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Aquarium officials said the response team determined it would be best to “relocate the whale out of the shorebreak and onto the beach to be monitored overnight.”
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A dead humpback whale was discovered along the shore of Virginia Beach Oceanfront Sunday morning.
The young whale was found beached between 24th and 25th streets. Beachgoers told 13News Now that crews responded at around 10:30 a.m.
The Virginia Aquarium’s Stranding Response team responded to the scene. Following an assessment, a spokesperson for the aquarium said the team determined it would be best to “relocate the whale out of the shorebreak and onto the beach to be monitored overnight.”
Sharif Young, a Chesapeake resident, was heading to the Oceanfront to ride his longboard when he spotted the whale.
“I just see this giant conglomeration of people coming over, so I was like ‘What’s going on?'” said Young. “I see this little like wavy thing, and I was like ‘is that a whale?’ So, I just came on down and there was a whale.”
He told 13News Now that he’s never seen something like this, calling the situation “really sad.”
The response team plans to return on Sunday to further assess the situation, with efforts expected to take most of the day. Aquarium officials said a necropsy will then be conducted.
Once the necessary heavy equipment arrives, officials said the whale will be buried 25-30 feet below the sand.
In the meantime, aquarium officials urge beachgoers to stay a “safe distance” away from the whale and gear at the scene. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Action, it is illegal to touch whales.
In 2023, the aquarium reported four washed-up whales.
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