Whale watchers spotted about 70 short-finned pilot whales five miles off Newport Beach on Tuesday, Nov. 3 — the first documented local encounter since 2015, according to Davey’s Locker & Newport Landing Whale Watching.
Capt. Erica Page was the first to spot the pod during a whale-watching trip, according to KTLA. Jessica Rodriguez, education manager for Davey's Locker & Newport Landing Whale Watching in Newport Beach, confirmed the 11-year gap.
"For our crews, encountering approximately 70 of these remarkable animals just five miles off Newport Beach, after more than a decade without a documented local sighting, was truly unforgettable," Rodriguez said in a statement to KTLA.
Rodriguez told the OC Register the encounter was within reach of both the company's larger whale-watching vessels and smaller adventure boats operating out of Newport Beach.
Despite their name, short-finned pilot whales belong to the dolphin family. Rodriguez told KTLA the animals have a blunt, bulbous head resembling a cross between a beluga whale and a killer whale. Large males can reach 22 feet and 6,000 pounds, she said, making them one of the biggest dolphin species in local waters, just smaller than killer whales.
The animals typically prefer warmer, deeper offshore waters. Rodriguez said a strong El Niño now underway might be influencing the presence of these unusual visitors, though she added, "we cannot say for certain what brought them here."
That El Niño connection has historical echoes. The OC Register reported that the last local pilot whale sighting came during the 2014–2015 El Niño. The species was once common near Santa Catalina Island, where winter gatherings numbered in the hundreds, according to Capt. Dave's Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari. Their numbers declined dramatically in the 1980s, following major environmental changes associated with the 1982–83 El Niño and a sharp reduction in local market squid populations, an important food source, according to Capt. Dave's.
The pod appeared to linger. Donna Kalez, manager of Dana Wharf, told the OC Register the pilot whales were spotted again early Thursday, Nov. 5, about five miles outside Dana Point Harbor.
Capt. Matt Stumpf called the pilot whale a bucket-list species he had long hoped to see. "I've been whale watching out of Southern California for close to 20 years now, and I have never gotten to see pilot whales," he said in a statement reported by the OC Register.
Wildlife photographer Patrick Coyne was aboard to document the Nov. 3 encounter. He called it "one of the most incredible days I've had out on the water," the OC Register reported.
Research off Iceland has documented the related long-finned pilot whale approaching killer whales and sometimes prompting them to flee. Researchers say the interactions are complex and require further study.
