A POD of orcas has been captured on film hunting dolphins off the coast of Oban in what experts have described as an “extraordinary” rare event.
The group of five killer whales was filmed by a local cruise operator as they hunted common dolphins on Sunday evening at around 5.30pm near Lady Rock.
Drone footage shared by Hebrides Cruises showed the pod, including a calf, hunting the dolphins at high speeds in “one of the most remarkable wildlife experiences” the crew had ever seen before the group of orcas made a “successful catch”.
Rob Barlow, director at Hebrides Cruises, explained the encounter was first spotted at around 4pm on Sunday when Hebrides Cruises head guide Lynsey Bland saw the orca pod while travelling home aboard a CalMac ferry.
Once Bland raised the alarm, Barlow knew it was an opportunity they couldn’t miss, so he decided to launch Mairi B, the latest vessel in their fleet, to pursue and observe the pod.
Barlow said with skippers James and Jake, stewardess Ellie and shore manager Emma, they were able to locate the pod approximately 30 minutes from Oban,
“As we drifted with them, we witnessed the orcas pursuing common dolphins at high speed before making a successful catch. Lots of leaping and action happened in front of our eyes,” he said.
Barlow added: “In all our years' operating on the west coast, we have never witnessed anything like this.
“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. It was nature in its rawest and most powerful form.”
While orcas are regular visitors to the Hebrides by John Coe and Aquarius, the company is not aware of any previous records of a pod outside the West Coast Community group being documented hunting common dolphins in such inshore waters.
Drone footage and photographs from the encounter have been shared with marine researchers and conservation organisations, including Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, to assist with the identification of the pod.
Emma Fairbairns, director and shore manager at Hebrides Cruises, said that the team is “still on a high from an incredible afternoon” on Wednesday.
“Not only for us but for my six-year-old daughter who can now say she has witnessed an orca 30 mins from home,” she added.
“We know this kind of behaviour has never been recorded in these inshore waters, research has always indicated the West Coast Community, with only two animals left, were the only Orca that predated on cetaceans in these waters.
“It is historical to witness a different pod so close to Oban.”
