A humpback whale was spotted breaching near the Washington side of the Astoria Bridge earlier Friday.

There were numerous reports on Facebook and elsewhere of continuing sightings of large whales well inside the Columbia River, especially in the vicinity of the Astoria Bridge, Fort Columbia State Park and Chinook, Wash.

Daily Astorian photographer Joshua Bessex found scores of marine life along the river (showcased in photo array, which ironically was headlined “Nary a whale in sight,” and featured in Friday’s paper) but was rebuffed on the whale front until Friday afternoon, when fellow photographer Natalie St. John of the Chinook Observer got some shots and spurred him out to the river. yet again.

Bessex raced out and got an iconic shot of a humpback whale breaching in the river with cormorants in the foreground and the Washington side of the Astoria Bridge in the background.

There have been numerous other sightings posted on social media, including in the ocean off of Seaside.