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Date Published: 12/07/2023

VIDEO: Panic in Huelva as enormous whale splashes by the shore

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Terrified bathers on the Andalucia beach believed they were swimming with a killer whale

VIDEO: Panic in Huelva as enormous whale splashes by the shore

A relaxing day at La Antilla beach in the province of Huelva dissolved into chaos on Tuesday July 11 with the arrival of what appeared to be a huge killer whale just metres from the shore. Panicked swimmers were filmed struggling towards the safety of the sand while terrified parents screamed at their kids to get out of the water.

One video shows the stunned reaction of a group of children who were lazing around on surfboards when they saw the enormous shadow pass underneath them as others watched open-mouthed from the beach.

“Impressive, it is enormous,” one awestruck witness said.

The fear was understandable since most people present realised the creature was far too big to be a dolphin, but local police quickly dismissed the notion that an orca had approached the Andalucia coast.

Instead, the large cetacean turned out to be a harmless, though no less impressive, Cuvier’s beaked whale calf.

See also: Spanish marine biologists assure tourists there is nothing to fear from recent shark sightings

“It’s not a shark and you're not going to see Steven Spielberg on the shoreline with his camera. It’s not a killer whale either,” police wrote on Facebook.

“The animal that has paid us a visit appears to be a Cuvier’s beaked whale, which holds the record for deep-sea dives but is very sensitive to sonar. Possibly it’s disorientated and about to end up stranded.”

Beachgoers were understandably nervous of sharks as well as killer whales, since a blue shark sparked panic on Aguamarina beach in Orihuela Costa on June 22.

However, the whale in question is a friendly giant and is often spotted in Spanish seas despite its preferred deep-water habitat.

In other news: Malaga town cuts off water supply for 18 hours a day

Image: Policía Local Lepe

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