Let’s talk about … Orcas

They are wild animals, be aware at all times!

I mean, they’re called killer whales for a reason.

Orca= Killer Whale. They are cute, but deadly.

I gotta say, living where Orca's live (Puget Sound region of the PNW), I've never heard them called "bullies" before and it sounds rather odd to hear. But yes, they eat seals and if they ran across a human out there in the water, who knows what they'd do.

What do orcas eat
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are apex predators and opportunistic feeders, which means they eat a wide variety of prey depending on their location and the time of year. They have been documented eating over 140 different species of fish, mammals, and other marine animals.

Some of their common prey includes:

Fish: salmon, herring, mackerel, and other fish species
Marine mammals: seals, sea lions, sea otters, and even other whales
Cephalopods: squids, octopuses, and other cephalopod species
Sharks and rays: orcas have been known to prey on various shark and ray species
Seabirds: orcas have been observed preying on penguins, cormorants, and other seabird species
Squid and octopus: orcas have been known to eat squid and octopus, which are cephalopods
Marine mammals: orcas have been known to eat marine mammals such as belugas and narwhals
It’s worth noting that orcas are not picky eaters and will consume whatever is available in their environment. They have even been known to scavenge for food in garbage dumps and eat fish and other marine animals that are not their natural prey.

My understanding to this has always been that was because they killed whales.. but that view doesn't make them seems gentle either;)

I don’t think there has been any reports of orcas attacking a person in the wild, though there have certainly been attacks from orcas held in captivity.
Orcas are very intelligent, and it could well be that humans are not particularly attractive for them to eat - too many bony bits (arms and legs), not enough fat/blubber, maybe we don’t smell very attractive to them…..

Attacks from orcas in captivity seem to indicate that perhaps their ‘mental health’ is being harmed and the attacks are a result; that wild orcas don’t have the same mental responses and reactions.
This suggests that, generally speaking, people are pretty safe among orcas that are in the wild.

However…. Just as all humans are not the same, and sometimes some “go rogue”, the same is probably true for orcas. We have no way of knowing if the orca near us at sea is a good guy or a bad guy. And just as humans sometimes act individually to create harm, and sometimes act in gangs to create harm, that is probably true for orcas as well. They are very intelligent and social creatures.

So while most times we will be safe among orcas, it is almost inevitable that there will be tragedies too.
We (in general) don’t take chances walking down dark city streets at night, so why should we take chances among orcas in the sea?

And yet then there was this movie - scarred me for life lol:

We saw them on our cruise too.  So amazing.

They are incredibly intelligent and adaptive. Boat attacks along the Spanish/Portuguese Atlantic coast are increasing frequent. The attacks initially appeared semi-playful but have definitely taken on a more aggressive turn- 3 boats have been sunk and last June there was at least 1 reported interaction per day. They can teach other groups their unique skills- last year one from a different pod attacked a boat in the Shetland islands . As a sailor it is having a huge impact on the planning and execution of sailing journeys in those waters. I think it’s only a matter of time until a human in the water gets attacked.

Having recently watched 'Blackfish' on Netflix, I would never in a million years swim anywhere in the vicinity of an orca. Thankfully they didn't show the footage of the orca actually killing the trainers, but it was scary AF! And the description of what the orca did to one of the trainers he killed was horrendous. 

They're called killer whales because they kill other whales, not because they go after people or are indiscriminately dangerous.  Unless you're a seal, fish or shark, that is.  Still, I would be 0% surprised if orcas eventually did harm humans in the wild, given how much they suffer from contact with us. They're smart AF and have long memories.

They have been documented pulling land animals (deer? Moose?) into the water to eat. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t eat a human and it seems a bit strange they haven’t honestly. Maybe we taste bad.

I’m comfortable with many aquatic animals but no way in hell would I swim near orcas…even a kayak is too risky.

I am in awe of orcas. I love learning about them and find them incredibly fascinating. However, I would treat them with as much respect and caution as I would any other wild predator I might encounter.

This! They can be dangerous, just like a lot of other animals. They are beautiful creatures though.