Whale makes gold medal appearance during Olympic surfing shortboard semifinal

A special guest appeared Monday during the final day of Olympic surfing in Tahiti.

A whale shared the water a safe distance from athletes and fans during the first heat of the shortboard semifinal between Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy.

The whale's appearance made for a gold medal moment for spectators and Olympic photographers.

The Olympic surfing semi finalists had a WHALE stop by. #ParisOlympics 🐋 pic.twitter.com/r14xWnLTm4

Cameos from aquatic animals such as seals, sharks and whales are common in surfing. Whales typically gather in Tahiti during mating, birthing and migration season.

Pacific Indigenous leaders signed a treaty in April to recognize whales as legal persons, though a declaration isn't reflected in the participating nations' laws.

Weston-Webb won the semifinal heat with a 13.66 score to advance to the finals. She finished with a silver medal behind the United States' Caroline Marks, who won gold with a 10.50 score.