A family witnessed a rare natural phenomenon off the coast of Jongensfontein along the Garden Route earlier this week, reports Suid-Kaap Forum.

At around 07:00, the Booyens family watched what appeared to be two orcas hunting a humpback whale calf. The family watched the whales for about an hour before the mammals moved on.

According to Nicoleen Booyens, it seemed as if an older killer whale was teaching a younger one to hunt.

“It was amazing to witness this this morning. They didn’t kill the calf. We watched this from about 7am to about 8am this morning. The orcas left around 8am but the calf stayed in the bay. Sighting of a lifetime!” Booyens posted on Facebook.

The calf escaped the incident unharmed. Nicoleen said she was unsure whether the whale calf was bitten.