Divers found the “Holy Grail” off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when a pod of orcas hung out for hours in the Sea of Cortez.

The freedivers — exploring the waters off Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula with Pelagic Safari — came across the pod of killer whales and were granted with a bucket-list encounter, as the whales hung around for photos and videos (see above).

While the Sea of Cortez commonly attracts whale sharks and humpback whales, orca encounters are considered rare. These cetaceans are most reliably found in cold waters near the coasts of Norway, Iceland, southern Argentina and Alaska. (Read more about diving with killer whales here.) But killer whales have a wide range and have been seen on rare occasion in tropical waters, including the Caribbean.

It’s critical to study a region’s resident marine life and seasonal migrations if you’re looking for a specific encounter as a dive, but it also helps to get lucky every once in a while.

Check out these amazing photos from the encounter below: