Giant humpback whale surfaces in Sacramento River, stunning local anglers

A group of anglers on the Sacramento River reported an extraordinary sighting when a humpback whale breached near the Rio Vista Bridge, its spout dwarfing that of a dolphin. The whale, catalogued as CRC-11620 and called Rio by the Marine Mammal Center, has a two-decade history of occasional off-course appearances, with 15 documented sightings since 2002. After a recent observation in San Francisco Bay, the animal moved east into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where fishermen captured video of its passage.

Marine Mammal Center officials confirmed the event and emphasized the need for observers to stay back, noting uncertainty about whether the whale is merely transiting or experiencing health issues. Researchers continue to track the whale’s route, asking the public not to interfere with its natural course. Past incidents, such as the 1985 visit by a whale named Humphrey and the 2007 humpback pair Delta and Dawn, highlight the region’s occasional marine anomalies.