LOS ANGELES — Is it a gassy whale? A top secret submarine? Godzilla rising from the surfer-filled waters of Hermosa Beach?

Residents have been stumped over a patch of bubbles rising out of the ocean off the coast of Hermosa Beach this week, prompting several beachgoers to speculate at what exactly is under the surface and causing the water to spume.

Videos of the bubbles, visible between 33rd Street and Longfellow Avenue, spread on social media, with commenters offering a variety of wild and not-so-wild theories. Neighbors stood on the street in the rain, gazing out into the ocean, wondering what was causing it.

The answer to the bubbles mystery turned out to be far from interesting or surprising.

A major clue to uncovering the mystery came Tuesday, when a boat was spotted out on the w

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