Incredible moment two humpback whales brawl with a huge pod of killer whales ‘to protect other marine life’ off the coast of Seattle

A rare moment was captured off the coast of Seattle as two humpback whales were spotted in conflict with a pod of orcas.

According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, humpback whales have been known to ward off Bigg’s orcas as they chase their prey, which often includes sea lions and humpback calves.

Noted as a rare encounter, Mollie Naccarato, who works for the whale watching tour agency Sooke Coastal Explorations, managed to get one on film.

‘I’ve loved whales my whole life, so I cried three times yesterday on the boat,’ she told KING5. ‘Even doing this every day, things like that just truly take your breath away.’

The pair of humpbacks have been identified as Hydra, from Hawaii, and Reaper, from Mexico.

‘There have been a few occasions in recent years that our naturalists have seen humpback whales come to the rescue of other animals, like sea lions, that were being hunted by orcas,’ said Erin Johns Gless, executive director for PWWA.

In a previous incident of orca-humpback interaction, another humpback, identified as Valiant, was spotted harassing a pod of Bigg’s orcas several years after Valiant was attacked by one.

Two humpback whales were spotted brawling with a pod of Bigg’s orcas. The orcas are identified by the two smaller fins while the humpback is identified by the larger fin in the back middle

Humpback whales have been known to ward off orcas as they chase their prey

The two humpback whales have been identified as Hydra from Hawaii and Reaper from Mexico

In a previous incident of orca-humpback interaction, another humpback, identified as Valiant, was spotted harassing a pod of Bigg’s orcas several years after Valiant was attacked by one

Bigg’s orcas have been known to hunt sea lions as well as humpback calves

Mollie Naccarato, who spotted the incident, said: ‘I’ve loved whales my whole life, so I cried three times yesterday on the boat’