iStockphoto
Orcas have long been known to travel through the Gulf of Mexico but they are arguably the marine species that is most rarely seen in the Gulf. But a lifelong friend of mine who is a ship captain here in Florida just witnessed a pod of orcas in the Gulf of Mexico surrounding another whale species in what is possibly a moment of predation but it is hard to tell.
This sighting of the orca pod in the Gulf occurred approximately due south of Pensacola and west of Naples, way out in the Gulf. As these videos were filmed from a large ship, they stayed far away from the pod of whales and the video was filmed through a set of binoculars, hence the portal-looking picture on one clip.
In the two videos, exclusive to BroBible, we can see one of the orcas clearly breach the water while another whale species can be seen amidst the pod. What we cannot see and what I suspect is a whale calf below the surface. There is no blood in the water so if there was active predation it had not begun yet:
While orca pod sightings aren’t unheard of in the Gulf of Mexico they are exceedingly rare. And the orcas that are spotted in the Gulf are transient/pelagic and always on the move, never in one place for too long. The waters of the southern Gulf get very warm in the late Spring, Summer, and Fall and it’s not an ideal clime for orcas who, as a species, prefer colder water.
There are rare orca sightings in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas often in the deepest of the Gulf waters where marine life is abundant and these whales can find easy meals.
While the true number of orcas in the Gulf of Mexico is unknown, a 2021 estimate from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggests there are ~267 killer whales in the Gulf. That is an oddly precise guess for for an unknown population that is always on the move.
Thankfully, these orcas don’t seem to be as angry as the pods in the Mediterranean that have been attacking luxury yachts for the past few years and no persons, whales, or boats were injured in the filming of these videos.