- Sailing instructors spotted the giant mammal, believed to be a Bryde’s whale, off the coast of Sai Kung on Thursday afternoon
- ‘We noticed a strange black triangle shape out in the distance … To our amazement it was a huge whale,” said Jake Newbery
The Bryde’s whale was spotted off the Sai Kung coast on Thursday. Photo: Sam Somerville, Jake Newbery and Lily Reid, staff of Hebe Haven Yacht ClubA whale was spotted in Hong Kong’s eastern waters on Thursday, with the rare sight delighting onlookers and sparking the interest of marine enthusiasts.
A group of sailing instructors caught sight of the giant mammal, believed to be a Bryde’s whale, off the coast of Rocky Harbour near Millionaire’s Beach, or Nam Fung Wan, in Sai Kung.
In a 30-second video posted on Facebook by Hebe Haven Yacht Club and viewed more than 11,000 times, a whale’s open mouth can be seen protruding from the water. As the instructors’ safety boat approaches the whale dives under the water.
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Hebe Haven Yacht Club sailing instructor Lily Reid, 27, shot the video from the boat at about 2.45pm.
“One of the instructors spotted it but we could not work out whether it was an inflatable or something from a junk boat,” she told the SCMP.
Reid said that at one point she and the other instructors were “about two to five metres” from the whale. They watched it surface more than 10 times.
“It was mind-blowing,” she said. “That area has really heavy traffic so we would never expect to see a whale.”
Jake Newbery, 27, was also on the boat.
“We were out taking students snorkelling as part of their week-long sailing course,” he said. “We noticed a strange black triangle shape out in the distance. Upon further observation, we saw it go under water and immediately jumped in our safety boat to have a look.
“To our amazement it was a huge whale. We followed it around for about an hour observing it at a distance as it kept diving and appearing behind us.”
Newbery added that he hoped people would not disturb the site so the whale could remain in the area for longer.
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Charron Robertson, who handles PR at Hebe Haven Yacht Club, said she believed the whale was still there because she had seen recent footage. She said marine police had been dispatched to ensure boats did not get too close.
According to Viena Mak Hei-man, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, the sighting was rare as the Bryde’s whale, of the baleen whale family, was not typically found in Hong Kong waters.
Mak said the whale in the video was feeding by opening its jaws and using its baleen, a plate made of protein in its mouth instead of teeth – to filter food. However, she could not confirm its size, gender or condition from the clip.
She said the whale could have come to Hong Kong after chasing fish or due to navigational problems as the nearest habitat of the species was Beibu Wan off Guangxi province.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it had received notification from police that a whale had been seen in waters near Port Shelter, or Ngau Mei Hoi, and that it would send officers to patrol the area.
It urged members of the public to maintain a safe distance if they came across a whale to avoid unnecessary interference and reduce the chance of an accidental collision.
The last sightings of a Bryde’s whale in Hong Kong and nearby waters was in June to August 2021 in Mirs Bay, off Shenzhen’s Dapeng peninsula, and Sai Kung. A carcass of the same species was found in Shenzhen waters in August.
Mak appealed to the public to stay away from the whale, keeping a distance of at least 200 metres, and to avoid using speed boats and keep quiet.
Bryde’s whales are found in warm, temperate waters including the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Mak said they could dive to depths of 300 metres or more.
They are a species of baleen whales that can grow to 15 metres in length and weigh up to 25 tonnes. Typically found year round in tropical waters, they are known for their feeding behaviour, which involves opening their jaws and using their baleen plates to filter food.
In March 2014, a bloated and rotting 10.8-metre carcass believed to be a Bryde’s whale was found beached in an inner bay off Hung Shek Mun, in Plover Cove Country Park in Tai Po. It was partially submerged in shallow water and had a number of cuts.
In March 2009, a 10-metre-long humpback whale was spotted in Hong Kong waters including the East Lamma Channel, Stanley and Cape D’Aguilar over a two-week period before disappearing. It was believed to be the first sighting of the species locally. Experts believed it accidentally entered the harbour after getting lost.
A 5.7-metre badly decomposed Bryde’s whale was also found in Sha Tau Kok in February 2005. In 2003, a sperm whale was found washed up at Tai Long Wan in Sai Kung. The 10-metre creature was about two years old and weighed 15 tonnes.
The carcass of a 10-metre, two-tonne Bryde’s whale was found in Tolo Harbour in 1994.