In unusual orca sighting, tour spots at least 20 killer whales off San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Roughly two dozen killer whales were spotted last month off the coast of San Francisco in an uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California. The whales were likely together celebrating a kill of sea lions or seals on May 7 near the Farallon Islands, about 28 miles west of San Francisco, when a whale-watching boat tour saw them. Orcas typically stay in a family group of three to six whales. Killer whales are more commonly seen in the deep canyon beneath the Monterey Bay — about 75 miles south of downtown San Francisco — and can be spotted anywhere from the coastline to just 5 miles off-shore.