Orcas put on a rare show off Avila Beach

When you go to Avila Beach, you expect to see otters, sea lions ... and tourists.

But one local boat captain saw something fairly rare: killer whales.

Micheal Brink of SLO.TOURS said he was a mile south of the Port San Luis Pier when he saw a pod of about five orcas feeding on bait fish, along with about 30 sea lions. Four of the orcas, which were medium-sized, surfaced within 3 feet of his vessel. The fifth one, a large adult, kept its distance, Brink said.

Brink said that he has seen orcas on the Central Coast only one other time: In Morro Bay in April 2013.

While sightings in San Luis Obispo County are rare, orcas are seen in Monterey more often.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Orcas put on a rare show off Avila Beach."