A pod of killer whales made an unexpected visit off the coast of Orange County Thursday.
The pod of CA56 killer whales (orcas) was spotted by a Davey’s Locker whale-watching boat about 12:30 p.m. just two and a half miles from Newport Beach harbor.
Video showed the whales getting remarkably close to the boat as the passengers and crewmembers looked on.
This particular pod of orcas is rarely seen, with Thursday’s sighting believed to be the furthest southern documented sighting, Davey’s Locker & Newport Landing spokesperson Jessica Rodriguez said.
“This pod of killer whales is considered to be a type of ‘transient’ orca, which means that they have a large range they cover between southeast Alaska to the Mexico border,” Rodriguez said.
The pod made several passes near the whale-watching boat before disappearing into the water.
Rodriguez said Newport Beach whale-watching boats had more than 11 encounters with a different pod of killer whales between December 2023 and February 2024.
