Pod of orcas are spotted hunting dolphins close to swimmers and surfers off the California coast

Surfers and swimmers in California witnessed a rare event up close as a pod of orcas were seen hunting and ripping a dolphin apart near the coast. Footage from the moment shows a group of surfboarders off the coast of La Jolla in San Diego watching orcas jumping through the water As they quietly float on their boards in the water, the orcas are seen emerging near the end of a pier and throwing a dolphin out of water The pod then attacks and rips the mammal apart as it sinks into the water During this time, a man is heard saying: 'Oh my god, they are literally eating the dolphin.' A few seconds later, the pod is seen swimming off into deeper waters as a man quickly swims parallel to the killer whales The Eastern Tropical Pacific pod with nearly 12 killer whales, including two calves, had been seen in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. 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 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 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. 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.