbara Island and Malibu [on] September 9, 2026. I happened to be nearby and came over to video and take some pics of it," Sbarounis wrote on Instagram.
Rare and strange creatures spotted near California
He added that more such marine species could appear during this El Niño because of the warm oceans. Sbarounis told the Los Angeles Times that the last time he saw a whale shark was three years ago. He added that the rare fish, including other "unusual stuff", are driven to the area when the "weather is nice", and the "water is warm." Sbarounis also spotted tan-brown rays and grey manta rays with a black stripe, or spinetail devil rays.
Why do whale sharks come near California?
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Whale sharks are commonly found off Australia, Baja California and in the Persian Gulf. They thrive in tropical waters and feed on creatures like plankton, krill and sardines. Despite being the world's largest sharks, they are not known to attack humans. Since California's ocean is unusually warm this year because of El Niño, several tropical creatures have been seen in the past few weeks. Bluefin tuna have also made regular appearances off Northern California.
Also Read: NASA satellite spots strongest sign of Super El Nino, confirming all predictions - What to expect?
El Niño in 2026
The year 2026 has been in the grips of one of the strongest El Niño events, driving ocean waters to become warmer than usual. Europe and the United States witnessed heatwaves in the summer, where temperatures even crossed 45 degrees Celsius in some places. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said there is a 75 per cent chance that the El Niño would be extremely strong in the winter as well, causing higher temperatures.
