Extremely Rare Endangered Whale Spotted South of Galveston

Rice's WhalePhoto byWikimedia

In a thrilling encounter, two fishermen, Capt. Brandon Overton and Nate Ressling, experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event when they spotted an extremely rare Rice's whale off the coast of Galveston.

The sighting occurred about 100 miles south of Galveston.

The excitement was visible when Ressling, the owner of the Southbound Fishing Team, first caught sight of the majestic creature.

You don’t think you’re going to see a whale when you’re going fishing. God, there’s a freaking whale right there.- Nate Ressling, Owner, Southbound Fishing Team

Initially, he mistook it for a massive turtle, but as they drew closer, the unmistakable spout from its blowhole confirmed it was a whale.

Overton, owner of Cbandit Charters, who was napping in the boat at the time, couldn't believe his ears when he heard Ressling's call.

Rice's whales are incredibly rare, with only 51 adults estimated to exist in the wild. They are among the most endangered marine mammals worldwide, despite their large size, reaching up to 41 feet in length and weighing 60,000 pounds.

Because of their scarcity, human sightings of these whales are very rare.

The whales are named after Dale Rice, a marine biologist, who first identified them as a unique species in 1965.

The fishermen were eager to capture the moment on camera, but the elusive whale kept its distance, diving whenever they approached too closely.

Overton posted a video of the whale on his Facebook page.

Because of their endangered status, environmentalists are pushing for speed limits in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen fear this could hurt their livelihoods.

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