Wildlife watchers in Scotland were stunned to see a pod of orcas (with calf in tow) hunting dolphins right before their eyes.
Hebrides Cruises’ head guide Lynsey Bland was travelling home on a CalMac ferry when she spotted the orcas.
- “No other predator is able to challenge them” – this deadly, intelligent ocean killer works in a team to stun, submerge and launch at its prey
- 11 jaw-dropping killer whale moments captured in photos and film that reveal the brutal hunting techniques of the ocean’s top predator
“This was an opportunity we couldn’t miss so we decided to launch Mairi B, the latest vessel to our fleet,” says Emma Fairbairns from Hebrides Cruises. Around an hour and a half later, skippers James and Jake, stewardess Ellie and shore manager Emma had found the pod around 30 minutes off the coast of Oban.
As if seeing the pod of killer whales (including a young calf) wasn’t special enough, something else happened that amazed them all.
“As we drifted with them, we witnessed the orcas pursuing common dolphins at high speed before making a successful catch,” says Fairbairns. After “lots of leaping and action”, the orcas were finally successful in their hunt and caught one of the dolphins.
“In all our years' operating on the west coast, we have never witnessed anything like this,” she says. “Watching five orca, including a calf, hunting common dolphins in these inshore waters was one of the most remarkable wildlife experiences we have ever had.”
Seeing orcas in the Hebrides isn’t uncommon – the famous duo John Coe and Aquarius visit these waters regularly – this extraordinary sighting shocked the whole team.
They’re hoping to identify the pod involved in the hunt and are sharing their photos and videos with marine scientists and conservation experts, including Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, to try to identify the pod.
Seeing the hunt unfold right before their eyes is something none of the team will easily forget. Adds Fairbairns: “It was nature in its rawest and most powerful form.”
- Deep-sea scientists just filmed an elusive predator with “grotesquely protruding jaw” alive for the first time
- At the bottom of the Indian Ocean a deep sea robot discovered something huge and truly incredible
- “I had a hunch something was about to happen." This researcher was filming a manta ray from above, when this happened
Video and photo credit James Fairbairns - Hebrides Cruises
