Photos by Gus McConnell
A dead, 40-foot humpback whale, estimated to be 20 years old and weigh 40 tons, was towed off Dockweiler Beach in El Segundo by two Los Angeles County Lifeguard Baywatch boats Friday evening. The lifeguards towed the whale approximately 15 miles out to sea.
“The lifeguards wanted to be sure the whale doesn’t come ashore again,” said Peter Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescue, who assisted in the whale’s removal. The removal was possible because they use 4 way chain rigging that allows you to connect to multiple areas on a load rather than only two. It comes with a 7-ton alloy safety hook on each leg.
The female whale was first seen in local waters 2015 and named Wally on the whale web site HappyWhale.com, having been mistaken for a male. Last year a video showing a rainbow when she spouted received over a million Youtube views.
The whale washed up on the beach Thursday evening in front of the Dockweiler RV Park, at Imperial Avenue and Vista Del Mar. On Friday, scientists from the National Marine Services performed a necropsy to determine the cause of death. The results were not available at press time.
Wallerstein said the whale did not have visible signs of trauma, but its intestines were filled with worms.
Baywatch boats first attempted to tow the whale off the beach Friday morning. But even with the assistance of a bulldozer, they were unable to move it into the water. They then waited for Friday evening’s 6.6-foot high tide to place a yoke around the whale’s fluke and tow it out to deep water. ER
