This Scene Left Professional Whale Watchers In Shock…And It Will Do The Same To You

Featured Image Credit: Screenshot
By Sarah Sharkey

Recently, a boat full of whale watchers were lucky enough to witness killer whales while hunting a sea lion.  The encounter happened in Southern California, in the Santa Monica Bay. Watch it below, or watch it here.

The group onboard was composed of avid whale watchers, some of whom are considered professional whale watchers were all very impressed by the scene that unfolded. They had spent the morning on the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of an orca pod that was supposedly in the area. After stopping for lunch, they received a text that told them where the orcas were and they sped over as fast as they could.

Image Credit: Ocean Riders Los Cabos

When they arrived, the orcas were in the middle of a hunt. The target of the chase was a sea lion. This was a first for Lawler, a fisherman and boat captain, who has spent a lot of time on the water. He had this to say about the encounter, “The sea lion would come up for air, try and catch a break, and the orcas would surround it and body slam it. The orcas went down and we didn’t see the sea lion. The next time we saw them come up, the sea lion was in their mouth, in a couple of pieces. Orcas get most gregarious after they make the kill, so after we witnessed them kill the sea lion, they came up next to the boat, they spy hopped, lifted half their bodies out of the water trying to look at us. That was special and something new — the orcas were actively investigating us.”

After successfully killing the sea lion, the orcas went after a pod of small dolphins who avoided being eaten.

The group watched these orcas as they enjoyed their afternoon of hunting, earning their name of killer whales.

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