Humpback Whales Chase Killer Whales Right Under A Boat



Published on Aug 25, 2014
Incredible close encounter when orcas dive under the Fast Raft in Monterey Bay and humpbacks slash their tail flukes at the predators. This interaction went on for about 45 minutes as up to 11 agitated humpbacks swarmed the area where the family of killer whales were finishing off a sea lion carcass.

We've seen this kind of interaction between humpbacks and killer whales before both in Monterey Bay (BBC filmed it, 2012) and in Antarctica, and it has been documented by several observers. That doesn't mean we can fully explain it! Like crows mobbing hawks, the humpbacks might just be harassing their primary predator.

Filmed by Captain & Naturalist Kate Spencer (katespencer.com), skipper of the Fast Raft (fastraft.com), on a 6-hour whale watching tour from Moss Landing, California, with visiting researchers from Deep Blue Conservancy and Ocean Friendly Whale Watching in Banderas Bay, Mexico.

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