12/31/2023
Yesterday we hit the offshore gold mine on the backside of San Miguel Island! A pod of Killer Whales, but not just any Orca. These were shark and fish eating specialists, which are referred to as "Offshore Killer Whales". They range from the Aleutian Islands to Northern Baja California. But as their name implies, they are most often found in deep, offshore water and rarely sighted.
Despite significant swell impacting the coastline, our trip 60 miles offshore was uneventful from a weather perspective. The swells were tall but very spaced apart. We enjoyed watching this pod of 12 to 20 animals (we are still counting them up as photos are analyzed) for over 90 minutes before it was time to head back to the harbor.
Notably we witnessed several predations upon blue sharks, including a very animated chase involving a much larger and formidable mako shark. Our drone was able to confirm the mako shark got away from the orcas despite having been injured in the hunt.
It was an unexpected and very rewarding experience for all aboard to be able to encounter the rarest Killer Whale ecotype on the West Coast... the Offshores!
Photos by Capt. Ryan
