Encounter 36 - December 12, 2021

A seldom encountered group of 5 Bigg's transient killer whales, including adult female CA122, her eldest daughter CA122A (with juvenile CA122A2 and calf CA122A3), and her adult son CA122C. Shortly after 11am, fisherman Richard Hooper encountered 5 killer whales that were actively hunting common dolphin between Scorpion Anchorage and oil platform Gail, a few miles east of Scorpion Bay, Santa Cruz Island. The dolphins were fleeing; then the killer whales popped up, briefly chased them, and killed one dolphin. Hooper said that the dolphin hunt, kill, and feeding took only about a minute. Then the killer whales headed east toward Anacapa Island. Condor Express Whale Watching (with photographer Adam Ernster and Juan Morales) arrived on scene within 30 minutes. The killer whales chased the large group (~1000) of common dolphin), and soon killed another dolphin close to the boat. The whales were socializing and spyhopping after the kill. The dive boat Raptor (with Evan Brodsky and Capt. Alex Legaspi) arrived 10 minutes after the Condor Express, and stayed with the killer whales until 1344; the whales were mostly surface traveling, and some came close to the boat.
Encounter summary by CKWP Lead Research Biologist, Alisa Schulman-Janiger.
*Thanks so much to those who sent their photos and videos to us!
**Photos: female CA122A spyhops and chases common dolphin, Family photo (CA122C, CA122, CA122A3, and CA122A), CA122 and son CA122C (by Adam Ernster, on Condor Express); CA122A and calf CA122A3 (by Juan Morales, on Condor Express).