RARE SIGHTING of the CA51 Killer Whale Pod Spotted in Newport Beach! This orca pod was first spotted this morning around 9am by Captains aboard Newport Coastal Adventure whale watching boats, just off of Laguna Beach, and again in the afternoon, close to the coast- within 3 miles of Newport Beach Harbor. This pod of orcas is well known among California whale watching enthusiasts as the CA51 pod, a family or orcas with a reputation for their playful nature interacting with boats. The pod spotted today included the matriarch, CA51 Star (~40yrs old), and her three offspring, sons CA51B Orion and CA51C Bumper (known for his distinctive 6ft tall dorsal fin & playful behavior around boats), and daughter CA51E Comet. This pod of killer whales is considered to be ‘transient’ orcas, which means that they have a large range they cover between southeast Alaska to the Mexico border and primarily feed on marine mammals like seals and sea lions. This pod was also seen briefly on December 15th of this year ~17 miles off the coast of Orange County by Newport Coastal Adventure Zodiac boats. Prior to the brief sighting in mid Dec. of this year, the CA51 pod hasn’t been seen locally in about six years. Lucky passengers aboard our whale watching boats were thrilled to see this family of orcas again today, as they used to be one of the most frequently-sighted killer whale pods in Southern California between 2012-2018, but now, we don’t encounter them much at all. This killer whale family seems to be spending their time in other areas nowadays. Between 2012-2018 they appeared almost like clock-work around New Years Eve / New Years day along the coast of Southern California each year. Why did they do this? It’s unclear, but they seemed to be on a schedule, likely a sign that seals and sea lions that these whales hunt have been plentiful in our area during that time of the year. Last year between December-February of 2024, Newport Beach whale watching boats were lucky to have over 11 separate encounters with a different pod of killer whales known as Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales (EPT’s). Our whale watching boats during those encounters were lucky to have so many close encounters, as these whales were not shy of boats and even actively hunted dolphin off the coast. Each pod of killer whales will have their own unique behaviors, and are one of the smartest animals on the planet so it’s hard to predict if the CA51 family pod will continue to hang around in the waters off Orange County, or if other orca pods will make an appearance in the coming weeks, but our boats are always on high alert for more killer whale sightings during this time in the year – especially when they are sighted locally. We’ll have whale watching boats running out of Newport Beach harbor all weekend, and we’re looking forward to more lucky encounters with this famous family pod. We've got trips online ALL WEEKEND, you never know, these whales may decide to stick around! Book at www.newportwhales.com or give us a call at 949-675-0550.
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