Boat captain Erica Page scanned the ocean’s surface, searching for any signs that killer whales were near.
At times, the ocean was calm, the only sound coming from salt water rhythmically slapping the sides of the small Newport Coastal Adventure inflatable boat.
But when the black-and-white beauties emerge, the orca’s sleek, shiny dorsal fins slicing the sea with a “whoooosh,” the excitement takes over.
“OH MY GOD!” screamed Dawn Casillas, who traveled from San Diego to Newport Beach on Tuesday, Jan. 9, for her third outing hanging out with this pod of orcas. “Come here babies, come to momma!”
Excitement on the water off Southern California is at an all-time high with this pod of killer whales hanging around for a month now. The Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas would typically be found off Central America and Mexico.
The pod was first spotted in Palos Verdes by whale watching boats on Dec. 11, and since have been bouncing between the South Bay and Orange County and San Diego, making their way back up to Oxnard and Central California and back down again.
“It’s unprecedented,” said Page, who has seen the orcas about nine times in the past month. “It’s so rare to see in this area.
“People just go absolutely nuts about orcas.”
Longtime captains and ocean experts say this is the longest this species of orcas have hung around local waters, an extended stay that has them wondering if the killer whales have found a source of plentiful food that will keep them around even longer.
The snack they seek: the beloved dolphin, a cousin of sorts, with the orcas themselves also a member of the dolphin family.
“Which is kind of weird,” said Jen Roop, from Laguna Beach, about the quasi-carnivorous nature of the hunt.
The predatory nature of these killer whales has ocean enthusiasts like Roop torn – sad to see the dolphins slaughtered but glad the orcas are hanging around for up-close, intimate encounters.
“I understand why they have to…
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