Hidden Northern Marine Sanctuary Revealed

Yerko Yutronic’s videos of whales, dolphins, sea turtles and a large ocean sunfish off Antofagasta and Mejillones spread on social media this week after Diario Antofagasta published the footage on May 23. The local outlet said the photographer used high-definition lenses and drones to record marine animals moving close to shore along Chile’s northern coast. The images added to a recent run of documented whale sightings in the Antofagasta region, where Chilean authorities and researchers have separately tracked cetaceans in nearby bays and coastal corridors. ### Who filmed the animals seen off Antofagasta and Mejillones? Diario Antofagasta identified Yerko Yutronic as the photographer behind the recordings published on May 23. The outlet said his images captured “la rica fauna marina” off Antofagasta and Mejillones, including whales, dolphins, turtles and a “colosal Pez Luna” moving near the coast. (diarioantofagasta.cl) The May 23 report did not present the footage as a scientific survey or a government census. It described the material as viral social-media content assembled from Yutronic’s wildlife recordings, with drone footage and close-range visuals of large animals in coastal waters. ### Why are these sightings drawing attention now? (diarioantofagasta.cl) May 23 was the date the Antofagasta article packaged the footage as evidence of a little-seen concentration of large marine life near shore. The report said the videos had circulated online and framed the coastline as an “oculto” sanctuary because of the variety and scale of the animals shown in a relatively short stretch of water. (diarioantofagasta.cl) Ladera Sur, in a May 21 feature produced with Yutronic, also described the Antofagasta coast as one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the South Pacific. That report attributed the biodiversity to coastal upwelling and the proximity of deep water to the shoreline, conditions it said help sustain cetaceans, sharks, seabirds and deep-ocean species near the desert coast. (diarioantofagasta.cl) ### What else is known about marine life in this part of northern Chile? Sernapesca said in an August 8, 2024 notice that 16 sightings of 26 southeastern South Pacific southern right whales, including nine calves, had been recorded between Arica and Chaitén during 2024. One of the most recent cases cited in that notice occurred in Mejillones Bay in the Antofagasta region, where a whale and calf were seen traveling north. (laderasur.com) El País reported in September 2024 that scientists had documented a previously unknown population of killer whales hunting off the Antofagasta region. That report described the coast as a site of unusual predator activity and said researchers had captured unprecedented images of the group feeding on sea lions and dolphins. November 14, 2025 brought another official marine-fauna intervention in the same area when Sernapesca said a 15-meter fin whale stranded on the southern coast of the Mejillones peninsula near Isla Santa María. (sernapesca.cl) The agency said it coordinated with Chile’s navy and protection groups to monitor and move the animal. ### What have Chilean authorities said about protecting animals there? (english.elpais.com) Sernapesca said this month that several southern right whales with calves, and one orca, had been sighted in Antofagasta Bay in recent weeks. The agency used that update to remind people to respect observation distances around cetaceans. A navigation order published through Chilean authorities for Mejillones Bay said a recommended route was established near Punta Angamos to reduce collision risks between larger vessels and great whales. (sernapesca.cl) The document said the measure was intended to preserve marine fauna and lower the risk of ship strikes in and out of the bay. (sernapesca.cl) ### What comes next after the viral videos? Sernapesca’s current public guidance gives readers the clearest next step: follow official viewing-distance rules for whales and other cetaceans in Antofagasta Bay, and monitor agency notices for new sightings and navigation measures. The agency has continued to post updates tied to recent whale activity in Antofagasta and Mejillones, while local coverage around Yutronic’s footage has kept attention on the same stretch of coast. (sernapesca.cl) (sernapesca.cl)