A pod of gregarious killer whales that spent part of Sunday and Monday thrilling whale-watchers off the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, traveled to the south on Tuesday and put on a similar show for Orange County marine mammal enthusiasts (see video).
The pod consists of 10 transient killer whales belonging to two family groups. They prey on marine mammals and seem to be especially fond of California sea lions, which are thriving in Southland waters.
These orcas are most commonly seen off Monterey in Central California, but the CA51 group (seven whales), which often travels with one or two smaller family groups, has been visiting Southland waters more frequently during the past few years and may be establishing the region as home territory. One of their patterns has been to visit Orange County after L.A.
They appeared off the Dana Point area on Tuesday at about 1:30 p.m. Thanks to Drew Post and Dana Wharf Whale Watching for the incredible footage.
It is always truly amazing to witness these creatures in their natural habitat. They love coming near the boats and seeing what's going on.
Posted by: orange county paddle boarding | Jun 27, 2012 at 10:34 AM