Whale Watchers Stunned by Sighting of ‘Super Rare’ White Orca Named Frosty

The pale killer whale was filmed hunting in California’s Monterey Bay with his mom and four other whales — Stinger, Bee, Buzz, and Louise.

Move over, Frosty the Snowman!

Over the weekend, a group of whale watchers were jolly and happy when they spotted Frosty, a rare white orca, in Monterey Bay, California.

The lucky group included passengers and crew members on a whale-watching boat belonging to Monterey Bay Whale Watch (MBWW), who announced the exciting news with a Facebook post.

“FROSTY IS IN THE BAY,” the tour agency wrote around 1 p.m. on Sunday. “We are with Frosty right now!!

Photographer Evan Brodsky gave a glimpse into the Frosty sighting, sharing a video he captured of the killer whale with its pod to MBWW’s Facebook page. One of the whales who accompanied the “super rare” orca was the animal’s mother, according to the post.

The stunning aerial footage shows the pale orca swimming and spouting in a pod of six, the all-white killer whale standing out against the other five, who possess the species’ typical black-and-white coloring.

In another clip of the encounter, MBWW shared more information about Frosty and the orca’s pals, including the marine mammals’ California Killer Whale Project identifications.

“Amazing sight today with CA216C1 Frosty,” the agency wrote, adding that the rare orca was “traveling and hunting with the CA140Bs.”

The last time 4-year-old Frosty, whose sex is unknown, and their mom visited Monterey Bay, they were also accompanied by the CA140Bs — an orca matriarch also known as Louise — and her three daughters, Stinger, Bee, and Buzz, MBWW revealed in a later post.

According to the agency, the whales had a successful hunt, nabbing an elephant seal and “at least one” California sea lion.

“It was a day our crew and passengers alike will never forget!” the MBWW wrote of the “incredible and rare encounter.”

Severa users — some on the tour and others not — took to the comments section of the video to share their thoughts about the unique whale.

“He..or she..is beautiful! How lucky for anyone who was there to see this,” one person said, while another joked, “Hope this rare [sighting] means there is lots of snow on the way.”

One user, who seemingly witnessed Frosty’s exciting return to Monterey Bay, wrote, “So special out there today. What a tremendous, amazing gift to be with not 1 but 2 orca pods, including Frosty’s!”

“We are feeling very blessed and grateful,” they added.

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Along with videos and photos of Frosty, the tour agency also shared information on the possible causes of the white whale’s pale complexion on Facebook, suggesting that it is likely the result of leucism or Chediak-Higashi syndrome.

Leucism is the “partial loss of all types of pigmentation, including carotenoids,” according to the National Park Service. It “causes white coloration, white patches, spots, or splotches on the skin or fur,” like those observed on Frosty.

Chediak-Higashi syndrome is characterized by a weakened immune system and oculocutaneous albinism, or “abnormally light” pigmentation of the skin, hair, and eyes, per MedlinePlus.

“This syndrome has been documented in killer whales before, but we are unable to tell with 100% certainty which case applies to Frosty,” MBWW wrote.