- Shannon Ainslie filmed killer whales attacking a whale from a coastal lookout near Stillbaai on 20 October 2026
- The footage captured the rare ocean encounter on an overcast day, with onlookers struggling to believe what they were seeing
- South Africans flooded the comments with reactions, with one viewer revealing a drone photographer caught the moment up close
Source: UGC
A wild ocean encounter off the Southern Cape coast had South Africans glued to their screens this week. Shannon Ainslie posted a TikTok video on 20 October 2026 showing killer whales attacking a whale near Jongensfontein, close to Stillbaai. The clip was filmed from an elevated coastal vantage point overlooking a rocky shoreline, with the grey ocean stretching out below.
In the footage, Shannon and those around her can be heard piecing together what they were watching in real time, debating whether two orcas were targeting a single whale. The caption on the screen read:
"Killer Whales attack a whale."
While Shannon's post described the scene simply:
"This is why they're called Killer Whales in South Africa 🇿🇦"
A rare sighting along the Cape coast
Orca sightings along South Africa's coastline have become more frequent in recent years, but witnessing an active hunt from shore remains exceptionally rare. Orcas, also known as killer whales, are apex predators and are known to work in coordinated groups when targeting larger prey. One commenter noted that orcas typically go for the liver of a whale, while another pointed out that calves are often the primary target, with orcas eating only the tongue.
A commenter also noted that a drone photographer, Sharyn Hodges, captured the same encounter from above and that the calf involved survived.
View the TikTok video below:
Mzansi reacts to the ocean encounter
South Africans in the comments section of @shannonainslie's TikTok had plenty to say:
@My Big Dog Diary wrote:
"Go have a look at Sharyn Hodges Photography, she got this on her drone, the calf survived ♡"
@Ifti_20 noted:
"Safest beach to swim in.... great white sharks or any shark would never be seeing here due to the presence of orcas in the area"
@Anisha sooklal joked:
"Whales killing Whales is what they want…. Vatos Locos Forever 😂😂😂😂"
@Kay-Leigh shared:
"Often when a whale is at the end of life, the killer whales attack"
@King J 👑 added:
"They go straight for the liver."
@My Ship said:
"They normally attack the whale calf and only eat the tongue. How lucky some people are to see this live."
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Source: Briefly News
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