California Anglers Encounter Giant Whale Shark as El Niño Fishing Heats Up

A Southern California fishing trip targeting yellowtail took an unexpected turn when anglers spotted a massive shark beside their boat.

A Rare Encounter with a Whale Shark

A group of fishermen off San Clemente Island had a rare encounter with a whale shark this past week. The chance encounter reflected the unusual warm-water conditions that have benefited anglers.

A fishing charter out of Newport Beach had a rare, up-close encounter with the ocean's largest shark species Monday, one not typically seen in Southern California waters.

The moment was caught on video near San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands, about 55… pic.twitter.com/QTUB8lA1Vp
— SoCal Daily Pulse (@socaldailypulse) September 16, 2026

The fishing charter, out of Newport Beach, came extremely close to the ocean's largest fish species.

Whale sharks are not typically found in Southern California waters.

A Gentle Giant

At one point, the fishermen debate jumping into the water to get closer to the shark. Whale sharks are filter feeders that consume plankton and other small marine organisms. They are generally considered harmless to humans, though the massive shark brushes against the boat at one stage.

Warmer Waters Means More Unusual Encounters

The whale shark and other warm-water species, including large manta rays, have recently been spotted in California waters amid unusually warm ocean conditions. A marine heatwave has affected waters off California since 2025, while a strengthening El Niño could help prolong those warmer conditions.

Boats out of San Diego are also catching yellowfin tuna, dorado, and even wahoo and marlin — fish typically associated with warmer, more tropical waters.

Good News for Saltwater Anglers

San Diego-area dock totals on September 15 included hundreds of yellowfin tuna and dorado, along with wahoo and striped marlin. One four-person charter returned with eight dorado, a wahoo and two released striped marlin, according to Point Loma fishing reports.

Last week, a commercial rod-and-reel operation in California also brought home a bluefin tuna estimated at close to 500 pounds. After being gilled, gutted, and displayed at Tommy Gomes' Tunaville Market and Grocery in Point Loma, it still weighed 446 pounds.

A Record Size Catch

The catch could have challenged California's sportfishing record had it been caught during a qualifying recreational fishing operation rather than commercially.

"We both got a look at it, and we didn't even say anything," Markus Medak of Shearwater Fishing said of the massive tuna. Medak caught the fish with the help of another fisherman and discussed the catch in an interview with local FOX 5 television.

The Biggest of the Big

Whale sharks are the world's largest fish species. Because they feed primarily by filtering plankton and other small organisms from the water, they pose little threat to humans. In destinations worldwide, including the Philippines, tourism operators offer visitors the chance to swim with whale sharks.

Another Whale Shark Sighting

The San Clemente encounter was at least the second widely reported whale shark sighting in Southern California waters within roughly a week.

San Clemente Island is the southernmost of California's Channel Islands and lies roughly 55 miles off the Southern California coast. Not to be confused with Santa Catalina, which is the most visited of Southern California's islands and a promising fishing spot in its own right.

Days earlier, a private pilot who helps spot fish for commercial fishing operations filmed another whale shark between Malibu and Santa Barbara Island. That animal was estimated to be roughly 14 to 16 feet long.

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