Environment

Rare tropical orca pod spotted off Newport Beach

Whale watchers saw Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas that experts say are more commonly found in warmer waters off Mexico.

Image credit: NOAA Fisheries, public domain; archival photograph of an orca pod, not the September 2026 Newport Beach sighting

A whale-watching group spotted a pod of orcas off Newport Beach on September 28, ABC7 Los Angeles reported the following day. Experts identified the animals as Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, a population more commonly associated with warmer waters off Mexico.

What it means locally

ABC7 reported that El Niño conditions and Pacific storms, including Hurricane Polo well to the south, have coincided with unusual marine-wildlife sightings and larger waves along Southern California. NOAA Fisheries notes that orcas occur in every ocean, including tropical and subtropical waters, but sightings of this population off Orange County are unusual. The accompanying NOAA Fisheries photograph is archival and shows a generic orca pod; it does not depict the whales seen near Newport Beach.

Full report and further details: Read original report →