A newborn false killer whale takes its first breath alongside a Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari boat, seconds after its birth March 19 off the coast of Dana Point. Photo: Tom Teles/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari
By Andrea Swayne
On March 19, whale watchers aboard a Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari catamaran witnessed the live birth of a baby false killer whale.
According to Captain Tom Southern, the boat was near a pod of about 40 of the whales when one of the animals came up close alongside the boat. The whale pushed up against the vessel and there was a sudden burst of blood in the water as the calf was born.
A false killer whale makes its debut alongside a Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari boat, seconds after its March 19 birth off the coast of Dana Point. Photo: Lisa Brown/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari
“The whole group huddled around the calf, and they spent the next 10 to 12 minutes taking turns pushing the calf to the surface while the newborn learned how to swim,” Southern said.
Captain Dave Anderson said his most recent encounter with false killer whales was in March 2014 and that prior to that, they had not been seen in local waters for nearly a decade.