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Whale shark spotted off Southern California amid El Niño heatwave

By Drooid · Sep 13, 2026, 11:01 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. pilot Carl Sbarounis photographed a 14-16-foot whale shark off Southern California.
Sbarounis also saw groups of tan brown and gray spinetail devil rays during the flight.
Brendan Talwar of Scripps linked the sightings to a strong El Niño-driven marine heatwave.
Talwar warned whale sharks will likely move south later this year as waters cool.

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Story summary

U.S. pilot Carl Sbarounis photographed a 14-16-foot whale shark off Southern California.
Sbarounis also saw groups of tan brown and gray spinetail devil rays during the flight.
Brendan Talwar of Scripps linked the sightings to a strong El Niño-driven marine heatwave.
Talwar warned whale sharks will likely move south later this year as waters cool.