A humpback whale and her calf were spotted on Sunday morning near the entrance of Pearl Harbor.

The Navy notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal Response staff and kept their vessels at a respectful distance, the Navy said in a press release today.

A mother whale bringing her calf close to shore is probably a normal situation, NOAA’s David Schofield advised.

“These whales continue to be protected under both the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts,” reminds Navy Region Hawaii Environmental Counsel Rebecca Hommon. “Some of these animals winter in Hawaii, mate, give birth and then head back to colder waters such as those off of Alaska to feed during the summer months.”