Orca pod spotted hunting dolphins off coast of Scotland in rare footage

Rare footage of an orca pod hunting dolphins off the coast of Scotland has been caught on camera.

On Sunday, Hebrides Cruises head guide Lynsey Bland spotted the whales in the water off the coast of Oban whilst travelling on a CalMac ferry at 4pm.

The pod of five orcas, including a young calf, was seen hunting common dolphins near Lady Rock.

The video shows one orca bursting from the waves as it continues the search for food.

Drone images also capture the pod swirling under the water with dolphins swimming nearby.

Rob Barlow, director at Hebrides Cruises, said: “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.

Emma Fairbairns, director and shore manager at Hebrides Cruises said: “We are still on a high from an incredible afternoon. Not only for us but for my six-year-old daughter, who can now say she has witnessed an orca 30 minutes from home.

“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) was the only Orca that preyed on cetaceans in these waters. It is historical to witness a different pod so close to Oban.”