Southern California’s loveable dolphins are finding themselves on the wrong end of the food chain as a pod of killer whales continues to hunt them right off the coast – a natural event that is delighting whale watchers and tour guides.
The Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas were first spotted about two weeks ago by tours out of Long Beach and Newport Beach. Experts assumed the pod of about 10 killer whales would soon return to the warmer waters of Mexico where they are typically found.
Midway through last week, they were spotted in San Diego and appeared to be headed south of the border. Instead, they turned around and returned to the waters off Orange County.
“They’re still around … a shocker to everybody,” said Jessica Rodriguez with Newport Landing & Davey’s Locker. “We saw them on a holiday cruise, of all things. In the evening, as guests were looking at holiday lights in the Newport Beach area, we had killer whales!”
The orcas have been captured on video daily, often from faster, inflatable Zodiac boats that can moved swiftly across the water.
Observers say the adult orcas are training their calves how to hunt, even allowing them to lead the chase.
In one of the more amazing videos, an adult killer whale is seen leaping out of the water at the same time a dolphin breached in its effort to escape. Moments later, the orcas dined on the fresh kill.
Some have dubbed the unprecedented daily sightings as “Killer Whale Madness.” Fortunately for SoCal’s dolphins, the “madness” will eventually end.
“They’re going to make their way back down to Mexico at some point … but we’ve been so lucky this Christmas to be graced with so many sightings of these killer whales,” said Rodriguez.