Rare orca hunt caught on video as pod chases dolphins, tosses them into the air

MONTEREY BAY, Calif. (KSBW) - A whale watching trip in California turned into a rare and unforgettable experience when a pod of killer whales was seen hunting dolphins.

During a Sunday whale watching trip, Captain Joey Stagnaro of Sanctuary Cruises spotted a pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, closing in on a group of dolphins in Monterey Bay. He immediately alerted the boat’s owner, Mike Sack.

“I said, ‘Get out here. This is unreal.’ And he did, and we got a lot of happy tourists here in the Monterey Bay,” Stagnaro said.

Sack and naturalist Luke Kilpatrick captured the dramatic hunt on camera as multi-ton orcas burst out of the water in pursuit of their prey.

“By far one of the top moments. I mean, I’ve been out here doing the whale watching for 18 or so years, and yeah, it was right up there,” Sack said.

“Sunday was amazing. Sunday was great. I’ve never seen them throw whales up that high. The whale was up higher than the boat. It was insane,” Kilpatrick said.

Stagnaro described the event as extraordinary.

“Most whale watchers that come out on a regular basis come 15 to 20 times a year to witness that one event. So, that’s the big thing,” he said.

The orcas returned Monday, giving experts another opportunity to observe their hunting behavior.

“They’re reaching a top speed of around 30 miles an hour, coming up from underneath and then trying to ram into the dolphin, to hit as hard as they can to weaken it before the rest of the pod works to take it down,” said Chase Dekker, head biologist for Sanctuary Cruises.

Biologists noted that July is typically a quieter time for killer whale sightings, making this encounter even more unusual.