Tourists 'in awe' over extremely rare sight off Aussie coast: 'Tears in our eyes'
Marine photographer Holly Matheson has waited 10 years to capture this encounter with killer whales.
A marine photographer has shared what she described as the best day of her life when she was among two boatloads of people to witness a remarkable feat of nature off the Western Australian coast.
After waiting for 10 years to catch a glimpse of Ningaloo killer whales underwater, Holly Matheson got more than she bargained for when catching sight of a humpback whale calf in the jaws of a killer whale during a recent Ningaloo Discovery boat tour.
"We were all speechless, with tears in our eyes, could hardly breathe, hearts racing and our bodies shaking with this incredible encounter," is how Matheson summed up the rare experience.
Three killer whales bobbed their heads out of the water and paraded their impressive catch.
"On the tour vessels, crew and passengers sometimes witness these raw and amazing natural events take place," Matheson told Yahoo News. "These three killer whales became extremely curious and playful, swimming laps around the boats."
In a desperate bid to see more, several on the boat including Matheson dunked their heads into the water and waited.
"From the depths, bubbles appeared... we were all in awe watching as he [one of the killer whales] approached with the calf on show," she explained. "Before we knew it he was at the back of our boat with the calf in his mouth... it was so close to our faces we all had to pull our heads out, or we might have shared in the taste of his success."
Killer whales known to 'show off' impressive prize
Matheson explained killer whales (also known as orcas) often "celebrate" when they successfully predate humpback whale calves, as it is difficult to separate a calf from the protection of its mum, with mature female humpbacks growing up to 16 metres long.
"[We] see various techniques that the killer whales use to take or separate a humpback calf from its mother, and if successful they then share the prey amongst the group," she explained. "He seemed to be so proud of his achievement and just wanted to show off to us what he had with him."
Dangerous myth busted about orcas 'attacking' luxury sailing boats
Pilot's 'rare' discovery off Aussie coast: 'First we've seen in years'
A killer whale's behaviour of parading its prey is comparable to a "cat bringing back a mouse", Matt Oakley from Ningaloo Discovery told Yahoo News.
"He's proud of what he's done and it wants to show you. It's not dissimilar," Oakley said. "It's rare enough to see this sight from the surface but for that opportunity to present itself literally at the back of the boat and to capture images underwater, was fairly unique."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
