20 killer whales show up off California coast in unexpected encounter

A whale watching group with Pacific Offshore Expeditions (POE) saw a group of 20 orcas, also referred to as killer whales, near the northern Channel Islands on Sunday, May 17.

The whale family was seen about 80 miles from the Channel Islands harbor, where POE has taken whale watching groups out of since December 2023.

According to a Facebook post by POE, it was a pretty energetic day for some of the whales.

Some orcas were seen doing backflips and engaging in “horseplay” that soaked the boat several times.

Additionally, passengers got to see a humpback whale do 20 jumps.

Weather conditions are not always a determinant of whether or not whales will be spotted.

On Saturday, May 16, a group of whale watchers took to the same seas to see orcas of their own. But none were observed even with the better weather conditions that day.

“Just the luck of the draw,” POE’s post read.

POE typically hosts its whale-watching tours from Labor Day to Memorial Day. The company usually takes groups through San Miguel and Santa Rosa, which are part of the Channel Islands National Park.

The number of killer whales, or lack thereof, that whale watchers see on a given day varies.

On May 11 and May 12, passengers saw 10 orcas. Weeks before that, one lucky group saw 30 killer whales.

But even though May 16 passengers saw no whales, and most groups will not see 30, whale watchers will typically see some action on their trip.

This is because orcas love the Channel Islands, POE’s website says, and there are several reasons why.

Firstly, the Channel Islands are quite windy. Wind causes ocean waters to upwell, which supports food chains and productivity.

This ocean is also a great spot for orcas to wait out the winter season.

While other oceans in the area are not productive from November to March, the Channel Islands’ waters remain busy thanks to their proximity to warm southern waters.

“The California Coast has a north-south orientation with homogeneous bathymetry until the Channel Islands. Amongst the islands, upwelling and food chains can become more dynamic and concentrated, leading to higher prey density for killer whales,” the explanation on POE’s website reads.

Orcas also flock there because the ocean is home to hundreds of thousands of sea lions and seals. These are the killer whales’ primary source of food.

The ocean is home to over 200,000 California sea lions, over 13,000 northern fur seals, more than 5,000 harbor seals, and 150,000 elephant seals.