The all-white orca kept pace with its swift-swimming mom, hugging her left flank in the East Santa Barbara Channel. The unusual-looking orca was known as Frosty, and it was just 2 years old at the time, in December 2021.
There were members from three different orca pods congregating in the channel that late afternoon. Everyone on the Island Packers ferry got a great look at orca behavior, from mating and frolicking to hunting and socializing. Yet, most passengers on the boat wanted to know more about the young, creamy-white orca staying so close to its mom.
Frosty is part of the orca pod known as CA216Cs, one of many transient Bigg’s killer whale pods that constantly travel up and down the California coast. These transient pods specialize in preying upon whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. There’s been a record number of sightings of Frosty (it’s not known yet if Frosty is a male or female) and its pod during the winter of 2024-2025 in the Santa Barbara Channel.
