Orcas on the hunt wowing crowds at sea

About 20 killer whales have arrived to feed on young gray whales

MOSS LANDING — Around 20 killer whales have been hunting marine mammals in the Monterey Bay this month, putting on a rare show for local whalewatching boat tours.

The orcas arrived around April 3, chasing the migration of gray whale calves and mothers from Baja, Mexico. Young gray whales are a favorite prey for orcas, who team up to separate the calf from its mother, eventually drowning it. They feast on the carcass for up to two days, returning often, said Dorris Welch, biologist and co-owner of Sanctuary Cruises, a Moss Landing whale-watching tour.

Welch said her boat staff has witnessed three gray whale kills in the past two weeks. She typically sees kills only twice a year.

“We’re seeing them (orcas) every day, not every trip, but we’ve had a really good past few weeks,” Welch said.

Orcas frequent Monterey Bay year-round, but are most often seen in April and May. Spring also marks the Monterey Bay’s start of humpback and gray whale seasons, said Jim Harvey, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories director.

“It’s not unusual to have killer whales here, but in a normal year you get three to eight at a time. They’ll leave and another group will come in,” Harvey said.

Orcas hunt like wolves, said Harvey — as a highly orchestrated, tactical attack team.

Similar to other dolphins, orcas use high-frequency squeaks, to not only locate their prey, but also determine its size, species and even density. Orcas squeak for another purpose, too: communication.

“They’re basically talking to each other in whatever language killer whales use, which, of course, we don’t know,” Harvey said. “But they’re able to synchronize with each other and understand what the other individuals are doing in orchestrating a kill.”

Orcas are known for attacking from below but can strike from any direction, said Harvey. The Monterey Bay crossing is a particularly dangerous leg of gray whales’ seasonal journey from Mexico to Alaska, because of the deep Monterey Canyon, about half a mile offshore.

Experienced gray whale mothers push their young close to shore, past Watsonville and Santa Cruz. Those that venture into deeper waters are vulnerable to more angles of attack, said Harvey.

Orcas are also known for chomping off the tongue of gray whale calves, said Harvey, likely because it makes the whale bleed to death faster than other wounds, he guessed.

“When I find a dead gray whale the first thing I do is I go look at the tongue, and if it is missing, I know it was killed by a killer whale,” Harvey said.

Marine photographer Dale Frink from Orange County was one of about two dozen guests aboard a Sanctuary Cruises tour Monday. He wore a killer whale T-shirt, and on his left shoulder he had a large, colorful tattoo of a breaching orca.

“I come up here because Monterey Bay is the best place in California to see a killer whale,” Frink said.

Orcas eat any mammal they can get their teeth on, including porpoises and sea lions, and Monterey Bay, known as the “Serengeti of the Sea,” is a hot spot for orca prey. The tour boat sped past dolphins, seals and dozens of spouting humpback whales, to reach what guides call “Orca Al- ley,” a spot about 10 miles offshore Moss Landing, where orcas wait to ambush gray whale calves as they cross into deep waters.

“It goes against all your instincts to drive past (the other whales),” said Frink. “It is a humpback, dude. They’re chowing down — but guess who else is chowing down.”