A pod of orcas spotted two weeks ago off Orange County’s coastline were seen again on Friday, Dec. 27, to the delight of whale-watching enthusiasts.
The orcas are a family known as CA51, a pod that had not previously been spotted off local waters in about six years.
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When noticed by the crew aboard Newport Coastal Adventure on Friday, they were off Laguna Beach and headed southbound, cruising past Salt Creek in Dana Point by 10 a.m., about two miles from the coast, said Newport Coastal Adventure photographer Mark Girardeau.
The family is well-known among California whale-watching enthusiasts, with a reputation for playfully interacting with boats.
They were seen frequently from 2012 through 2018, but seem to have have stayed off the Channel Islands and Monterey in recent years.
The pod included the matriarch, CA51 Star, and her three offspring, sons CA51B Orion and CA51C Bumper, and daughter CA51E Comet. Daughter CA51A Aurora has split off with her own pod and was not seen with the family.
A pod of CA51 orcas was spotted off Orange County’s coastline on Dec. 15, 2024, the first time since 2018 they’ve been seen off local waters. (Photo courtesy of Delaney Trowbridge/Newport Coastal Adventure)
Prior to this month’s orca encounters, the last recorded orca sighting off Orange County’s coast was in late April, when the famed killer whale Frosty, notable for his lighter skin color, was seen. In recent years, Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas have been showing up to feed on dolphins.
Seeing orcas always brings excitement, in part due to their unpredictability.
Sometimes, years go by without seeing killer whales off the coast. Other years, a few pods will pass through or hang around to feed.
The “transient” animals have a large range, from southeast Alaska to the Mexico border.
