The speed of the orca strike sends the bottlenose dolphin flying high into the air, before it dives perfectly back into the water.

This is the incredible moment a dolphin has a lucky escape after a killer whale launched an astonishing aerial attack in California, USACredit: Solent News

The speed of the orca strike sends the bottlenose dolphin flying high into the airCredit: Solent News

The dolphin then manages to land perfectly into the waterCredit: Solent News

The killer whale is then pictured plunging back into the water as wellCredit: Solent News

The incredible images perfectly capture the immense power of the deadly underwater hunter, which made several unsuccessful attempts to catch the dolphin.

Photographer Christopher Swann, 60, from Mexico, was out on his boat for the day off the coast of Baja, California, Mexico, when he noticed the incredible chase, as several whales hunted for dolphins.

He said: “I had followed the whales for about 45 minutes before they started attacking the dolphin.

“I then stopped my boat and sat watching as they were too fast to follow but they did their hunting around us.

“It was all very dramatic and exciting. At one point we thought the killer whale would land on the boat, he leaped almost five metres out of the water.

“I think that sometimes killer whales play with their prey. I have watched other attacks and know they could kill the animal far quicker.

“We watched the hunt for about 90 minutes. I did not see the dolphin caught – they both move too quickly.”