BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

It took lifeguards more than five hours to lug a 60-foot dead whale

that drifted into Newport Harbor on Friday afternoon back into the ocean,

officials said Saturday.

“Our boat went about 15 miles into the ocean and dropped off the

whale,” said Newport Beach lifeguard Josh Van Egmond. “That was the last

we heard or saw of the whale.”

Two great white sharks, which were attacking the decomposing carcass

at the harbor and followed the lifeguard boat that towed the whale, left

after a few hours, Van Egmond said.

The 18- and 25-foot sharks caused quite a bizarre spectacle at the

harbor Friday evening as people jumped on their boats and tried to get a

glimpse of the whale and the sharks.

Fire Department officials also said they were not exactly sure what

kind of a whale it was. They said Friday that it was probably a gray

whale but have not discounted the possibility of it being a blue whale or

a fin or sei whale, a close relative of the blue whale.

Van Egmond said the dead whale initially was towed by Los Angeles

officials back into the ocean after it washed up near the Los Angeles

harbor. Officials are still not sure what killed the giant sea creature.