Video: Orcas Bouncing, Jumping Out of the Surf in Spectacular Oregon Coast Display

Published 06/17/26 at 7:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seal Rock, Oregon) – Sometimes the absolutely extraordinary can jump out at you, out of the blue. Quite literally. (Photos and video Julie Conrad / Oregon Whale Sightings)

In this case, it was out of the deep blue sea. Orcas on their usual early summer rampage along the Oregon coast got even wilder Monday, jumping out of the ocean like popcorn and getting filmed by a handful of extremely luck onlookers.

Julie Conrad, local whale whale maven and admin of the group Oregon Whale Sightings was among the few following them south from Depoe Bay late in the afternoon. Others caught this spectacle in other places, but in this case Conrad and Florence photog Jaklyn Larsen found them jetting upwards out of the water, smacking the surface with their tails and engaging in kinds of cetacean acrobatics.

The “ orcas [were] displaying a variety of surface behaviors, including breaching, tail slaps, and moonwalking,” Conrad said.

Moonwalking is when they swim backwards, a behavior known to happen when they're hunting. It was possible, at least at one point, they were chasing a gray whale. However, some saw them make a seal kill in the area. Orcas Literally Leaping in Celebration on Oregon Coast (Video), and Yes, They 'Moonwalked'

That could be why they were hoping out of the surf so much. Jubilant killer whales were...well....just killin' it, in terms of spectacle. You can see more photos of the event here.

Yet Conrad thinks in this case it wasn't a whoopin' it up thing.

“For the most part, it's because they were hunting a harbor seal. Sometimes surface behavior is celebratory, but sometimes we see it during active hunting,” Conrad told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “Orcas use multiple hunting techniques. They're known to hunt from below (thus their Latin name), but that's just not always the case. They were exhibiting 'carousel' hunting behaviors. I call it Ferris wheel hunting because to me, it makes more sense, and gives a better visual. They may exhibit tail slapping to stun or distract their prey, or it may be a form of communication. Ramming and body slamming are common techniques they use while hunting, we just don't always see it above the surface.”

Their scientific name is Orcinus orca – referring to “belonging to the underworld.” You can see closer-up video of the hunt at Oregon Whale Sightings.

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