Killer Whales sighted on ARC

[Jamesuk]

Hi All,

We thought it a little odd to see two Killer Whales in the Atlantic where we were
Position:
15 degrees 48 North
031 degrees 15 West

There were two a large one with a smaller one together. Popped up 10ft away off to port then dived away then under the yacht for 5 mins then stopped settling on what appeared to be a chilled out drift heading south.

Can anyone shed some light on where they would have come from and is it common to see them in the Atlantic where we were. Dolphins were seen almost every day but Killer Whales with there striking black and white never seen before other than in captivity.

Cheers James

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Hi All,

We thought it a little odd to see two Killer Whales in the Atlantic where we were
Position:
15 degrees 48 North
031 degrees 15 West

There were two a large one with a smaller one together. Popped up 10ft away off to port then dived away then under the yacht for 5 mins then stopped settling on what appeared to be a chilled out drift heading south.

Can anyone shed some light on where they would have come from and is it common to see them in the Atlantic where we were. Dolphins were seen almost every day but Killer Whales with there striking black and white never seen before other than in captivity.

Cheers James

Killer whales can be found anywhere - they are not confined to any particular area.

 

[Tiddy Oggy]

They roam all over

You get resident pods and transient pods of killer whales, or Orcas. The transients roam all over the oceans. They like to eat seals, but also attack baby whales.

A pod of Orcas attacked a small yacht in the South Atlantic in the early 1970s. Damaged the keel so badly she sunk. Her crew were fortuitously rescued by a passing American freighter that had been forced off course by a storm and taken to Cape Town.

There are several resident pods just north of Seattle on the Pacific Northwest coast of America. They are all known, photographed and identified by their distinctive dorsal fins.

 

[dulcibella]

I had a pod of 5 killer whale including a 10m bull bow-riding for about 20 minutes half-way between the Canaries and the Cape Verde Is. They can turn up anywhere and a close approach is an unforgettable experience.

 

[Jamesuk]

Excellent they were to see, thanks for the input guys. Currently in Saint Lucia so I am sure I will be hearing of plenty other stories during the next few nights at the bars and of course at the party!!

 

[savageseadog]

Prue Nash of Ancasta, and lost overboard without life jacket fame, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-10680853 had better not go overboard again! She's on Lancelot a 40.7.

Mind you the killer whales might not be that desperate.

 

[VO5]

I saw two Orcas 350 miles west of the Azores about 100 feet away on our port quarter one morning. I couldn't believe my eyes. I have kept quiet about it as I thought no one would believe it. I thought they were to be found in the Pacific, not the Atlantic. But it seems they are in the Atlantic too.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I saw two Orcas 350 miles west of the Azores about 100 feet away on our port quarter one morning. I couldn't believe my eyes. I have kept quiet about it as I thought no one would believe it. I thought they were to be found in the Pacific, not the Atlantic. But it seems they are in the Atlantic too.

As I noted above, Killer Whales are a global species, from pack-ice in the north to pack-ice in the south. I've seen them off Portree, Isle of Skye (many years ago).

Because they prey on larger sea mammals and birds, they tend to be associated with seals, penguins and smaller dolphins (technically, Killer Whales are dolphins, not whales).

 

[Goldie]

I've seen them off Portree, Isle of Skye (many years ago).

We had a pod of 8 or 10 who played around the boat for about 45mins. The pod included a couple of large males with those fantastic tall dorsal fins, and one very small juvenile. It was glassy smooth at the time so we had a great view. We were about mid way between Coll and Barra at the time, it would have been May 99 I think. The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust recognised them (from our photographs) as regular visitors to the area.

www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk website has some great photos and lists sightings in the area - I see Orca were spotted off Eigg in August this year.

 

[30boat]

I was followed by what appeared to be a a pack of Orcas in 1994 off the Guadiana in the Algarve.It was getting dark but I could tell they were very large and had whit spots and huge tall dorsal fins.