- The deadly predator misses by inches when it strikes from below with ferocious power at the helpless dolphin
- Speed of the orca’s strike sends the bottlenose dolphin flying high into the air before it lands back in the water
- Remarkable pictures were taken off the coast of Baja in California by a photographer who spent the day at sea
An extremely lucky dolphin has been photographed miraculously surviving an attack by a killer whale.
The deadly predator misses by inches when it strikes with ferocious power at the helpless dolphin – but the would-be meal instead bounces off its mouth.
The speed of the orca’s strike sends the bottlenose dolphin flying high into the air, before it dives serenely back into the water.
The incredible images perfectly capture the immense power of the deadly underwater hunter, which made several unsuccessful attempts to catch the dolphin.
Photographer Christopher Swann, 60, from Mexico, was out on his boat for the day off the coast of Baja, California, USA, when he noticed the incredible chase as several whales hunted for dolphins.
The killer whale missed by mere inches when it pounced from below in the hope of catching the dolphin. Photographer Christopher Swann, who captured the magical moment, said: ‘I had followed the whales for about 45 minutes before they started attacking the dolphin. I then stopped my boat and sat watching as they were too fast to follow but they did their hunting around us’
The speed of the orca’s strike sends the bottlenose dolphin flying high into the air, before it dives serenely back into the water. Swann added: ‘It was all very dramatic and exciting. At one point we thought the killer whale would land on the boat – he leapt almost five metres out of the water’
The incredible images perfectly capture the immense power of the deadly underwater hunter, which made several unsuccessful attempts to catch the dolphin. But Swann said: ‘I think that sometimes killer whales play with their prey. I have watched other attacks and know they could kill the animal far quicker’
By the time the whale had landed, the dolphin was already making its escape. Swann said: ‘We watched the hunt for about 90 minutes. I did not see the dolphin caught – they both move too quickly’
Too late: The orca – pictured hunting the dolphin off the coast of California – dropped back into the water after failing to catch its prey, but it was set to be disappointed