Watch Orcas Visit Palos Verdes Coast

PALOS VERDES, CA – The South Bay had some unexpected visitors this week when a pod of killer whales were hanging around the Palos Verdes Coast. Whale watching enthusiasts climbed aboard charter boats to try to observe the orcas in the wild, and the black-and-white killer whales were caught on video, Daily News reported.

The pod was first reported by Gray Whale Census volunteers who were out watching the water off Pointe Vicente Interpretive Center early Monday, just two miles offshore. They're known as CA51, a well-known pod that visits regularly, known for their outgoing, friendly behavior, Alisa Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, told Daily News.

There were four orcas in the pod, including: mom “Star,” sons “Bumper” and “Orion,” and 7-year-old daughter “Comet,” the news website reported.

“We wait all year for them to show up,” Harbor Breeze boat captain Erik Combs said, after reaching the pod mid-afternoon. “This time of year is when they pass along the coast. It’s just a matter of when. We look forward to it every year.”

Combs told Daily Breeze he hoped the orcas would stay in the area for the 3 p.m. boat departures from Long Beach and San Pedro.

“You gotta take the moment when they are here,” he said. “You have to go out to see them.”

In the video posted to Facebook by Harbor Breeze Cruises, the orcas are seen coming up to the boat and swimming under it, while passengers took photos, Daily Breeze reported.

Photo Credit: Wolfgang Jakel / imageBROKER/Shutterstock