Fins spotted poking out of the water lead to ‘exhilarating encounter’ off CA coast
While a group of whale watchers was cruising along the California coast, they came across some “fantastic wildlife,” including a blue whale and “several humpbacks feeding on krill,” according to a nonprofit.
These sightings, however, were nothing compared to what they were about to see near the Farallon Islands on May 7, the Oceanic Society said in a May 26 news release.
“Suddenly, in the distance we saw several dark dorsal fins rising above the ocean’s surface,” naturalist Michael Pierson said in the release. “We knew right away we were seeing orca.”
The pod was quickly moving north with such haste that the group “initially struggled to catch up,” according to Pierson.
When the group finally reached the orcas, they realized just how many were lurking in the water, Pierson said.
They had stumbled upon “about 20 transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales,” the nonprofit said.
“This is when the killer whales slowed and seemed to be watching us as much as we were watching them,” Pierson said.
The 40-minute “exhilarating encounter” led to passengers’ “oohs and ahhs,” as orcas continued breaching from the water, according to the nonprofit.
Though it was difficult to make out if there were any rarities among the pod during the excursion, photographs afterward showed “some rarely seen individuals” were trekking alongside the boat, Pierson said.
“This absolutely made the day,” Pierson said.
Some of the whales spotted among the others were from pods sighted elsewhere, the nonprofit said. Orcas can be identified by the “unique characteristics of their dorsal fin (e.g. shape, notches, scars) and saddle patch (the white markings behind the dorsal fin).”
Orcas are the world’s largest dolphin, according to the Ocean Conservancy. There are about 50,000 orcas globally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said.
Along the California coast there are three ecotypes of orca, “resident, transient and offshore,” the Oceanic Society said.
“The transients, or Bigg’s killer whales, are the most common ecotype seen off the central California coast,” the nonprofit said.
While transients are usually spotted in pods of three to 10, the nonprofit said its recent encounter “included multiple pods.”
The Farallon Islands sit off the coast of San Francisco.
This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Fins spotted poking out of the water lead to ‘exhilarating encounter’ off CA coast."
