Whale watchers aboard a vessel off the coast of Dana Point obviously hoped to see whales or dolphins, but instead they caught the show of a lifetime when a rare false killer whale gave birth.
Passengers on Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari were awe-struck when right beside their vessel, a false killer whale gave birth to a newborn calf.
Captain Dave Anderson said the Pseudorca bumped against their boat before a burst of blood gave way to the baby whale.
The pod that they were swimming with then helped the newborn breathe by pushing it to the surface multiple times, Anderson said.
The false killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
False killer whales were discovered from fossils, and researchers didn't know they still existed until 15 years after the fossils were found, according to NOAA.
