A volunteer crew from RNLI Longhope enjoyed an amazing encounter with a pod of orcas during a training session in Scapa Flow
During a routine early-morning training session off the coast of Orkney, Scotland, the crew of RNLI Longhope encountered a pod of approximately six orcas, which treated them to ‘a fantastic and prolonged display.’
The orcas were from the 65 Pod, part of a larger group known as the Northern Isles Community, which roam the waters around the islands off Scotland’s northern coastline.
The 65s are Type 1 Atlantic orcas, which feed primarily on fish and sometimes seals and are differentiated from the bigger Type 2 orcas, which feed on larger mammals such as dolphins and whales.
The crew were off the coast of St Margaret’s Hope, Orkney, when they encountered the pod, which included ‘Busta’, the bull orca that accompanies the pod, which are regular visitors to the Orkney Islands.
Trainee Navigator, Alan Mackinnon said, ‘It was an amazing encounter. There were about six orcas including a calf and a bull. They were swimming around and under the boat, tail slapping and jumping in the air. They gave us a brilliant acrobatic display.
‘To see these majestic creatures up close, and in their natural environment, was an absolute privilege and an experience that I will never forget.’
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service from 238 lifeboat stations and more than 240 lifeguard stations around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI relies on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service, and has saved more than 142,700 lives since its founding in 1824.
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