SAN DIEGO — A whale watching cruise got a very special Christmas surprise Monday. They were able to see a pod of orcas hunting off the coast of La Jolla.
"It was an amazing one time experience," said Deepti Sharma, who went on the cruise.
CBS 8 reported last week when the pod of whales was spotted near San Diego. They've stuck around and have now been seen multiple times.
"This is incredibly rare. I've got almost 700 days out at sea and have only seen them five times in the last four years," said Alison Moors, a naturalist with San Diego Whale Watch.
Moors says this pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas is from Mexico but will sometimes travel north to hunt.
"They have a brand new calf and two other youngsters with them so the theory is they're following their old hunting route while the matriarch teaches them how to hunt," she said.
The whale-watching cruise got to see it all happen. While orcas in other areas eat seals or fish, this pod preys on dolphins.
"In all honesty I was really rooting for the dolphin," said Aanya Sharma, who went whale watching.
It's unknown how long the pod will stick around in San Diego but if you've gotten a chance to see them, just know it's very special.
"They're wildly intelligent wildlife and deserve all the respect we can give them," Moors said.
WATCH RELATED: Binational efforts made to preserve humpback whale entangled in rope