11 Orcas, With Babies, Make For Magical Whale Watching Experience

DANA POINT, CA — There is a reason Dana Point is now known as the Dolphin and Whale Watching Capitol of the World. This week, whale watchers who boarded south Orange County vessels got quite a treat with a rare sighting of 11 Orcas.

In an ultimate 8-hour whale watching trip, hosted by Dana Wharf Whale Watching, 30 passengers witnessed the sight of the leviathans and their brood as they swam off the southern California coastline.

A spotter plane gave Dana Wharf Captain Todd Mansur a tip that there was a large pod of killer whales nearby.

"This pod is known as CA216," Donna Kalez, General Manager of Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, told Patch. Dana Wharf's own Captain Todd Mansur spotted the Orcas off his boat.

Two babies were in the pod, one with an uncommon gray color, Kalez said.

Local naturalist Alisa Schulman-Janiger was on hand, who talked a bit more about what whale watchers saw.

"This really was an Orca Alert! We watched 11 Bigg's transients, including CA216s with CA216C, and her pale gray newborn CA216C1, between Catalina Island and Dana Point."

Also seen this trip were a fin whale, offshore bottlenose dolphins, and common dolphins.

When the boat came in to dock after eight hours at sea, guests expressed their awe at seeing these leviathans.

"Some were crying at the beauty and magic of the day," she said. "The overwhelming description of the sighting was simply 'magical.'"

For more information, visit www.danawharf.com