“I Thought They Were Birds” — Rare Flying Squid Sighting Aboard the New Lo-An

I talk to a lot of anglers who’ve spent years on the water off Southern California and never once heard of a flying squid. That’s why this story from Eugene Wessel stopped me.

Eugene was aboard the New Lo-An with Captain Markus Medak near San Nicolas Island when a pack of 40 to 45 squid came out of the water and stayed airborne long enough that he first thought they were birds.

“I saw a pack of about 40 or 45 of them, thought it was some birds, but they were flying squid,” Eugene told me. “I saw them all come out of the water and I actually thought they were flying fish and then I realized it looked like they were birds, but then they all dropped back into the water at once. I mentioned it to Marcus and he said he saw some other ones and they were flying squid.”

Captain Markus Medak confirmed it. That’s the kind of thing a skipper who’s been running the New Lo-An for years doesn’t say lightly.

What Eugene almost certainly saw were neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii). These are the ones that actually glide. They jet out of the water, spread their fins and flare their arms like wings, and can cover 20 to 30 yards or more before dropping back in. A whole group doing it together really does look like a flock of birds skimming the surface. Humboldt squid can leap, but they don’t stay in the air that long or travel that far. The “considerable distance” and the bird mix-up point straight to neon flying squid.

San Nicolas is far enough offshore for them, and with the warm water we’ve had this year it makes sense they’d show up. A lot of SoCal anglers have never seen it because these squid spend most of the day deep and only come up at night. When they do fly, it’s usually an escape move.

Huge thanks to Eugene Wessel for sharing the story and to Captain Markus Medak and the New Lo-An crew for putting him on it. Next time you’re running out toward the islands, keep one eye on the surface. You might think you’re looking at birds.

Check http://friedmanadventures.com for Captain’s audios, landing and boat counts, bait availability, Friedman Adventures AI, kids corner, and lots more.

Don’t forget the end-of-summer Surf Fishing Festival — Saturday, September 12, 2026, 9am–12pm at Anderson St and PCH in Sunset Beach. Noon raffle. Park across PCH and support Big Fish Bait & Tackle in Seal Beach.

#FlyingSquid #SanNicolasIsland #NewLoAn #PointLomaSportfishing #SoCalFishing #ChannelIslands #NeonFlyingSquid #Sportfishing #FriedmanAdventures #OceanLife #RareSighting #CaliforniaFishing