Whale watchers off the US were treated to an encounter of mythic proportions when they spied a rare white orca calf called "Frosty".
Frosty, otherwise known as CA216C1, was spotted by Newport Coastal Adventure about 13 kilometers off the coast of Malibu, near Newport Harbour on April 23.
Mark Girardeau, a photographer who works with the company, was able to document the incredible encounter.
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"This is the first time this pod has shown up in this area since 2019," he told 9news.com.au, explaining Frosty is now believed to be around three-years-old.
"I was out of town [then] so I didn't get to see it.
"I was very saddened but I was able to get some redemption during this encounter."
Girardeau added the pod had seven animals in total and has become known as the CA216 pod.
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Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family and are considered the apex predator of the ocean.
Frosty's sighting comes weeks after whale watchers off Western Australia spotted orcas take on a blue whale, the largest animal on Earth.
Frosty's distinct colouring comes from a rare mutation condition called leucism, which causes a partial, or complete, loss of pigmentation.
It differs from albinism, which affects all melanin production in an animal's cell.
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White whales have a mythic reputation due in part to Herman Melville's famed 1851 book 'Moby Dick', in which obsessive captain Ahab seeks revenge on a giant white sperm whale that took his leg.
In reality, only a handful of white whales have been spotted in the wild including the famed Migaloo, a humpback that graced Australian waters.
Migaloo hasn't been sighted in years.
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