The United States Coast Guard had a message for those piloting vessels in and around New York Harbor Thursday morning, and it wasn’t something they regularly warn about, by any means.

A whale was seen around Liberty Island — which houses the State of Liberty — and it was the cause of not only the message sent out by the military branch, but much commotion in the metropolitan area.

The warning was sent out around 8 a.m.

This from the New York Daily News:

“We have no confirmation on what type of whale it is and we don’t know where the whale is currently,” the spokesman said.

Authorities asked boaters to maintain slow speeds and be cautious in case the whale resurfaces.

Whale sightings near Liberty Island were “rare,” the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the USCG said the large sea mammal was swimming alongside the Staten Island Ferry when it was first spotted. It’s unclear what species the whale is, or how large it is.

Here’s a short video of the marine creature diving into the water that feeds the Hudson River, from the Atlantic Ocean: