Orcas Spotted off Point Vicente

A pod of orcas was spotted Tuesday less than a mile off the shores of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, according to Craig Stanton, who runs the out of the .

Passengers on Tuesday's 10 a.m. Voyager trip spotted a pod of seven orcas, commonly known as killer whales, "frolicking and dining on sea lions," Stanton said.

The size of the group correlates with a pod of orcas spotted during the first four days of January, researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger told Pete Thomas Outdoors.

That pod appeared to head north last week after briefly harassing a migrating gray whale.

The fact that the pod has reappeared in Southern California is notable. Usually, transient orcas are seen off Monterey in Northern California.

Contrary to popular belief, orcas aren't whales at all—they're the largest dolphins. Orcas can eat up to 5 percent of their body weight—about 500 pounds, on average—every day. They also swim up to 30 miles per hour.