Pair of gray whales spotted in SF Bay

Two gray whales were spotted in the San Francisco Bay Saturday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard boat and other mariners reported seeing gray whales in the area around the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island beginning around 2:40 p.m., Lt. j.g. Jacob Aulner said.

Aulner said the Coast Guard sent out an advisory to boaters informing them of the whales’ presence and directing them to exercise caution while boating around the bay. Boaters should give leave at least 100 yards of space between the whales and the vessels, Aulner said.

Although Aulner said he couldn’t comment on how often the whales come into the bay, he said it is a natural habitat for them:

“It’s perfectly normal.”

Aulner said there were no reports of boaters getting too close or harassing the whales.