Video Shows Orca Attacking Dolphin Off San Diego Coast

SAN DIEGO, CA — A killer whale was recently captured on video attacking a dolphin off the coast of San Diego.

The footage, shared by Gone Whale Watching and shot by Erica Sackrison, shows the animal butting the dolphin with its head as it jumps above the water line Dec. 18.

The attack marked the tour operation’s third encounter with killer whales — or orcas — in 2023 and was the ninth-ever dolphin hunt that its operators and guests had seen, Gone Whale Watching said in an Instagram post.

“While it would be easy to feel sorry for the dolphin, we’d feel just as bad if we found a starving orca,” the post said. “In the ocean it’s eat or be eaten, and normally these common dolphins are near the top of the food chain! However, only one species can truly be the apex predator, and the apex predator wears black and white!”

The whale that attacked the dolphin was teaching a baby orca to hunt, subduing the dolphin so the young whale could attempt to catch it, according to NBC News, which added the whales were in a pod of six Eastern Tropical Pacific Orcas, which are often found near Mexico but are rarer off California.