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Confronting moment orcas hunt down whale as tourists watch on

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: The remarkable moment a pod of killer whales hunted and devoured a beaked whale off the coast of Western Australia has been caught on camera.

A Naturaliste Charters boat packed with tourists witnessed the attack unfold in the waters off Bremer Bay on Saturday led by skipper Jamie Huxtable.

Footage shows dozens of orcas set off in pursuit of the Cuvier's beaked whale in what is the first documented attack by orcas on a member of this whale species.

The orcas set off in pursuit of their meal. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Blair Ranford
The orcas set off in pursuit of their meal. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Blair Ranford

Another group of orcas can be seen closing in on the beaked whale before it is savagely ripped apart by the two groups.

The surrounding water suddenly turns a shade of red as the whale is devoured.

Naturaliste Charters marine biologist Bianca Uyen told Yahoo7 News there had been similar attacks but this was the first seen that involved up to 50 orcas.

"This predation involved about 40 to 50 orcas, which is a lot. Its not only one of the things we rarely see, but also just the sheer amount that were involved," she revealed.

The orcas close in on their prey. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Machi Yoshida
The orcas close in on their prey. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Machi Yoshida
The orcas finally get stuck into their prized catch. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Machi Yoshida
The orcas finally get stuck into their prized catch. Source: Naturaliste Charters/ Machi Yoshida

Mr Huxtable told The West Australian he knew straight away the orcas were pursuing something after the pod picked up their pace to about 40km/h.


The seasoned whale tour guide said the "highly intelligent" orcas used their expertise to force the beaked whale into a trap with the second pod.

“They don’t just work together within their pod, they communicate and work with other pods in the area," he revealed.

Ms Uyen agreed, telling Yahoo7 News they showed incredible intelligence working with the other group.

"Orcas have strong social bonds and structures, and are continuously communicating. They would have definitely been communicating about the beaked whale."

Ms Uyen also said, despite the incident making for confronting viewing, there were some onboard the boat who appreciated the rare spectacle they had witnessed.

"There were definitely mixed feelings," she said.