More orcas being spotted off SoCal's coast; rare sightings keeping whale watching guides busy

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Orcas, also known as killer whales, spotted off the coast of Southern California have been keeping whale watching tour companies busy as the end of the year approaches.

The rare sightings are unusual because they typically stay south of the border with Mexico -- but they've been wowing crowds since Dec. 11. They've been spotted from the Palos Verdes peninsula all the way down to Orange County.

Jessica Rodriguez, the Education and Communications Manager with Newport Landing and Davey's Locker Whale Watching, says she's seen them before, but it's not a common sight.

"It is very rare to see killer whales this frequently off the coast of Orange County," she said.

Marine biologists say, so far, it's the greatest number of sightings on record this far north for the Eastern Tropical Pacific - or ETP - killer whales spotted off the coasts of Palos Verdes, Newport Beach and San Diego.

"Most of the time it's because they're chasing food and there's lots of dolphin here off the coast of Orange County," Rodriguez added.

More and more people have been flocking to Newport Beach, but whale watching staff say the chances of spotting orcas are better off the coast of Oxnard - but there are no guarantees.

That's where the CA51, also known as transient or Bigg's killer whales, breached the water's surface on Christmas Day.

"They move up and down the west coast, so they go all the way up to Washington, Alaska even, and then down to our coast," Sara Lesser with the Aquarium of the Pacific explained. "But they tend to be in more open waters, so not as close to shore."

With each encounter, humans learn more about the way the creatures play, how they hunt, feed and care for their young.

One breathtaking drone video, recorded by Capt. Ryan Lawler of Newport Coastal Adventure on Dec. 18, shows a mother off the coast of Del Mar nursing her calf as the older members of the pod feast on a dolphin carcass.

"It's very relevant and exciting for people and the expressions that they get on their faces, the shouts, the screams the tears, even, the happy tears that come. It's all really exciting to be a part of that as a boat captain and realize that you're providing that for those people," Lawler said.

"It's something that we're most likely gonna see again before the end of the year just because they've been sighted so frequently in the last two weeks," Rodriguez said.

Marine biologists with the California Killer Whale Project told Eyewitness News there were no documented attacks of orcas on humans.