A Bryde's whale was recently spotted in the sea off Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

"I've been fishing here for almost 10 years. It is the first time I've encountered a whale at such a close distance," said resident Tang Yaodong.

On the morning of Aug 28, Tang went fishing with friends and saw a whale searching for food on the surface about 100 meters from their boat.

"It's hard to tell how long the whale was, but it's supposed to be 5 or 6 meters long — bigger than our boat," Tang said.

To identify the whale, a video the fishermen shot was sent to Chen Mo, an expert on marine mammals in Guangxi. He thought it was a Bryde's whale, based on its method of feeding.

It is rare to see Bryde's whales in the area because of water pollution and noisy vessels. The sighting could indicate that China's offshore fishery resources are becoming more diverse.

"This is the first time that we've seen a Bryde's whale near Fangchenggang. It was a good opportunity for us researchers to observe this kind of whale," Chen said.

Chang Shanghui contributed to this story.