07-05-2025
Orca family's rare visit reels in whale watchers to Farne Islands
W illiam Shiel's family has been running boat trips to the Farne Islands for more than 100 years. He had heard stories of the occasional orca long ago, but never in his own 40-year career had he ever seen one for himself.
That changed last week, when a group of eight killer whales made a spectacular — and unusual — appearance off the Northumberland coast, near Bamburgh Castle.
Shiel, 52, said: 'It was quite a sight. The dorsal fins were the size of a bloody garage door.
'My father Billy told me that while out crab fishing, he once saw a killer whale near Longstone Lighthouse [on Farne].' The lighthouse was made famous by Grace Darling and her father, when they rescued shipwreck survivors. 'I've been
