Tag: orcas

Rare orca sighting caught on video at Channel Islands National Park

See them swim!

Get a glimpse of some of the magnificent creatures that swim in the waters around California’s one and only Channel Islands National Park.

While several species call the Channel Islands home, some are more likely to make an appearance than others. One of the species known for staying out of the limelight is the orca. Eagle-eyed wildlife watchers have to be pretty lucky to spot one of these curious animals.

Recently, a ranger patrolling the area around the park’s San Miguel Island lucked out and saw a pod of orcas for himself. As Channel Islands National Park recently explained in a Facebook post, “Although sightings of orcas around the Channel Islands are rare, they can happen at any time of the year.”

See this orca sighting for yourself in the video below.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=765451632164134

Note: The featured image is a stock photo used to illustrate the story.

Orcas thrill beachgoers at Seattle park; even the dog is excited

Footage captured by Alyssa Slovinac at Golden Gardens Park shows the iconic mammals breaching just yards from shore.

Beachgoers at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park on Saturday were thrilled when orcas began to breach just yards from shore.

The accompanying footage was captured by Alyssa Slovinac and shared via X by Madison Wade of King 5 News.

It begins with one orca leaping almost entirely out of the water and includes more breaching and other types of behavior.

“Oh … my god,” the videographer says in apparent disbelief.

Others express similar sentiments as gulls arrive and a dog begins to bark.

Orca sightings off Seattle are not uncommon, but it’s undoubtedly a rare thrill when the iconic mammals join your group on a morning walk.

Orcas try to kill ‘massive’ gray whale off San Diego; video

The killer whales “assaulted” the adult gray whale for nearly an hour in rarely documented behavior.

Killer whales from Mexico continue to thrill Southern California boaters while preying on dolphins and milling near vessels.

But on Friday off San Diego, a pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales was documented attacking an adult gray whale in a rarely seen predation attempt that lasted nearly an hour.

The accompanying footage was captured by Capt. Ryan Lawler of Pacific Offshore Expeditions. While the footage is graphic, the gray whale proved too large for the orcas and ultimately continued its migration toward Baja California nursing and mating grounds.

Delaney Trowbridge, also a Pacific Offshore Expeditions captain, described the encounter via Instagram, beginning her post, “Bloodied and bruised, but not broken.”

Trowbridge’s report included an image of the gray whale’s fluke with fresh bite wounds.

She added: “Over the last few weeks we’ve watched the Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales plow their way through pods of common and bottlenose dolphins, but today their eyes were set on a much larger prize: a massive, adult gray whale.

“Despite their best efforts, lasting nearly an hour in their assault, the orcas abandoned their hunt and moved on.”

Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, fairly common in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, are considered rare visitors to Southern California. But that designation might no longer apply.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project told FTW Outdoors that the ETPs have been documented off Southern California 18 different days since last Dec. 11.

While their presence is exciting for marine mammal enthusiasts, not everybody is pleased to see them linger for so long.

Reads one comment beneath Trowbridge’s post: “God Bless this Whale and any others tortured by these Orcas. They seem to be on a serious killing spree off of California and they typically don’t stay this long. This leads to many other concerns.”

Transient killer whales, commonly encountered in Monterey Bay, also visit Southern California sporadically.

Transients also prey on other marine mammals, including gray whale calves that pass through Monterey Bay with their mothers during the northbound migration to Alaska.

‘Intense’ moments as orcas attack sea lions next to small boat

Capt. Delaney Trowbridge said afterward that it was “likely the closest I’ll ever feel to being ‘hunted’ by an orca myself.”

Of the many orca encounters enjoyed by boaters off Southern California last week, perhaps the most thrilling spectacle involved killer whales hunting sea lions next to a small boat.

The accompanying footage, shared Sunday by Capt. Delaney Trowbridge of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, shows transient orcas methodically attacking sea lions that attempted to use her boat as cover.

While viewers don’t witness a kill, Trowbridge assured in her Instagram description, “The orcas were successful in their hunt.”

Her footage, captured near Anacapa Island off Ventura County, shows the agile orcas repeatedly passing and swiping at sea lions with their flukes, at times spraying passengers.

Trowbridge described the stirring exhibition:

“One of the most exhilarating encounters I’ve ever had happened just the other day, when a desperate pair of sea lions tried using our boat to shelter themselves from a hungry pod of killer whales (CA140Bs). One of the most amazing things about orcas is their unparalleled problem-solving skills that make them such effective predators.

“The whales made sure to capitalize on every opportunity [when] the sea lions strayed too far from their cover, slowly whittling down their prey. It was incredibly intense to be in the middle of this deadly game of cat and mouse; likely the closest I’ll ever feel to being ‘hunted’ by an orca myself.”

Transient killer whales are more commonly spotted off Central California and points north. Encounters off Southern California are rare.

The encounter with the transient pod occurred just after Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, infrequent visitors from Mexico, had spent days hunting dolphins between San Diego and Los Angeles.

–Top image, captured by Delaney Trowbridge, shows transient orcas beneath the surface near Anacapa Island

Orca blasts dolphin skyward during epic hunting exhibition

The killer whales from Mexico have thrilled boaters recently in Southern California, while striking terror into dolphin pods.

Killer whales from Mexico have thrilled boaters over the past week in Southern California, while striking terror into dolphin pods.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas, appear to have traveled this far north specifically to hunt dolphins.

The accompanying footage, shared by Netzero Expeditions, graphically illustrates the hunting prowess of the ETPs during a dolphin-killing event Monday off San Diego.

Netzero’s Instagram description reads, in part: “This magnificent creature, with a massive weight of 6,000 kg and capable of speeds up to 56 km/h, showcased a striking example of kinetic energy in the natural world.

“During its hunting maneuver, the orca generated a staggering 727,087.87 Joules of energy, comparable to the force of over 450 professional boxer’s punches or a compact car moving at 60 km/h colliding with a wall — all concentrated in a single, breathtaking instant.”

Translation: ETP orcas are as powerful as they are graceful, and common dolphins that are so abundant off Southern California will be more at peace when the killer whales return to Mexico.

Watch: SoCal captain immortalizes rare orca encounter with selfie

Several killer whales from Mexico and points south were spotted off Los Angeles County on Monday, attracting crowds of whale watchers.

Several orcas from Mexico were spotted off Los Angeles County on Monday, attracting crowds of whale watchers.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales (ETPs) were hunting dolphins but became extremely boat friendly at times, riding wakes and interacting with passengers.

One prominent captain, Ryan Lawler of Newport Coastal Adventure and Pacific Offshore Expeditions, capitalized on a rare opportunity to capture a video selfie with one of the mammals. (Footage posted below.)

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A post shared by Ryan L (@lawofthelandnsea)

Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project was with Lawler and said about a dozen orcas were present, traveling in sub-groups. They included two small calves.

“They mugged every boat,” Schulman-Janiger said, referring to the friendly behavior. (Video below shows mugging behavior.)

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A post shared by @newportcoastaladventure

Passengers watched the ETPs ram and kill a large bottlenose dolphin, an adult common dolphin, and a common dolphin calf.

The sighting initial sighting was logged at 8:30 a.m. in the Catalina Channel, seven miles off San Pedro, by Catalina Express Capt. Mike Jackson.

News quickly spread and vessel operators hurried to locate the gregarious mammals.

ETP orcas, which are fairly common in the Sea of Cortez and elsewhere in Mexico, rarely visit Southern California. But when they do it becomes a major event for marine mammal enthusiasts.

Schulman-Janiger said the ETPs were last spotted Monday evening seven miles off Lunada Bay, at the southern edge of Santa Monica Bay.

Orca ‘punt’ of sea lion reminiscent of punt for the ages

The recent “punt” of a sea lion by an orca was reminiscent of a scene caught on video 8 years ago, involving perhaps the highest orca punt on record.

On Sunday we shared images of orcas hunting (and “punting“) a sea lion off California. The photos were reminiscent of an extraordinary scene that played out eight years ago, involving an orca that punted a harbor seal 70-80 feet into the air. That story, recalled on this site last month with images and video, is posted below:

Transient orcas off the U.S. West Coast prey on marine mammals and sometimes toss the smaller animals to stun or kill them.

The accompanying images, captured by researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, show a male orca using his flukes to fling a harbor seal an astonishing 70 feet high.

“It’s still the most astounding thing I’ve seen,” Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, told FTW Outdoors. “A momentous moment in my life.”

The harbor seal hunt, off Port Angeles in Washington State, occurred eight years ago and Schulman-Janiger shared her images Tuesday as a Facebook memory.

The event was also captured on video and that footage is posted below. (The video description places the height of the seal at 80 feet.)

The orca, or killer whale, belongs to a family cataloged as the TO69s. The standout punter is TO69C, who was about 20 years old at the time. That’s considered a young adult.

Schulman-Janiger described the event on Facebook:

“After three failed attempts, adult male T069C tossed a harbor seal more than 70 feet up into the air – sending it flying wide-eyed above the circling gulls!

“I took five photos after my highest capture, with no seal in sight; lowered my camera, looked for the seal – and saw it splash down next to the submerged orca several seconds later!

“His mom T069 and two siblings were hunting nearby; all enjoyed harbor seal for lunch.”

After the spectacular event, there was debate about the height of the seal at its apex. The 70-foot estimate is considered conservative.

Orca ‘punts’ sea lion 20 feet into air as boaters watch in awe

Whale Watchers in California’s Monterey Bay spent Thanksgiving Day watching orcas showing a new pod member how to hunt sea lions.

Whale Watchers in California’s Monterey Bay spent part of Thanksgiving Day watching orcas showing a new pod member how to hunt sea lions.

One of the behaviors involved “punting” a sea lion “almost 20 feet in the air,” according to Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The company explained via social media:

“Based on the behavior observed, this was clearly a training session for the new calf in the pod that is only several months old!

“Once they successfully killed a sea lion, the members of the pod took turns displaying attack maneuvers and behaviors to further instruct their newest pod member on how to hunt.”

The four orcas, or killer whales, belong to a family scientifically cataloged as the CA51As.

Striking images captured by Morgan Quimby show them participating in the hunt and the sea lion sailing through the air. (Click here to watch a harbor seal being punted 70 feet high.)

Monterey Bay Whale Watch added: “While it is hard to watch them hunt in this way, it is important to the survival of the pod. We got some amazing looks at this notoriously friendly pod as they practiced hunting techniques on the sea lion and slowed down towards the end of the encounter making close passes to the boat before prey sharing with one another.”

New orca calf participating in the hunt. Photo: ©Morgan Quimby Photography

The CA51As are transient killer whales, which prey almost exclusively on other marine mammals, including dolphins and baby gray whales.

Leading the hunt was the matriarch, CA51A, nicknamed Aurora. She’s the daughter of CA51, who was not present during the encounter.

Watch: Orca punts seal 70 feet into the air ‘among the gulls’

Images and video footage captured off Washington State show an orca punting a harbor seal 70 feet into the air.

Transient orcas off the U.S. West Coast prey on marine mammals and sometimes toss the smaller animals to stun or kill them.

The accompanying images, captured by researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, show a male orca using his flukes to fling a harbor seal an astonishing 70 feet high.

“It’s still the most astounding thing I’ve seen,” Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, told FTW Outdoors. “A momentous moment in my life.”

The harbor seal hunt, off Port Angeles in Washington State, occurred eight years ago and Schulman-Janiger shared her images Tuesday as a Facebook memory.

The event was also captured on video and that footage is posted below. (The video description places the height of the seal at 80 feet.)

The orca, or killer whale, belongs to a family cataloged as the TO69s. The standout punter is TO69C, who was about 20 years old at the time. That’s considered a young adult.

Schulman-Janiger described the event on Facebook:

“After three failed attempts, adult male T069C tossed a harbor seal more than 70 feet up into the air – sending it flying wide-eyed above the circling gulls!

“I took five photos after my highest capture, with no seal in sight; lowered my camera, looked for the seal – and saw it splash down next to the submerged orca several seconds later!

“His mom T069 and two siblings were hunting nearby; all enjoyed harbor seal for lunch.”

After the spectacular event, there was considerable debate about the height of the seal at its apex. The 70-foot estimate is considered conservative.

Watch: ‘Super rare’ white orca hunts with pod off Monterey

A white orca nicknamed Frosty was spotted Sunday in California’s Monterey Bay and images and video footage appear to show a healthy young killer whale.

A white orca nicknamed Frosty was spotted Sunday in California’s Monterey Bay and images and video footage appear to show a healthy young killer whale.

Frosty is the only known leucistic, or partially white orca off California. Some white orcas develop health issues that significantly shorten their life spans.

But Frosty, who was first documented off Monterey as a newborn in August 2019, appeared to be in good shape while hunting with its mother and orcas from another family group.

“We had Frosty the super rare white Killer Whale!” Monterey Bay Whale Watch, which captured drone footage of the orcas during an hours-long encounter, boasted via Facebook.

The California Killer Whale Project, founded by the company’s Nancy Black and fellow researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, stated in another post: “The whales hunted an elephant seal and at least one California sea lion, breaching and prey sharing with the carcass!”

Frosty, whose sex is unknown, belongs to a family unit cataloged as the CA216s. Frosty is documented as CA216C1.

Prior to Sunday, the last known Frosty sighting occurred in April off Palos Verdes in Southern California.

In August 2022, a thin-looking Frosty was photographed via drone in Alert Bay, British Columbia.

At the time, Oceanwise Research stated via Instagram: “The measurements of ‘Frosty’ indicate that this animal is quite thin. Having said that, killer whales around this age will often go through a thin period as they are weaned off their mothers milk and then start to fill out in subsequent years.”

Frosty sightings have been sporadic but wide ranging, having occurred from Mexican waters below San Diego to British Columbia.

Frosty is a Bigg’s transient killer whale. These orcas prey almost exclusively on other marine mammals, including gray whale calves. Younger orcas learn from older pod mates and ultimately pass their skills down to new orcas.

On Sunday, Frosty and her mom were with a group known as the CA140Bs, as passengers from several whale-watching companies watched in awe.

Stated Monterey Bay Whale Watch: “The orcas were displaying remarkably social and interactive behavior, with countless breaches and spy hops.”