The black-and-white, sleek killer whales came cruising up the coast, a sight that brought excitement for the marine mammals not typically seen in local waters.
The Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas were spotted early Monday about five miles off Dana Point, heading north by the afternoon to near Newport Beach and then passing Huntington Beach.
It’s unknown whether they’ll be back off Orange County, but that unpredictability is what makes the orcas so mysterious. A pod will be reported off the coast occasionally, but with no regularity. In January 2025, a pod was spotted that hadn’t been documented in the area before.
An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. (Courtesy of Gabe Berghouse, Dana Wharf)
Kristen Merjanian and her daughter, Olivia Merjanian, 4, check out Orcas in the waters off Newport Beach while on a Dana Wharf whale watching trip on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. (Courtesy of Gabe Berghouse, Dana Wharf)
An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sightseers aboard a boat from Newport Landing Sportfishing check out Orcas in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kim Perino, left, Kathie Perino, along with their daughter, Kristen Merjanian and granddaughter, Olivia Merjanian, 4, listen as Laura Lopez talks about whales at the start of their trip to see Orcas on a Dana Wharf whale watching trip on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Winger Jones keeps an eye out for Orcas in the waters off Newport Beach while on a Dana Wharf whale watching trip on Monday, September 28, 2026. Jones drove from Menifee to see the Orcas after failing to see them on a whale watching trip earlier in the day in San Diego. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Naturalist and photographer Laura Lopez talks about whales at the start of a trip to see Orcas on a Dana Wharf whale watching trip on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ryder Demoe, 4, looks for Orcas in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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An Orca swims in the waters off Newport Beach on Monday, September 28, 2026. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orca pod has about 13 members cruising the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
This pod of orcas, typically found off Mexico and Costa Rica and as far south as Peru, were last seen by local whale watching boats in January 2024. They’ve been hanging out off San Diego recently, so whale watching charters were on the lookout.
“It’s so exciting. Everyone drops everything they are doing to rush down, they know it’s a chance-of-a-lifetime sighting,” said Donna Kalez, manager of Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, who also jumped on an afternoon boat to get a glimpse of the pod of 13 orcas, including two calves.
Dana Wharf Capt. Steve Burkhalter said the pod was moving steadily up the coast. The orcas would come up, take a series of breaths, then stay down for 4 to 5 minutes before surfacing again, he said.
“It’s always a cool treat,” said Burkhalter, who hasn’t seen orcas in local waters for several years.
Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas are known to be “elusive and still poorly understood.” Unlike some of the killer whale populations found in colder waters, these whales appear to have a much more generalist diet, taking advantage of a wide variety of prey including dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and even other whales, according to Dana Wharf naturalist Laura Lopez.
They also have a distinctive appearance, with very faint saddle patches compared to many of the more temperate North Pacific killer whales.
For the charter passengers, it was a trip to remember, Burkhalter said.
“They are stoked. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these people,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know or expect they can see them here, so it’s a highlight for everyone when it happens.”