Eastern Pacific Orcas Hunt Off Palos Verdes, San Pedro, and Long Beach

Fifteen or more Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas were confirmed off the coast of Laguna Beach early Saturday morning, October 24. The group, which included a male estimated to be over 60 years old known as Cuitláhuac, was spotted about a mile from shore by crews from Newport Coastal Adventures. Mark Girardeau, a photographer for the company, said the pod appeared friendly toward boats as long as the vessels maintained a respectful distance. He noted that while 15 individuals were confirmed, the total count could have reached 20.

The pod was observed hunting dolphins, according to Girardeau. Although the whales were not seen eating, their focus on the smaller marine mammals was evident. Alisa Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, reported that this same group was seen killing a young fin whale off San Diego on Friday, October 23. She described the males in this pod as specialists in preying on large whales.

A different pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas was spotted in the Palos Verdes area on Sunday, October 25. Alex Cobb, a spokesperson for Harbor Breeze Cruises, said the whales were seen off Point Vicente around 11:30 a.m., traveling south. They passed San Pedro and Long Beach during their transit. Cobb stated that during earlier trips, the whales were primarily traveling without engaging in hunting behavior.

During a 4:30 p.m. charter, the orcas began hunting a pod of common dolphins. Cobb recounted that the dolphins were unaware of the orcas until the predators were nearly upon them. The dolphins then fled in a stampede, with the orcas successfully wounding several of them. The whales consumed at least one dolphin quickly. After a break of about 30 minutes, the orcas returned to the area and preyed on a second dolphin, which Cobb believed had been injured earlier and saved for later.

Schulman-Janiger noted that this specific pod is more commonly seen off the Southern California coast. She has documented the group many times since 2018. The current group consists of six individuals from a total of 13 she is familiar with, including two mothers, Luna and Ana, who gave birth to two males this year. They were joined by a juvenile male named Deigo and a teenage male named Terso.

This pod specializes in hunting dolphins but also killed a large fin whale off Point Loma in San Diego County on October 17, Schulman-Janiger said. She expressed that cataloging the recent sightings is overwhelming and exciting for researchers. Another pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas was also documented further south off San Diego within the past week.

Newport Coastal Adventures boats also saw the pod on Sunday as it traveled from Palos Verdes past Long Beach toward Huntington Beach. Girardeau attributed the unusual persistence of the warm-water orcas to the El Niño weather pattern. He noted that offshore water temperatures remain abnormally warm, with spots still measuring 72 degrees. He suggested that these conditions are likely keeping the whales in the area.

The unexpected presence of these pods has generated significant interest among local observers. Girardeau said he feels the whales are likely to show up again due to the warm water conditions. The California Killer Whale Project researchers are eager to study and identify these rarely encountered Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas along the California coastline.