A charter boat based in Destin, Florida, captured stunning video footage of a pod of orcas swimming in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday evening.
- The crew of the Charter Boat Lady Em spotted the killer whales heading south in the Desoto Canyon, a rare sighting in the area.
In a social media post, the Charter Boat Lady Em shared the incredible video, showcasing the majestic creatures as they navigated the waters of the Gulf.
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are not commonly seen in this region, making the encounter a truly remarkable experience for the boat’s crew and passengers.
The Desoto Canyon, located off the coast of the Florida Panhandle, is known for its diverse marine life. However, orca sightings in the Gulf of Mexico are uncommon, as these apex predators typically inhabit colder waters in other parts of the world.
12 Responses
Cool! Thanks! My cousin who lives near Dana Point says there have been all kinds of unusual orca sightings near there and also in San Diego. Although, in California they are near the beach. Near enough to be seen from the beach. She even sent a video of a surfer surfing next to an orca! Really crazy!
Those that you saw are False Killer Wales. Not true Orkas. Having commercial fished out of Destin, Fl for 40 years. We have seen False Killer Wales and Fin Wales, many times.
I am aware of the false killer whale, but I have to disagree, although its hard to tell by their appearance on this video, there are two things that differ from the False Killer Whale , the lack of larger percentage if white color, and the pod’s rate of travel speed
Maybe Melon headed or Pilot Whakes
Those are not false killer whales. Pseudorcas do not have white on their sides and their manner of breaking the water is flatter and less arching; they also have a very distinctive “explosive” forward re-entry after breaking.
They are not Orcas, Orcas have distinct dorsal fin that has been recorded by researchers for decades for I.D.
Dall’s porpoise
Jelly sharks. Look like they have blowholes but those are really a second mouth. Very dangerous and very rare. Wow!
Real! Dall’s porpoises don’t have the white circle around their eyes. Real orcas do.
Amazing!
Kinda hard to tell. Orcas usually have big dorsal fins. The one in video are small. Who knows!
I saw them this morning from our balcony 8-9-24 Destin, FL about 10 of them