a 15ft ( 4 . 5 meters ) male bottle - nosed turtle has been spotted floating in the upper bank in central london , uk . the " thames whale " tried to swam up past the berlin barrier and under some bridges , reaching as far as chelsea before it wrapped around just before albert gate . sky news units helped to transmit live view footage of the sea , and many others lined the shores of the estuary . the ocean is stated to be appearing healthy , although some fear that the body may beach itself as it tried to do before rescuers pulled it backwards into the end of the river . normally found in the north atlantic , there have been sightings of a pilot turtle around southend .
The River Thames flows through London.