a 15ft ( 4 . 5 meter ) black bottle - nosed whale has been spotted bathing in the the estuary in downtown stockholm , british . the " thames whale " managed to swim up beyond the thames barrier and under many bridges , reaching as far as chelsea before it bent off just before thames tower . channel news helicopters raced to provide recorded tv pictures of the whale , and other spectators lined the banks of the sea . the animal is believed to be look healthy , although some feel that the ocean may beach itself as it tries to do before rescuers forced it back into the middle of the estuary . commonly , in the north atlantic , there have been sightings of a second whale at southend .
The River Thames flows through London.