they actually killed two calves. my old boss bill on the magellan was out there that day and got there just after the kill was over! mother nature at its best! the law of the ocean working at its best.

last year they came into the gulf and got into a couple of dolphins! weve seen them over at the abrohlos migrating north following the whales usually around may/june they definately have their migration pattern down pat! bill got some good footage of them in action.

Wicked photos! Shows the size of those humpbacks!

is cruel.. Do whales give birth to 2 calves, I've never seen it documented or mentioned before.

The brother inlaw has video footage of Killer whales doing the same off the back of Rottnest..

Awesome stuff!

WOW I didn't even think you got Killer Whales of the coast of Australia!

on our annual Coral Bay trips we'd see them once every 2nd trip. I'm sure the guys up there see them quite regularly.

And it's not cruel either, no different to anything else in nature that eats other animals IMO.

Its our perception that makes it cruel, but the Killers dont bite the calf to death, they exhuast and drown them (which sounds cruel). Thats just nature and the mayority of calves survive. Survival off the fitest.

Cruel is only when some Jap puts a harpoon in there head..

that's not cruel it's illegal

Agree 100% Rod.

It's like when you watch the cheetah going after the antelope or the lions after the zebra, you go for the antelope or zebra but when he gets caught it just shows an example of the circle of life. No cruelty just necessity.

Killer whales are incredible animals and I would love to see them and to know that some of you guys have seen em gives me hope for the future :)

hi guys    last year we were drifting between rotto and hillarys and had 2 killer whales come around the boat, they were considerably bigger than the 660 trailcraft sportscab i had then , very powerful animals for sure they were awesome to see!  cheers

Was surfing many many years ago at Secret Harbour (back when it was s secret) and  a pod of about 6 or so swam past us in the water. Maybe 100 feet away..

Worst thing was thought nothing of it as figured there where some kind of whale. It wasn't until we saw ourselves on the news from the helicopter that the penny dropped..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq6mVZXje9g

death happens in normal life, thats just very bad to watch feel for the whale(s)

 LIFE is not.It is a fantastic thing to see a whale in the wild.It is a mind blowing thing to be able to see killer whales hunting.They have being doing it for thousand of years and lets hope they are doing it for thousands more.

Can nature be cruel or is it only a human trait.  When killer whales 'play' with seal pups is that cruel?

Do they ever attack humans?

A few years back there were some up as far as Dampier.

There have been no recorded attacks in the wild. Strange considering they eat everything else available in the ocean.

I have however heard that the ones they keep in the tanks have killed trainers before. If I remember rightly one drowned a human.

Kileed his girl handler. I dont think he meant to but got overenthusiastic and drown her. He did get her by her arm and dragged her down and she drowned.

From "trusted" Wiki

There are a few recorded cases of wild orcas attacking humans; none of these have been fatal.[4][5]

Point Sur, seen from the north on Highway 1

• In the 1910s the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.[6] In this case the whales may have mistaken the dogs' barking for seal calls and grown curious.[6]

• On September 9, 1972,[7] a Californian surfer named Hans Kretschmer reported being bitten by a killer whale at Point Sur; most maintain that this remains the only fairly well-documented instance of a wild orca biting a human.[8][9] His wounds required 100 stitches.[9]

• In August 2005, while swimming in four feet of water in Helm Bay, near Ketchikan, Alaska a 12 year old boy named Ellis Miller was "bumped" in the shoulder by a 25 foot transient killer whale. The boy was not bitten or injured in any way. The bay is frequented by harbor seals, and evidently the whale initially misidentified him as prey.[4]

In 2004 a video purporting to show a Korean in a kayak being capsized by a jumping orca and surviving circulated the Internet; however according to folklorist David Mikkelson of snopes.com, this video is a fake originally made for a commercial for an energy drink

There have been several attacks on humans by captive killer whales, with some of them being fatal.

• In 1968, the young female orca, Lupa, of the New York Aquarium chased her trainers out of the tank, snapping her jaws threateningly. Trainers were cleaning the tank at the time of the incident.[11]

• In 1970, Cuddles, a male orca who resided in both the Dudley Zoo and Flamingo Park (now Flamingo Land) in England, became so aggressive towards his trainers, having attacked them twice, that his keepers were forced to clean his pool from the safety of a shark cage.[12]

• On April 20, 1971, SeaWorld secretary Annette Eckis was talked into riding the park's main attraction, a 10-year-old female orca named Shamu, at the park in San Diego, California as a publicity stunt. As the ride was coming to an end Eckis was suddenly thrown off the whale's back. The orca seized the woman by her leg and began pushing her through the water. Trainers on the side of the tank grabbed the young woman and attempted to pull her out of the water but the whale again grabbed a hold of the woman's leg and refused to let go. Shamu's jaws had to be pried apart with a pole in order to free her. Eckis was carried away on a stretcher and required 100 stitches to close the wounds she suffered. Shamu may have done this out of curiosity, as Eckis was wearing a bikini while riding the orca, instead of the traditional wet suit that is usually worn.[13]

• In the early 1970s, a Marine World California trainer, Jeff Pulaski, while riding a young female orca named Kianu during performances, was thrown off and chased out of the tank.[14]

• In the early 1970s, trainer Manny Velasco recalls both Hugo and Lolita of the Miami Seaquarium becoming aggressive, lunging and snapping at the trainers standing on the center work island ending the training session for the day.[15]

• In the early 1970s, during a water work session Hugo refused to allow trainer Chip Kirk to get out of the water, Kirk explains to a journalist from the Palm Beach Post. Hugo bit him several times on the arm bad enough to leave a scar which he showed to the reporter.[16]

• In the early 1970s, Hugo grabbed trainer Bob Pulaski by the wetsuit and began thrashing him, Pulaski struggled but it only made things worse, then Hugo's tank mate Lolita joined in to and began a tug of war. Pulaski managed to free himself from the tangled wetsuit and get to safety. Pulaski did not mention if he sustained any injuries. In both incidents Kirk and Pulaski believe the orcas were only playing.[16]

• In the 1970s, another Marine World California trainer, Dave Worcester, was dragged to the bottom of the tank by the park's young male orca, Nepo.[17]

• In the early 1970s, an unidentified Marineland of the Pacific (USA) trainer was seized by the young male, Orky II, and held at the bottom of the tank until the man nearly lost consciousness.[18]

• On May 2, 1978, another Marineland of the Pacific trainer, 27-year-old Jill Stratton, had an incident with Orky II. Stratton was nearly drowned when the 10-year-old Orky II suddenly grabbed the young woman and dragged her to the bottom of the tank, holding her there for nearly 4 minutes.[19]

• In the 1970s, a Vancouver Aquarium trainer, Doug Pemberton, recalls that "Skana once showed her dislike by dragging a trainer around the pool. Her teeth sank into his wetsuit but missed his leg." Pemberton described both young female Skana and her male companion Hyak II as "moody", but states that Skana was the dominant animal in the pool. "She is capable of changing moods in minutes".[20]

• On February 23, 1984, a 7-year-old female orca by the name of Kandu V grabbed a Sea World California trainer, Joanne Hay, and pinned her against a tank wall during a performance.[21]

• In 1986, an unidentified Marineland Ontario trainer was taken to the hospital after he fell off the park's male killer whale, Kandu 7 (not to be confused with Kandu V), and was dragged by his leg around the pool during a trick.[22]

• In 1986, a 4-year-old female orca, Nootka V (not to be confused with Nootka IV), whacked an unidentified Marineland Ontario trainer in the head with her pectoral during a show. According to a former trainer, the whale had a habit of leaping out of the water in an attempt to strike trainers by the pool in the chest.[23]

• On March 4, 1987, 20-year-old SeaWorld San Diego trainer, Jonathan Smith, was grabbed by one of the park’s 6-ton killer whales. The orca dragged the trainer to the bottom of the tank, then carried him bleeding all the way back to the surface and then spat him out. Smith gallantly waved to the crowd when a second orca slammed into him. He continued to pretend he was unhurt as the whales repeatedly dragged him to the bottom of the stadium pool. Smith was cut all around his torso, had a ruptured kidney and a six-inch laceration of his liver, yet he managed to escape the pool with his life. Later reports indicate that the whales involved in the attack had been 10-year-old female Kenau and 9-year-old female Kandu V.[24][25]

• On June 15, 1987, a 29-year-old Sea World San Diego trainer, Joanne Webber, suffered a fractured neck when Kandu V, a 9-year-old female orca, landed on top of her and pushed her to the bottom of the pool during a training session. Webber had five years of experience working with orcas.[26]

• On April 1, 1989 Nootka IV of Sealand of the Pacific pulled her trainer, Henrietta Huber, into the whale tank after the 6-year-old female bit down while the trainer had her hand in the mouth of the orca in order to scratch its tongue. Huber needed several stitches in order to close her wounds.[27]

• Later that same year (1989), Nootka IV of Sealand of the Pacific grabbed a tourist's camera that was accidentally dropped into the whale’s tank. Head trainer Steve Huxter attempted to retrieve the camera but was pulled into the pool when the orca refused to give up its new toy. The orca grabbed a hold of the trainer’s leg but Huxter was pulled to safety by fellow trainer Eric Walters.[28]

• On February 20, 1991, the three orcas that resided at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia (Haida II, Nootka IV, and Tilikum) killed a young part-time trainer named Keltie Byrne when she accidentally slipped and fell into the tank. This facility did not allow the trainers to get in the water with the animals so the orcas where unaccustomed to having people in their tank. It is unclear which orca initiated the assault but what is known is that one of the whales grabbed the trainer by the foot and dragged her deeper into the pool, the other two quickly joined in, pushing and throwing the young woman around the pool.[29] All three animals barred her escape, continuously blocking her path and dragging her back into the center of the tank. Sealand staff tried unsuccessfully to distract the orcas with fish, noise, voice and hand commands. It was several hours before Ms. Byrne's body could be recovered.[30] SeaLand of the Pacific soon closed after the incident and sold all of their orcas to the SeaWorld franchise; Haida II and her calf Kyuquot (who was born some time after the incident) were both moved to SeaWorld Texas, Haida II eventually died in 2001. Nootka IV and Tilikum were both transferred to the SeaWorld in Florida. Nootka IV passed away in 1994 but Tilikum still remains.

• In 1993, 14-year-old female Kasatka tried to bite an unidentified Sea World California trainer (not Kenneth Peters).[31]

• On July 5, 1999, at SeaWorld Orlando Florida, a deceased man by the name of Daniel Dukes was found nude and in one of the orca tanks draped across the back of the park’s largest male orca, Tillikum. An autopsy revealed that the man died of a combination of hypothermia and drowning. Dukes was covered in bruises, abrasions and bite marks, indicating that Tillikum had clear contact with the victim but whether or not Tillikum actually caused the man's death could not be determined.[32] Dukes had apparently hidden himself in the park until after closing and then jumped or fell into the orca’s tank. It is thought that Dukes may have been mentally unstable or under the influence of drugs.[33]

• On June 12, 1999, 22-year-old Kasatka grabbed her trainer Ken Peters by the leg and attempted to throw him from the pool during a public show at SeaWorld San Diego.[2]

• On July 8, 2002, a trainer by the name of Tamaree was hospitalized for a broken arm and several minor injuries after an incident occurred in Shamu Stadium at SeaWorld Florida. The 28-year-old trainer was doing poolside work with two of the park's orcas, Orkid and Splash. "She was playing with the whales, talking to them… the next thing we know, as it appears from the video, she was pulled into the water" said SeaWorld spokesperson Darla Davis after reviewing security and visitor footage of the incident. Park officials said the trainer exited the pool without assistance and was taken to a local hospital, where a pin was needed to reset her arm.[34]

• In late July 2004, during a show at the SeaWorld park in San Antonio, Texas, a male orca named Kyuquot (nickname Ky) repeatedly jumped on top of his trainer, Steve Aibel, forcing him underwater and barred the trainer from escaping the water. After several minutes the trainer was able to calm the animal and he exited the pool unhurt.[35] “Veterinarians believe the whale… felt threatened by the trainer, perhaps a result of the effects of adolescent hormones.”[36][37]

• On April 4, 2005, Sea World Florida trainer Sam Davis was repeatedly “bumped” by an 11-year-old male orca named Taku. The show continued uninterrupted but the trainer was later taken to Sand Lake Hospital for unspecified minor injuries and released the same day. Additional eyewitness account: "The trainer and Taku were about to slide on the slide out at the end of the show when Taku completely stopped and started "bumping" the trainer. The trainer was male and he finally swam out of the tank. I knew something was wrong because none of the whales except Kalina wanted to perform. Then they finally got Taku out to splash people at the end of the show, when this incident took place."[38]

• On November 15, 2006, a SeaWorld California trainer was injured when the park's 18-year-old female killer whale, Orkid, grabbed veteran trainer Brian Rokeach by the foot and pulled him to the bottom of the tank, refusing to release him for an extended period of time. Orkid released Rokeach only after heeding fellow trainer Kenneth Peters's repeated attempts to call the animal’s attention back to the stage. Rokeach suffered a torn ligament in his ankle but was not taken to the hospital. In response to the incident, SeaWorld increased the number of trainers who must be available during performances and in water training to five staff members but this however was ineffective because no less than two weeks later trainer Kenneth Peters was involved in a similar incident with different orca.[39]See next bullet for Peters attack.

• On November 29, 2006, Kasatka, one of SeaWorld San Diego's seven orcas, grabbed her trainer, Ken Peters, by the foot and dragged him to the bottom of the tank not once but twice during an evening show at Shamu Stadium. The senior trainer escaped only after staff members managed to separate the two with safety nets. This was the second documented incident of Kasatka attacking Peters and is the third most widely reported of all the SeaWorld incidents.[2]

• On October 6, 2007 at the Loro Parque a 29-year-old trainer, Claudia Vollhardt who had worked at the park since 2003, was hospitalized after she was injured during a training session with one of the park’s killer whales. The Canarias 7 newspaper says the incident happened at the pre-show warm up on Saturday, when the orca crashed into the trainer, injuring her right lung and breaking her forearm in two places. OME News writes that it was a male orca that hit the trainer and dragged her down after the impact. Then that same animal dragged her back up to the surface. She was rescued by two colleagues after the incident. The trainer was in a stable condition after surgery on Saturday. Claudia trained mostly with 6-year-old male Tekoa and some news refers to him as the orca involved in this incident.[40]

• On September 9, 2008 during a show at Marineland Antibes in France a 26-year-old female orca named Freya begins acting oddly in the middle of the show and then pulls an unidentified trainer under the water. The trainer resurfaces after a few seconds only for Freya to return and begin jumping on top of the man. After landing on top of her trainer twice she begins to push him through and under the water. The trainer tries to regain control of the situation by climbing on the orca’s back but he is thrown off. The trainer eventually manages to get to the edge of the pool and climbs out, seeming unhurt.[41]

• In the spring of 2009 a 5 year old female orca named Skyla turned on an unidentified trainer while performing in one of Loro Parque Tenerife's daily shows. Skyla started pushing her trainer through the water and up against the sides of the pool. "Water work" has been suspended with her and only senior trainers are allowed to work with her now.[42]

• On December 24, 2009, 29-year-old Alexis Martínez died during a rehearsal for a Christmas Day show at the Loro Parque Park in Spain. The 14-year-old male orca, Keto, who was born at SeaWorld Orlando Florida, reportedly rammed Martínez in the chest, rendering him unconscious. Martinez supposedly drowned before fellow trainers could rescue him. The park repeatedly asserted that this was not an attack but an unfortunate accident caused by roughhousing, however the park also describe Keto as “not... (being) completely predictable.” The subsequent autopsy report revealed that Alexis died due to the serious injuries he sustained from the orca attack, including multiple compression fractures and tears to his vital organs with the bite marks all over his body.[43] Martinez was considered one of the most experienced trainers in Loro Parque, having worked at the park since 2004.[44]

• On February 24, 2010, the orca Tilikum killed an experienced trainer at the end of a "Dine with Shamu" show at SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld officials confirmed that Tilikum grabbed Dawn Brancheau by her ponytail and pulled her into the water, drowning her.[45] The autopsy determined that the trainer died of "multiple traumatic injuries and drowning".[46] Note: Previous Tilikum incidents, February 20, 1991 and 1999.

Sorry about the long post but for interest.

this is out of left field, whats the future, increase in whale Nos, increase in killer whales, millions of tonnes less food for the rest of the food chain, will they eventually cull them again, how many do we need to see swimming free.Can they be used to help feed the millions in Africa,pets?????

I agree kinda, I think if it were sustainable then definitely it would be a good thing.. just needs proper management I suppose.

There certainly is a lot of whales out there and I don't think they should be treated any differently to other animals we kill for food.

Somehow I don't think it will ever happen though.

I'm not even going to try and argue this thread but with less then 10% of the worlds population of Whales left i struggle to see how it could be sustainable to kill whales.

Second point did you know that the ocean life uses about 73% of the worlds carbon?

The ocean is in serous trouble. Ocean dies than good luck for us humans living..

As for Tilikum , i think he's actually now killed 3 or possibly 4 people. For those that think he just drowned his trainer you should have read the reports. He tore her apart limb by limb. Not a very happy whale that one. Who can blame him.

There is actually a case at Seaworld were they were having to almost take legal action against there trainers to get back into the water with others wHales. Not for Tilikum though he now in a tank that is only about 10 times his own size and completely alone.  

Edit sorry got whale's name mixed up.

What do Killah whales taste like?

We are so eager to say "let nature do it's thing" with the whales, so what about Africa's situation? Why do we not let nature do it's thing there?

did you no that the killer whale will only eat the meat  around the calves jaw and then they'll move on  leaving the rest of the whale behind. mother nature is a cruel old thing

We where bottom bashing off Ningaloo 2 years ago & the killer whales were around for a few days. (July from memory)

A pair of them was very curious, circling the boat quite a number of times. They weren't on the surface, but down around the 5m mark. We got a little weirded out after one of them circled the boat 5 times over a period of a few minutes, so shifted a few miles away. They didnt follow, but they did find us again the next day. Same thing, happened with circling the boat and at one point rolling on their side to peer up at us. Awesome sight and one I will never forget!!

2 years ago. There were 4 adults and 2 calves. We saw them "holding" a turtle (and a big one) upside down while the calves were hitting it from underneath. Training to kill i assume. Sat around and watched them for a good 10 minutes before they moved on. The water was so clear that we could see them going under, grabbing the turtle, and the young ones swimming down and then up for the hit.  At that stage, I didn't realise that we even had killers around here. Was a awesome sight and will never forget it.

may not be as big as a humpback, but SOOOO much more wicked to watch!