"Enormous Size"... A 15m Long Bryde's Whale Appears in Jeonnam Sea, 'Unprecedented Event'

A Large Whale, Presumed to Be a Sperm Whale, Spotted off Gwangyang Port
Rescue Team Guides Whale to Open Sea, Escapes Danger Zone

A large whale, presumed to be a sperm whale, appeared off the coast of Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do. It is known to be extremely rare for a sperm whale to appear near the coast.

Sperm whale stock photo. Getty Images

On the 4th, the Yeosu Coast Guard received a report at around 9:48 a.m. that a large whale was spotted near Songdo coast in Gwangyang Port.

In response, the Yeosu Coast Guard immediately dispatched personnel from the Gwangyang Police Substation, Yeosu Coast Guard Rescue Team, and Marine Disaster Rescue Team to the scene.

A large whale appearing off the coast of Gwangyang. Photo by Yonhap News

Upon arrival, the rescue team discovered a whale approximately 15 meters in length and consulted with the National Institute of Fisheries Science Whale Research Center and Yeosu Aqua Planet.

As a result of the confirmation, the whale was presumed to be a sperm whale. At the time of discovery, there were scratch wounds on the head, but the whale’s health was confirmed to be good.

After identifying the whale species and determining the appropriate measures, the rescue team guided the whale toward the open sea. The whale nearly got caught in the pollution containment boom installed in Gwangyang Port but managed to escape the danger zone and gradually dove into deeper waters around 1:30 p.m., disappearing from sight.

A large whale appearing off the coast of Gwangyang. Yonhap News

A Coast Guard official stated, “Experts say it seems to be the first time a sperm whale has appeared near the coast, making this an extremely rare event.”

The Coast Guard judged that the whale safely returned to its natural habitat and concluded the rescue operation around 4 p.m. They also requested cooperation from nearby maritime police stations in case the whale drifts back into shallow waters and urged vessels passing through the adjacent waters to report any whale sightings immediately.

The sperm whale is classified as a vulnerable (VU) endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Sperm whales are well known for using their distinctive high-frequency sounds to locate prey, communicate with their pods, and form social bonds.

Meanwhile, whales are apex predators in the marine ecosystem, maintaining ecological balance and playing a crucial role in combating climate change through their ability to absorb and store carbon. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a single large whale absorbs an average of 33 tons of carbon dioxide, which is comparable to the amount absorbed annually by thousands of trees.