Whale spotted near Międzyzdroje beach escorted to safety in Woliński National Park waters

Sighting and initial response

On Saturday afternoon, beachgoers and walkers in Międzyzdroje spotted a large marine mammal drifting near the bathing area. The Water Volunteer Rescue Service (WOPR) received a report from the Water Rescue Coordination Centre (CKRW) in Szczecin about a "drifting object in the water." Upon arrival, rescuers confirmed it was a whale. "After arriving at the scene, it turned out that a whale had visited us again," the Międzyzdroje rescuers wrote on their Facebook profile. WOPR notified WWF Poland, whose Blue Patrol dispatched to the scene to assess the animal's condition and secure its departure. Konrad Wrzecionkowski, local leader of the Blue Patrol and employee of Woliński National Park, told PAP on Sunday that the mammal may have been over 6 meters long, though other witnesses reported 3 to 4 meters. The Głos Szczeciński daily cited an estimate of about 7 meters. The species could not be identified. The animal was swimming slowly, close to the water's surface. A WWF Poland spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that it was unclear whether the Polish sighting involved the same individual seen earlier in Germany.

Escort and safety measures

Rescuers checked the whale from all sides and found no nets, lines, or anything trailing behind it that could impede movement. A WOPR boat escorted the animal eastward toward the coastal village of Wisełka to protect it from other watercraft. The escort continued until approximately 17:50. Rescuers then left the whale about 800 meters from shore in the waters of Woliński National Park, where motorboats are prohibited and drones may not fly. Polish water rescuers posted a video on social media showing the grey-white mottled back and blowhole of the animal in the water. Rescuers secured the area against watercraft until 18:00, according to Głos Szczeciński.

We do not know what species. We asked WOPR Międzyzdroje to check whether there was some net or snag. It turned out that it was not entangled in anything. It was swimming freely.

The operation was conducted in ongoing consultation with scientists from the Marine Station of the University of Gdańsk on the Hel peninsula. The action was coordinated by several institutions: WWF Poland, the Maritime Office in Szczecin, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Szczecin, Woliński National Park, and the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Growing frequency of Baltic whale visits

Large marine mammals have rarely appeared in the Baltic Sea, but in recent years such cases have occurred with increasing regularity. Specialists note that whales wander into the Baltic through the Danish Straits, appearing near the island of Rügen and the Pomeranian Bay. In February 2025, a nearly 10-meter humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) entangled in fishing nets was spotted several hundred meters from the fishing base in Międzyzdroje. That rescue operation involved SAR units, WOPR, and the WWF Blue Patrol. In late July 2026, a whale appeared in the harbor of Wismar, Germany. Two days later, another sighting occurred on the open Baltic near the Wustrow pier. It remained unclear whether the Wismar and Wustrow sightings involved the same animal, and equally unclear whether any of those were connected to the Międzyzdroje sighting.