After the hunt on Monday, Biagini said the orcas started to approach boats and poke their heads out of the water to see what is going on — a behavior known as spy hopping.

A transient orca identified as a 17-year-old male took Deb Syna and her family by surprise Tuesday, June 29, when it pushed their 17-foot boat around near Elger Bay.

The sea lion nearly caused the boat to flip over. Orcas, or killer whales, are known for feasting on sea lions and seals. The apex predators have fearsome hunting techniques.

A group of orcas off the coast of California has honed a brutal set of hunting skills. Trapping prey near an underwater canyon, they flip, drown, ram, and slap their targets to death.

Video shows the whales swimming through the water, trying to keep up with the boat. One whale even does a flip while swimming. The men said they saw about four or five whales who chased the boat ...

A group of orcas off the coast of California has honed a brutal set of hunting skills. Trapping prey near an underwater canyon, they flip, drown, ram, and slap their targets to death. Killer whales ...

Christopher has been on an orca kick lately—and I hope whatever story he writes will include at least a parenthetical rumination on how sudden obsessions develop—so I hope he enjoys this gif ...

Too many boats with inexperienced operators around a pod of orcas runs the risk of impeding their hunting behavior or potentially hitting them, said Schulman-Janiger.

A group of orcas off the coast of California has honed a brutal set of hunting skills. Trapping prey near an underwater canyon, they flip, drown, ram, and slap their targets to death. Killer whales ...