A misty morning enveloped Privateer as we headed out of the jetties. All of a sudden, we got the report: black and whites! As we approached, we also had almost 1000 common dolphins off the bow. This is of course good news for the orcas as the commons are their main prey here off the CA coast. Sadly, bad news for the one common dolphin that was picked off from the pod. The matriarch was so proud of the hunt, she even showed off the kill to our passengers onboard!
I caught a little flak last time for saying watching orcas hunt was sad. Well, watching 1000 little heartbeats pass our boat in terror for their lives and the lives of their families IS sad. Of course orcas are predators and hunting is important for their families. But it is definitely the most dramatic and moving spectacle one can witness on the water. Sad is just a placeholder word for something deeper and more primordial when one beholds the wonders of nature.
Naturalist, Colleen
