Now, the beach is empty, and cold weather settles in over the Southern Hemisphere. Mel and Dona Blanca head offshore to fish and hunt. But Maga and her group will return in six months. When they do, they'll bring the young to a beach perfectly suited to teaching them how to strand. But, this time, the prey will be far bigger and even more challenging. ......

Off the coast of Peninsula Valdes, newborn right whales signal the beginning of spring. Born in these protected waters, they stick close to their mothers. In summer, they'll make a challenging journey to the Antarctic feeding grounds. But now, they face an even greater menace. To orcas, almost every animal, no matter how big, is prey. The right whales cluster together in the shallows. Here, the orcas can't easily drown the calves. One's fluke has already been shredded, most likely from an earlier attack. The right whales fight back, striking out with their powerful tails. Unable to separate the calf from its mother, the killer whales shift their focus to other prey. In spring, Peninsula Valdes transforms into one of the world's largest elephant seal breeding colonies. Fifty five thousand descend onto the beaches. These behemoths make sea lions look like small fry. Bulls, the largest seals on Earth, grow to almost five meters and weigh 4 tons, almost as big as female killer whales. Clownish in appearance, they prove that looks can be deceiving. Their name comes from the bulls' large, trunk like proboscis. He uses it to amplify a roar warning other males. Their threats, and counter threats, can be heard over a kilometer away. Despite their impressive bulk, they can race across the beach at close to 16 kilometers per hour, faster than most humans. When the females are ready to breed, a full blown bull melee hits the fan. They slash, slice and body slam each other. Many suffer serious injuries, including deep cuts and broken bones. All bear battle scars. Females are two meters shorter and two tons smaller than males. They almost look like two different species. The female is facing four weeks that could break even the most seasoned parent. She'll give birth, breed, then nurse and wean her pup. One of the world's largest creatures starts life helpless and vulnerable. He's born on a stretch of beach that lines the mouth of a 20 mile lagoon. It provides shelter from high winds and waves for the elephant seals. For orcas, it holds the promise of a meal. Mega and her group press in close, checking to see what the beach offers. Nothing catches her eye yet. The seals are too far up the beach. But there's still an opportunity here. Low winds, gentle waves and steep, pebbly slopes form a perfect classroom. Two killer whales in Maga's group, Antu and Ishtar lead the youngsters toward the beach. Valentin, who's still learning to strand, may have the clearest memory of how dangerous this strategy is. As a juvenile, he came close to dying when he got caught high and dry on a reef. Freed by the rising tide, he rejoined his family. Today, he's alongside the other students. Antu demonstrates how it's done: she approaches this serious business as play. For the young, the greatest hurdle to overcome is instinct. A few are reluctant to go up onto the beach. Tjana, one of the youngest pod members tries to get back to the open ocean. Ishtar blocks her retreat, pushing and nudging her higher onto the beach. If Tjana is ever to hunt the shoreline, she needs to become comfortable in the shallows. This is the first, crucial step, to getting the hang of their unique hunting skill. Lesson learned, Ishtar lets her go. Only a few killer whales will master this technique and become successful beach hunters. Their ability to provide this key food for the rest of the group hinges on what they learn here, in the killing school. At the end of their lesson, they catch a wave using the shallows as their playground.