Boaters spot sea creatures in ‘cuddle puddle’ off CA coast. See ‘amazing’ photos

Boaters were treated recently to the sight of sea creatures demonstrating a “cuddle puddle” off the coast of California, a Monterey company said.

During the Sept. 27 excursion, boaters saw a killer whale pod, the CA51As, during a “very sweet” moment where they “rubbed against one another at the surface” and near the boat, according to a Facebook post by Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

During the behavior passengers got to watch as “every member slowed down and stopped next” to the boat, the company said.

“Think of a cuddle puddle sort of like a mother holding or hugging her child!” the company said when describing the behavior.

But the moments that made for “amazing photos” didn’t stop there – later boaters got the chance to see baby orcas learn how to hunt, the group said.

The young calves, named Astrid and Nova, were learning how to hunt sea lions as “they followed their mother’s ramming and tail throwing” before deciding to give the tactics a try for themselves, the post said.

Astrid eventually succeeded and landed a bird, the group said.

The baby used her tail to smack the bird before taking it underwater, resurfacing to show boaters the bird had been skinned, the group said.

Killer whales are highly social ocean predators that live and travel in groups, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Killer whales rely on underwater sound to feed, communicate, and navigate,” according to NOAA. “Pod members communicate with each other through clicks, whistles and pulsed calls.”

Facebook users rushed to the comments and shared their thoughts on the “awesome raw nature,” with one person saying, “Incredible photos and great info.”

“Wow I love orcas,” another wrote.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.