Sea creature sighting welcomes boaters to the 1% club off California coast

Boaters off the coast of California got the chance to join the 1% club after spotting the planet’s largest animal.

At first, the group encountered foggy conditions but eventually their “patience paid off” when a blue whale emerged, according to a Sept. 16 Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The “beautiful gentle giant” took a few breaths before disappearing into the fog, boaters said.

The group also saw humpback whales feeding alongside sea lions, boaters said.

Blue whales can weigh up to 330,000 pounds and grow to 110 feet long, making their length about the same as the height of a 10-story building, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

They can live up to 90 years, though there was one that famously lived to be 110 years old, according to the nonprofit Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

“Only 1% of the world’s population has ever seen a blue whale!” Monterey Bay Whale Watch said in it post.

Facebook users rushed to the comments to share their thoughts on the “great photos,” with one person saying, “Oh so amazing!”

“So amazing to see these whales,” another wrote.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive southwest from San Francisco.