Facing my irrational fears

[Iceman]

maybe I need to go fish Redondo next week...........maybe not

These guys were seen off Newport the next couple days too.

Incidents with wild orca

There are few recorded cases of wild orcas threatening humans.^[5][6]
Point Sur, seen from the north on Highway 1

• In 1894 the Jackson–Harmsworth Expedition to Baffin Island recorded that on the 12th of May a midshipman was 'dragged from an ice flow by a black whale' and was subsequently not seen again. The ship's physician, Reginald Koettlitz, later confirmed this to be a killer whale.^[7]
• In the 1910s, the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.^[8] In this case the whales may have mistaken the dogs' barking for seal calls and grown curious.^[8]
• On June 15, 1972, the hull of the 43-foot-long (13 m) wooden schooner Lucette (Lucy) was stove in by a pod of killer whales and sank approximately 200 miles west of the Galapagos Islands. The group of six people aboard escaped to an inflatable life raft and a solid-hull dinghy.^[9]
• On September 9, 1972,^[10] a Californian surfer named Hans Kretschmer reported being bitten by a killer whale at Point Sur; most maintain that this remains the only fairly well-documented instance of a wild orca biting a human.^[11][12] His wounds required 100 stitches.^[12]
• In August 2005, while swimming in four feet of water in Helm Bay, near Ketchikan, Alaska, a 12-year-old boy named Ellis Miller was "bumped" in the shoulder by a 25-foot transient killer whale.^[11][13] The boy was not bitten or injured in any way. The bay is frequented by harbor seals, and it is possible that the whale misidentified him as prey.^[13]
• During the filming of the third episode of the BBC documentary Frozen Planet (2011), a group of orcas were filmed trying to "wave wash"^[14] the film crew's 18-foot zodiac boat as they were filming. The crew had earlier taped the group hunting seals in the same fashion. It was not mentioned if any of the crew were hurt in the encounter.^[15] The crew described the orcas as being very tolerant of the film makers' presence. Over the course of 14 days they filmed over 20 different attacks on seals, many of which the film's series producer Vanessa Berlowitz describe as training exercises for the young calves in the group.^[16][17]
• On February 10, 2014, a free diver in Horahora Estuary near Whangarei, New Zealand was pulled down for over 40 seconds by a killer whale that grabbed a bag containing crayfish and urchins, which was attached to his arm by a rope. The rope eventually came free. He then undid his weight belt and returned to the surface with his last breath. His arm was "dead" and he could no longer swim, but his cousin was nearby and helped him float to some rocks where the feeling in his arm returned.^[18][19][20]

[tsugg]

And to think, I'm feeling guilty for not fishing BECAUSE of the rain. Wow maybe football today!! Lol

Great video!!!

[Bert Vega]

I would need new shorts for sure.

[FISH11]

I would not intentionally seek out Orcas but if I saw some while fishing in my Kayak, I hope I would stay calm and be able to shoot some video or take picture like I have when Grey Whales came close. That certainly would be an unforgettable although scary experience.

[FlyFishinYakr]

Which way were they headed?
I remember back around '83-84 we ("Redondo Special") were fishing just inside "the point" (Rocky Point) catching bass, and .
We had been harassed all morning by seals but as soon as we spotted a pod of about 5 breaking the water, it wasn't long for the seals to realize the Killer Whales were in the area and it looked like a stampede as EVERY ONE of them hauled @$$ towards the safety of the harbor!
Once they left we continued to catch fish without any further harassment.
I don't know if they are a danger to surfers and Kayakers. I don't recall any incidents of death from an attack but I do recall hearing of one bumping a kayaker hard enough to knock the person out of the kayak but NOT attacking the kayaker. I also remember a marine biologist being interviewed about the incident stating that the Whale probably mistook the kayak for a floating toy and was probably playing with it.
I sure would like to know more though as there have been more sightings along the Southern California coast in recent years (especially this year so far).
Maybe a contact with the LJ Scripps Institute or Monterey Bay Aquarium might be in order!
FFY

Thanks for that information Andy. I stand corrected/informed!
FFY

[yemff]

good maybe theyll get some sea lions

[Irishman]

Most amazing animals, I'd love to see them at la Jolla once in a while

[eddier68]

South of Imperial Beach ( Playas de Tijuana) about a month or so ago

[Teambcw]

Is that killer whale kicking that Dolphins ass?

[kareem korn]

You'd just be a squeeky toy to them.

[crazywakeboarder]

Originally Posted by Teambcw

Is that killer whale kicking that Dolphins ass?

Some pods of killer whales have been documented hunting dolphins. They single one out and take turns chasing it. Once they tire the dolphin out they will eat it

It would make sense that as the population of sea lions off of California continues to get larger that it will support larger predators such as killer whales. They may start showing up after the breading season to go after the young. It will be interesting to watch if such a change happens

[Silbaugh4liberty]

Is that why I didn't see A SINGLE SEA LION today at La Jolla from 0600-1130, or are the seals just afraid of the rain too??

I watched a Documentary of the Santa Monica Orca pod that was eating Great Whites, making the tax man non-existent for quite some time.

Thanks for sharing.

[surfisher]

Wow that is some insane footage! Personally, I think if you aren't doing anything crazy and aren't following them, hopefully they will just cruise by you. Definitely would be an awesome experience!