3 days ago
Pod of killer whales spotted in extremely rare sighting in the Channel by stunned pals on fishing trip
PALS on a fishing trip were stunned when they spotted what appeared to be a pod of killer whales in the Channel.
David Hilton, 64, and Paul Bradshaw, 61, were angling off the South Coast when they saw several large creatures breaching the surface.
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Two pals spotted what appeared to be a pod of killer whales in the Channel
Credit: Neil Hope
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David Hilton was angling off the South Coast when he spotted the creatures breaching the surface
Credit: Neil Hope
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Sightings of orcas in the Channel are extremely rare
Credit: Getty
They appeared to be hunting dolphins in busy international shipping lanes, just five miles south of Plymouth, Devon.
Also known as orcas, killer whales — like those in the hit film Free Willy — are seen in the North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland.
But sightings in the Channel are extremely rare.
David, a retired hospital worker, said: 'I couldn't believe it.
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'I've never seen orcas before in
Paul, a retired medical scientist and marine life enthusiast, added: 'We weren't sure what they were at first.
'The larger ones were over five metres long.'
Paul sent pictures to the Orca Research Trust, which said: 'While we can't say definitively that these were
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But Dr Peter Evans, professor of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, said he thought they may have been white beaked dolphins.
He said: 'Changes in the status and distribution of various whale and dolphin species have been occurring in recent years.'
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