Watch Orcas Hunting Dolphins Off SoCal Coast

DANA POINT, CA — It was a moment that whale watchers won't soon forget: the sight of these Eastern Tropical Pacific Orcas swimming and hunting together in a pod off the Orange County Coastline. They are as beautiful as they are deadly, and this was nature in action, according to Capt. Dave Anderson. The full video is below, however viewer discretion is advised.

The rarely seen pod consisting of 8 to 10 orcas has been swimming in the waters off Dana Point, California. Most recently sighted Sunday, Dona Kalez of Dana Wharf Whale Watching told us, all local whale watching charters agree that this coastal attention by the ETP "killer whales" has come with deadly results for the local dolphin population.

Whale watching passengers aboard vessels operated by Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, as well as Dana Wharf Whale Watching and others were both thrilled and shocked to witness the Orcas hunt bottlenose and common dolphins.

"I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere, whether on television or in person," says Captain Dave Anderson. "It’s really hard to see a dolphin ripped to shreds by another dolphin, because that’s what killer whales are, the biggest dolphin in the world. That’s why I call these animals killer whales instead of orca, because that’s what they are. I’ve seen them do that to a sea lion right in front of my boat and we know they kill whales."

Viewer discretion of this graphic video is advised:

Over the weekend, more footage of the family was released by both Dana Wharf Whale Watching and Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari. In a National Geographic-esque moment, the pod of 5 Orcas were seen hunting and then consuming a dolphin as they went on their way.

"It's so unusual for them to hang around for two days," says Captain Dave Anderson, owner of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. "People should come and see them while they are here. We helped a few people check this off our bucket list."

According to researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project, these orcas are part of the Eastern Tropical Pacific population (ETP) found in the waters off Mexico.

"ETPs are very rarely encountered and little is known about them," Schulman-Janiger said. "They are not part of the three recognized US west coast eco-types of killer whales which include residents, Bigg's (transients), and offshore orcas.

Drone video filmed late last week and over the weekend has shown the rarely seen Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas swimming and surfacing nearby whale watching vessels.

For more information visit: www.dolphinsafari.com or www.facebook.com/DanaWharfWhaleWatch

Photo, courtesy Dana Wharf Whale Watching