<br /> <p>October 23 was Leticia Lopez Flores’ last day in California before she was supposed to return home to Virginia. Catching the ocean one more time on Newport Beach, she spotted a young whale near the shore.</p><p>The whale, estimated to be 20-feet-long, startled beach-goers.“Everybody thought it was hurt … I was concerned for it. I wouldn’t want it to come all the way to the shore and be stuck there, with us,” Lopez told The Orange County Register</a>.</p><p>Under the watchful eyes of lifeguards on the beach, the whale eventually made it back out to sea. Credit: Leticia Lopez Flores via Storyful</p><br />
