Spotting an Orca in Aberdeenshire

Pete woke up at 03:20 (high water at Stonehaven) to allow Svea to reach the harbour wall without flying (refer to previous post). He slipped the lines at 05:30, leaving Jen snoring away in the forepeak. Within an hour of leaving Stonehaven, the shout of "dolphins!" quickly brought her on deck with camera in hand. It was too late - the pod had gone.

Jen took over the helm at 07:00, and during this watch, two slightly larger dolphin-like mammals playfully leaped through the water about fifty meters to the starboard side of Rimau. They surfaced twice more before crossing the bow, tail slapping and diving. Several photos were taken, however we were unsure if they captured the magic.

No more thought was given to the encounters until the images were checked that evening. One photo showed a fin, so was popped into Chat GPT for identification.

Chat GPT result: The black animal in the sea visible just beyond the bow of your yacht appears to be an orca (killer whale). You can identify it by the tall, prominent dorsal fin breaking the water's surface — a classic characteristic of orcas, especially the large, triangular dorsal fin seen on males.

Spotting an orca is a rare and remarkable experience, especially around UK waters, though they are occasionally seen off the west coast of Scotland and sometimes in the North Sea. If you’re sailing near a pod, it's wise to maintain a cautious distance — recent reports have documented orcas interacting with vessels in unpredictable ways. Let me know where you were when you took the photo and I can check whether any local orca sightings have been reported recently.

We fed in the location and the time of the sighting and received the following reply:

You nailed it — that dark fin cutting through the water belongs to an orca, also known as a killer whale (Orcinus orca). You captured it just off Aberdeen at around 09:00 yesterday, which matches a pod sighting reported in the same area just two days ago

Orca sightings are quite rare around the UK—these North Sea visitors often travel in small families, occasionally making their way into Aberdeen’s waters. This particular group likely belonged to the west‑coast community, which is small and critically endangered.

Congratulations on witnessing such an amazing wildlife moment! If you're curious about best practices for observing marine life or want info on conservation efforts for orcas around Scotland, I’d be happy to help.

Chat GTP then assisted in the process of reporting the sighting to both the Seawatch Foundation and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) which we did.

Pete had been told about the possibility of orcas in the area by a local fisherman a few days before the encounter, so he was not surprised by the find. The cheeky viking had kept this information to himself.