Large pod of killer whales spotted at Groats harbour
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A RARE sighting of killer whales close into shore at John O’Groats left visitors spellbound on Monday morning.
A group of 14 orcas, believed to have been attracted by seals, were spotted from the harbour.
What made the sighting even more remarkable was the group consisted of between two and three different pods.
Fred Fermor, of John O’Groats Ferries, was one of the first people to spot the whales and described it as a spectacular sight.
“We first spotted the 14 killer whales at around 7.30am at John O’Groats and they stayed around until about 11am,” he said.
“They were just swimming around the harbour and were not engaging in any hunting but they may have been attracted to the seals that were on the shore.
“This is the usual time of the year whales are spotted in the Pentland Firth but the number has definitely increased.
“There were lots of tourists at the pier who witnessed them and with the number of whale sightings going up, it truly enhances their visit here.”
A pod was also spotted off the coast of Stroma on Saturday by a group of 30 people from the Islands Book Trust who witnessed the mammals hunting seals.
Cooler summers in recent years have led to a record number of sightings off the Caithness coast in 2012.
Since the whale-watching season began in April, there have been 24 sightings of orcas alone, beating the annual average of between 15 and 20.
Sightings are common during the summer months in the Pentland Firth as the whales travel down from Iceland on their way to the Moray Firth.
Seawatch Foundation co-ordinator Colin Bird said it is very rare to see so many whales swimming together like what was witnessed on Monday.
“Most sightings usually involve between three to five whales but what was seen at John O’Groats was unprecedented as there were two or three pods coming together.
“As they come from Iceland, the killer whales usually follow the herring trails and, due to the very cool summers, the fish have travelled more south than usual.
“When they do arrive at the Pentland Firth, they find that there is a great number of seals living in the area, which is part of their main diet.
“This time of year seal pups are more common and are oblivious to the dangers orcas pose which make them easy prey.”
Despite the record number of whales being spotted off the Caithness coast, the number of dolphin sightings have dropped due to the cooler weather.
Sightings of killer whales have also been reported at Scrabster, Wick and at Strathy Point in Sutherland.
Mr Bird said anyone who wants to increase their chances of catching a glimpse of the mammals should visit Duncansby Head where they can be spotted at Stroma and the Pentland Skerries.
*Have you seen any interesting marine life off the Caithness coast this summer? Comment below.
