Incredible footage shows a pod of killer whales circling blue shark off the coast of California – in the latest mind-boggling video of giant sea creatures behaving erratically

Naturalists have captured the spectacular moment a terrifying blue shark got the shock of its life when five killer whales attacked it in the waters off the coast of California.

The predator made a hasty retreat from the group of five scientists dubbed “Louise’s family” after they began stalking the waters off Monterey.

It happened less than a month after an orca was seen killing and devouring a great white shark for the first time, amid reports of the species’ increasingly aggressive behavior toward humans and other animals.

And the three-metre shark left no doubt about its place in the pecking order as the mighty whales turned to size it up.

“They didn’t touch it or eat it,” the Monterey Bay Whale Watch reported excitedly. ‘What a rare and fortunate encounter today between two unique species!’

The shark made a quick turn and raced away as the whales, named Louise’s Family, turned to get a closer look.

The capsule resumed its journey and broke through the sea surface, much to the delight of the naturalists following alongside

Scientists are scratching their heads over the whales’ newfound assertiveness after at least five boats have been sunk in a series of attacks since 2020.

A British couple were subjected to a terrifying 90-minute attack by six of the creatures on board their cruiser yacht off the coast of Gibraltar in May last year.

“We were sitting like crazy,” Janet Morris said.

“There was definitely a clearly bigger matriarch around who was almost supervising,” her husband Stephen said.

“I kept reminding myself that we had a 22-ton boat made of steel, but it was disheartening to see three of them coming out of the water at the same time, fast and at pace with their fins.”

Researchers concluded that the attack was led by a whale named ‘White Gladis’, which has coached other whales to attack boats after being traumatized during a ‘critical moment of pain’ when she collided with a ship or became entangled in fishing nets.

Just two days later, another yacht was sunk nearby in an attack by a group of one adult and two youths.

For the first time, a killer whale has been seen individually killing and eating a great white shark – and in just two minutes last month off the coast of South Africa

At least two white sharks were killed during the observed interactions of this event, as evidenced by the discovery of a second carcass from 3.55 meters away.

Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell were on a yacht in Gibraltar this month when they were subjected to a terrifying 90-minute attack by a pod of killer whales

The attack damaged the couple’s 22-ton steel boat and left it limping back to port without a rudder

“The little ones shook the rudder at the back, while the big ones drove backwards repeatedly and rammed the ship with full force from the side,” said Captain Werner Schaufelberger.

‘The two small orcas observed the technique of the larger one and they too collided with the boat with a light run.’

Monika Wieland Shields of the Orca Behavior Institute in Washington said hundreds of incidents have been reported worldwide since the attacks began.

“So many people have come to Washington state where I am this year, and they’re wondering, ‘Is it safe to see whales here?’ How big is the boat we are going with? Is there any chance the whales are going to attack this boat?’ she said NBC in December.

In September 2022, authorities in Spain banned ships from sailing from the northwestern tip due to an increase in attacks, and a pair of killer whales, named Port and Starboard, have developed a taste for great white sharks.

Since 2017, at least eight Great Whites have washed up on South Africa’s beaches after their nutrient-rich livers were ripped away by the top predators.

Orcas typically eat seals or even dolphins, but last month Starboard became the first of its kind known to have killed and eaten a Great White itself.

‘Starboard was observed preying on a young white shark measuring 2.5 meters in length, and later carrying the shark liver in its mouth alongside a boat,’ said Dr Alison Towner from Rhodes University.

Orcas can reach heights of up to 10 meters, weigh more than 12,000 kilos and live up to 90 years.

About 200 live off the coast of California and sightings are most common in April and May.

But scientists have played down claims that the creatures are becoming more aggressive towards humans, insisting that their attacks on boats should be seen as ‘playful social behaviour’ and not ‘revenge’ for mistreatment.

“Orcas just want to have fun,” says Robert Pitman of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute.

‘They are not afraid of boats, and they have nothing to eat there.

‘They are intelligent, social animals, and they live in what I think is probably an environment that is probably not stimulating enough for their mental capabilities.

‘Vengeance is not useful in nature. It’s not adaptive at all, unless you’re human, I guess.”