Pod of orcas spotted hunting dolphins off the Los Angeles coast with their calves - the first sighting for tourist cruise boat in TWO years

Whale watchers in California received a pleasant surprise as a pod of orcas appeared for the first time in two years. 

The Eastern Tropical Pacific pod with nearly 12 killer whales, including two calves, had been seen in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. 

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is a sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Harbor Breeze Cruises spotted the black and white killer whales on their first trip around midday on Monday and posted pictures of the pod on their Facebook page.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific pod with nearly 12 killer whales, including two calves, had been seen in the Palos Verdes Peninsula

Harbor Breeze Cruises spotted the black and white killer whales around midday on Monday and posted pictures of the lot on their Facebook page

The pod was sighted again at around 3pm by Harbor Breeze, but the whales were busy hunting dolphins this time

The pod was sighted again at around 3pm by Harbor Breeze, but the whales were busy hunting dolphins this time. 

'These are mammal-eating orcas and they were actively hunting dolphins yesterday. They ended up killing two dolphins,' said Jessica Rodriguez of Newport Coastal Adventures, another whale-watching charter that spotted the orcas.  

In a video posted by one of the whale watchers, which they called a 'once in a lifetime experience', the animal is seen jumping in and out of the water. 

According to the Orange County Register, this pod of orcas typically spends time off Mexico and rarely ever travel to Southern California.

In a video posted by one of the whale watchers, which they called a 'once in a lifetime experience', the animal is seen jumping in and out of the water

This pod of killer whales was last seen in July 2019 while they chased and hunted a pod of 20 to 30 dolphins

Orcas usually travel in pods with up to 40 individuals. Each pod makes its specific clicking sound, allowing members to recognize each other easily.

Out of the three kinds of killer whales, it is estimated that close to 200 Transient orcas reside off the California coast and prefer to hunt marine mammals. 

Orcas are also one of the most unpredictable marine mammals – showing up sporadically, making their recent appearances even more special.

This pod of killer whales was last seen in July 2019 while they chased and hunted a pod of 20 to 30 dolphins.