California Killer Whale Project

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California Killer Whale Project

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Our mission is to continue the long term study of the ecology, natural history, and conservation of killer whales along the California coast.

We have been studying orcas since the 1980s and have the longest standing record of orcas along the west coast - more than 66 years of data! Contribute to our research by sending us any orca sightings along California! Visit our website submission form or email us your info and photos to help us continue our long-term research.

10/09/2026

New Bigg’s Killer Whale Encounter Reports: the CA51s (aka “The Friendly Pod”) make their way around southern and central California! On September 18, 2026, we received a report of the CA51s (Star’s family) hunting common dolphins off Anacapa Island! (They were likely seen the previous day, off Goleta). Island Packers spotted them in the same area off Anacapa Island on September 26th – with Venus’s matriline, the CA49Cs. Island Packers, Condor Express, and Santa Barbara Whale Watching spotted this same group on September 27th in the Santa Barbara Channel. Drone footage by Adam Ernster (Santa Barbara Whale Watch) depicted adult male CA51C Bumper exhibiting mating behavior with 7-year-old juvenile male CA49C1! (Note: male interactions are frequently seen in killer whales, but rarely caight on drone footage). Alex Lagaspi encountered the CA51s near Anacapa Island on September 28th. THEN, the CA51s headed up to Monterey Bay! On October 6th, multiple vessels encountered them - with the CA216Cs! At first, CA51C Bumper was by himself, chasing a few sea lions. Then his family came together - along with CA216C and her calf, CA216C2. During the afternoon, the killer whales hunted long-beaked common dolphin! On October 7th and 8th, these same two families were still in Monterey Bay! There are so many cool killer whale sightings are happening around California: this is a great time to get out on a boat!
Photos 1-3 by Susanne Meyer aboard Condor Express Condor Express Whale Watching on 9/27/2026 and photos 4-6 by Warren Asher Warren Asher on 10/6/26 and 10/8/26 aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch Monterey Bay Whale Watch

09/18/2026

The CA51A-palooza is upon us! The Monterey Bay has been privileged lately to host a high number of killer whales, mostly centered around the CA51A pod and CA50B. The high number of sightings and individuals started on September 7th, 2026 when members of the CA27Es were seen intermixed with the 6 members of the CA51As and CA50B in 3 separate groups as they foraged and worked their way east to celebrate. On the 11th, all 10 members were observed fusing and forming interesting groups of juveniles and females (with male CA50B as well). The fun continued on September 14th when the CA27Es, CA51As, and CA50B were observed mixed with the 5 members of the CA140Bs (“Louise’s” pod) as they preyed on California sea lions, long-beaked common dolphins, and some of the CA51A juveniles were documented harassing common murres. That’s 15 killer whales for those of you keeping score! On September 15th and 16th, only the CA51As and CA50B were observed in the inner Monterey submarine canyon as they continued to predate on sea lions, common dolphins, and harassing common murres. On Sept 17th, only the CA51A2’s, CA51A2 “Andi” and CA51A2A “Astrid” were seen at first, but were later joined by CA50B as they continued their hunting antics. Are the sightings winding down based on the number of individuals? Unlikely; in fact it could not be a better time to get on the water in Monterey Bay if you have always wanted to see wild killer whales! Here are a selection of beautiful photos from photographer Morgan Quimby Morgan Quimby aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch Monterey Bay Whale Watch taken over the last week and a half. If you have photos from these days or any others featuring California killer whales, you can always submit them to our website.

09/15/2026

New Encounter Report: CA140Bs near Muir Beach and the Farallon Islands on September 5, 2026! When we first noticed them they were interacting with three humpback whales. The humpbacks started using our boat as a shield and the orca lost interest. They moved off and started traveling quickly to the north. When we caught up to them we noticed they were in pursuit of a harbor porpoise. The chase didn’t last long they quickly cornered the porpoise. Once the porpoise was injured and exhausted after being hit by the adults a few times, the older individuals backed off and let the younger ones come in to hone their hunting skills ramming and throwing the porpoise into the air. They were down for a few minutes, before resurfacing and engaging in celebration behavior at the surface near the boat. We were so excited to witness such an incredible encounter. Encounter write up and photos by Michael Pierson Michael Pierson aboard Oceanic Society Oceanic Society - thank you so much for sharing!

09/11/2026

New Encounter Reports: the end of August and early September! There have been a number of exciting killer whale encounters lately, and all along the California coast! On August 25th, lone male CA286 “Alvaro” was documented by Sean McAllister in almost 3,300 feet of water, 21 miles off the coast of Cape Mendocino in the northern extreme of California. This mysterious male has only been seen a handful of times and he is often seen in very deep water canyons.
The Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales have also recently been thoroughly documented off of San Diego, the southern extreme of Californian waters, on August 30th, Sept 1st, 2nd, and 9th! The whales were boat friendly and hunted at least one common dolphin calf, likely a few others.
On September 3rd, CA50B “Jimmy” was seen off Moss Landing, this time by Blue Ocean Whale Watch, where he was observed taking down a California sea lion. Late on the same day, 3 other killer whales were encountered briefly by Discovery Whale Watch but identifications have not been made yet.
We have several more sightings of killer whales to post, so stay tuned!
Photos of CA50B Jimmy from September 3, 2026 by Daniel Bianchetta Daniel Bianchetta aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch

09/03/2026

New Encounter Report: Bigg's Killer Whales in Monterey Bay on August 24th, 2026! We encountered the trio of CA138B, CA138B1, and CA138C traveling northwest around the Soquel canyon area of the bay. They were relaxed and doing minimal zigzagging and taking average dive times. After traveling with the pod for a little while, we noticed several large pods of long-beaked common dolphin to the north of the pod, in the direction the killer whales had been traveling for most of the encounter. Once we started getting closer and closer to the dolphins, the pod started increasing their dive times a bit, and only a few times did we see a somewhat energetic surfacing (mostly from the calf perhaps to keep up with the adults traveling faster under the surface). However, it seemed much calmer than other pursuits during a hunt than seen previously. As the killer whales got closer, the common dolphin pods scattered in all directions, porpoising fast to the east and west. With every surfacing we expected the killer whales to be punting a dolphin, but they still surfaced in a seemingly calm and unmotivated manner. Oddly enough, the pod repeatedly would surface and then calmly put on the brakes and double back away from the dolphin pod! They did this same pattern after surfacing 4-5 times. We didn’t even know if they were hunting or not based on their demeanor and behavior at the surface, but we got a brief look at intact dolphin lungs resting on the water and a brief look at the rostrum of a dolphin as a killer whale surfaced with it pushed on its rostrum, giving us the only confirmation that they had likely been hunting below the surface the entire time. It was very interesting to see this difference in hunting strategy on the same species between this trio and the CA140Bs in mid-July who displayed dramatic aerial punting and chasing of the common dolphin. It could be due to the massive difference in common dolphin pod size between the two encounters. The pod Louise and family hunted was only about 10-20 individuals, while for the trip on August 24th, there were several pods of commons that totaled around 500-800 dolphins. The wide selection perhaps made it easier for the trio to hunt more sneakily subsurface. Once the trio successfully hunted the dolphin, there was some subtle prey sharing seen at the surface but mostly happened sub surface and the only real celebration or curious behavior during the encounter was one spy hop shortly after the dolphin was hunted.
Photos by Morgan Quimby

08/27/2026

New Encounter Reports for August 2026 in the Monterey Bay area! On August 11th, killer whales were located by captain Andrew Zazeski of Discovery Whale Watch off the coast of 17 Mile Drive near Monterey Bay. The first whale quickly identified was 17-year old male CA113A. He was traveling with his mother, CA113, male CA20 “Glacier” who is at least 59 years old, and his female associate CA177 who is at least 39 years old. Notably absent was CA54 who is the likely mother of CA20. However, as she was documented in good condition in June, 2026 we will wait for a couple more encounters before CA54 is declared missing. On the following day, August 12th, the CA216Bs were located near the same area of the coast by Captain Duke from Princess Monterey Whale Watching. They were quickly identified thanks to the distinct dorsal fin of matriarch CA216B “Jagged.” Each time we see CA216B1 “Jaz”’s sprouting dorsal, it seems to be larger and larger! They were moving quickly to the south. On August 15th, CA10 “Obi-Wan,” who is at least 62 years old, was submitted to iNaturalist, eBird, and the CKWP website (hurray community science!) when he was encountered on a pelagic bird trip out of Santa Cruz. Thank you to Abram Fleishman who submitted photos of Obi-Wan. Then, on August 17th, Joey Stagnaro from Sanctuary Whale Watch located CA50B “Jimmy” around the Moss Landing harbor. He was noted as being evasive and not in the mood to be watched so he was left to forage on most likely California Sea Lions. As summer yields to fall we expect a seasonal increase in killer whale sightings along the coast, so keep your eyes open and let us know if you see anything!
Photos by Lauren Reid aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch on 8/11/26.

08/19/2026

New Encounter Report: CA27s tour the Pacific Northwest! On July 27th 2026, Brooke McKinley received a report from a friend of orcas outside of Deception Pass. Very quickly CA27C was identified upon examining photos! Later, so was matriarch CA27 and her youngest living calf, CA27F. This is the first record of the CA27s in the Salish Sea! The T036/T036Bs, T069E, and T137A were also identified traveling with the CA27s. The group was observed pushing eastbound under the Deception Pass Bridge and then into Similk Bay. By the time Brooke (aboard Outer Island Excursions) caught up with them, the whales had turned around and were now westbound, making a bee-line back toward the bridge. The group decided to get into even tighter quarters, opting for Canoe Pass—a notoriously narrow gap just 70 feet wide. Whale watching vessels took Deception pass and met them on the other side, continuing their cruise north along Fidalgo Island. The group was left heading northwest. The group later cruised right past Washington Park, treating thrilled onlookers on the rocks to an incredibly close pass. The whales were loosely spread out across the water, with T137A bit further out from the main group. Onlookers were treated to a heartwarming “cuddle puddle” from a few members of the T036 family, followed by a spyhop from CA27F. Eventually, they grouped back up and headed northbound toward Bellingham Bay. The next morning on July 28th, fins were spotted outside Cap Sante Marina. Soon after a water taxi confirmed the sighting as the whales rounded Washington Park. A nearby eco-tour boat got on scene and officially confirmed the IDs: the three California Bigg’s were together, but this time without the company of the rest of the group from the prior day. They traveled south of Lopez Island at incredible speed all day and a distinct southwest direction out into open waters. What an incredible encounter! Photos and encounter writeup by Brooke McKinley Brooke McKinley

07/27/2026

New Encounter Report: Orcas in Monterey Bay...hunting long-beaked common dolphin! On July 19th, the beloved CA140Bs were spotted outside of Moss Landing with CA50B (who is most typically seen with the CA51As) early in the morning. They traveled together to the west and eventually the CA140Bs split off and made several playful close passes to several whale watching boats. The encounter was fairly calm until a small pod of around 20 long-beaked common dolphins started traveling right towards the killer whale from the north, seemingly unaware of their presence. The whale watching vessels were floored when they began punting several of the adult common dolphins from the pod into the air to injure and immobilize them. Right away our colleagues on the Blackfin spotted a very young, likely newborn, common dolphin surfacing fast among the pod. The mother dolphin may have been hunted by the killer whales, or the young dolphin was separated in the chaos. However, the common dolphin was observed swimming with the CA140Bs for hours; from around 10:30AM to 3:30PM! Most of the time, the calf traveled in echelon position (slightly behind and adjacent to larger individuals to utilize their slip-stream) with CA140B2 “Bee”. Sometimes it seemed the calf was trying to sneak away, only to be corralled back by the killer whales, and many times the calf started to fall behind and seemed to be trying to keep up with the killer whales if they picked up speed! However, it did not seem that the CA140Bs intended to consume the dolphin for a long time, until CA140B “Louise,” CA140B1 “Stinger,” and CA140B4 “Bumble” split off to continue foraging. When one of the adult killer whales began punting another adult common dolphin into the air, the remaining killer whales CA140B2 “Bee” and CA140B3 “Buzz” began getting far rougher with the young common dolphin calf. They rammed the common dolphin calf, flicking it into the air, and even surfacing with the dolphin calf in their mouths! However, there were no visible injuries on the calf noted. Later in the day, the killer whales returned to the east, still with the dolphin calf traveling with them! Eventually, CA50B Jimmy rejoined the pod from the west, and CA140B2 “Bee” left the common dolphin calf to an unknown fate. The group went back to hunting common dolphins in the inner submarine canyon until late in the evening. The next day, July 20th, the group of 6 was seen hunting common dolphins in the morning, this time with CA50B getting more involved. This exciting encounter has received a lot of attention, and for good reason! Dolphin hunts are more rare to witness than other predations in Monterey area due to the fast-nature of the encounters and the infrequency of certain prey species like common and Pacific white-sided dolphins. Incredible photos by Morgan Quimby (1-6) and Dane McDermott (7-11) aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch

07/20/2026

New Encounter Report: orcas near Monterey Bay on the 4th of July! In the late morning, occasionally-lone male CA49B “Richie” was spotted with the CA122Bs, CA122Ds and at least some members of the CA212s. As they traveled south, they gave several of the whale watching boats great looks. Eventually, they went as far south as Point Lobos State Park and began attempting to take down a young California sea lion. As the sea lion took refuge under several of the boats, they provided a great opportunity for documentation! There were some individuals spotted out towards the horizon that have yet to be identified. Amazingly, 2 humpbacks began charging through the predation attempt, likely trying to disrupt the killer whales hunting. Eventually, a couple more humpbacks came in to assist the young sea lion, and while it was unclear if the killer whales succeeded in their hunt, they did begin traveling southwest until the boats could no longer observe them. What an incredible encounter during the holiday! Photos by CKWP Research Volunteer Dane McDermott Dane McDermott aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch

07/17/2026

New Encounter Report: the CA51As, CA50B, and a special appearance by the CA220s in Monterey Bay, CA! On 6/29/2026, the CA51As and CA50B were on the north side of the bay hunting sea lions. There was lots of surface activity, including breaching and tail slaps! CA51A3A Nova also practiced some hunting techniques with a northern fulmar, which can be very helpful for young whales while learning. On 7/3/2026, the CA51As and CA50B were back again, this time with the CA220s! Once again, there was so much surface behavior! From young whales breaching, to even a male killer whale breaching, the day was so much fun! There was also some pe**le display by both males in the CA220 matriline. The CA220s are not around very often, and this was only their 4th known encounter EVER! This matriline consists of matriarch CA220, and her two sons, CA220A and CA220B.
Check out these incredible photos by photographer Morgan Quimby Morgan Quimby, aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch on 7/3/26.
Don’t forget to check out our brand new field guide, which includes 271 individuals from this population! It is free to download from our website at www.californiakillerwhaleproject.com/field-guides

Address

99 Pacific Street, Suite 200L
Monterey, CA
93940

Website

http://californiakillerwhaleproject.org/

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