PHOTOS: Endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle spotted in Pacifica

KGO logo
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Peter Winch captured this image of an endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle by Pedro Point in Pacifica on Saturday, August 15, 2015.
PHOTOS: Endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle spotted in PacificaPeter Winch captured this image of an endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle by Pedro Point in Pacifica on Saturday, August 15, 2015.

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) -- Officials say an endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle was spotted in Pacifica over the weekend.

Captain Roger Thomas of a sport fishing boat named Salty Lady along with a group of people saw the giant leatherback sea turtle coming up for air at 2:45 pm by Pedro Point on Saturday.

This sighting and others marks the start of the turtles annual summer feeding season off the coast of California.

Peter Winch captured photos of the turtle and said it was about four feet in length.

In addition to seeing rare, endangered sea turtles, anglers on the Salty Lady have seen Mola mola, large schools of jellyfish and been catching a lot of large salmon on recent trips leaving from Sausalito.

The highly endangered leatherback sea turtles migrate across the entire Pacific Ocean, over 6,500 miles each way, to feed on abundant jellyfish along the coast.