Catching Sight Of Unique Pod Of Orcas

Monday, February 6, 2006
CALIFORNIA - The kids from Ladd Lane School in Hollister were excited about what they might see on their recent cruise. We expected gray whales because we're still pretty close to the peak of the southbound migration on the Central Coast. With killer whales popping in and out of the area all year long, they were also a remote possibility. If we did see them, we could expect they'd be the Transients that feed on marine mammals here.

We did see gray whales, but they were unpredictable and only provided a couple of good looks before pulling off a vanishing act worthy of Houdini. Where had they gone and why? All became clear when Richard Ternullo with Monterey Bay Whale Watch called to say he had Orcas - killer whales - a few miles west of us.

We were pressed for time, but if anyone could resist such a lure with 100 kids on board, he or she certainly wasn't driving Princess of Whales.

Nearing the area, we could see Orcas everywhere ahead of us.

There were 20 or more. They were slapping their tails on the water, spyhopping straight up to have a look around and emerging from the sea in groups of three, four and more.

Parents and kids alike were in delighted awe at what they were watching. When two large males swam close by our boat, one on either side, it resulted in sheer pandemonium.

I told our passengers these were most likely Transients because that's what we usually see here, but they weren't!

Richard relayed the news that this was the Offshore Pod. Because they're seen so little, not a lot is known about them.

Key findings so far confirm the Offshore Pod travels the longest distance, with individuals having been sighted all the way from Los Angeles to Kodiak Island, up in Alaska; and it feeds on big fish such as opah, tuna and sharks.

The idea of killer whales attacking sharks really grabbed the kids' imaginations and they went home with a coveted prize: Rare sightings of a species most, perhaps all, include in their Top Ten List of sea creatures ever. They were bouncing off the walls and no wonder; so were we. See you out there.

Source: The Salinas Californian