A high tide over the weekend pushed a dead whale onto the outside of the Long Beach Breakwater, and has kept the animal stuck on the stone wall since Sunday.

“At one point today, it was high and dry,” said Marine Safety Captain Cameron Able. “It’s wedged on top of some of the bigger rocks.”

Since it’s not impeding any vessel traffic, the whale is all right on the breakwater, for now, Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina said.

Authorities are waiting for a swell to push the animal off the wall before they tow it to an open space at the Port of Long Beach docks. From there, Marine Mammal Services from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will evaluate the whale and determine its cause of death, Able said.

The Port will likely tow the whale out to sea and allow nature to take its course, according to Able.

They aren’t sure what type of whale it is yet, but Able said he believes it might be a juvenile California Gray Whale, approximately 15 to 20 feet long.

Dead whales get stuck on the breakwater, a 2.2-mile stone wall that blocks waves, a few times a year, Medina said.

“It’s a high traffic season for them, so there’s a lot moving,” he said.