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Multiple killer whales spotted near the Cape
The New England Aquarium spotted a pod of four killer whales, and a lucky local ship had its own encounter with well-known orca "Old Thom."
A pod of orcas was spotted 40 miles south of Nantucket on Sunday — a rare sight for the region — and one lucky local ship had its very own encounter with another killer whale the next day.
The New England Aquarium got aerial photos of the pod of four during its Sunday survey.
Orla O’Brien, an associate research scientist who leads the aerial survey team for the aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said in a release that orca sightings in New England waters are “always unusual.” She added that the population of these whales in the area is very small.
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“I think seeing killer whales is particularly special for us because it unlocks that childhood part of you that wanted to be a marine biologist,” she said.
The crew on a local fishing ship with Simonsez Sportfishing had a similarly unreal experience when they spotted a different, but well-known, orca a day later. O’Brien told Boston.com the whale spotted by Pat Simon and his fellow crew members was “Old Thom,” who’s been spotted off the Cape before, including as far back as 2016 and as recently as 2022. Old Thom, who is known to swim alone or beside dolphins in the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy, is the only killer whale seen regularly in North Atlantic waters, according to the aquarium.
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Simon said the crew had been out fishing for tuna when the whale caught their eye. Once they realized what it was, he said they stopped what they were doing to take it all in.
“An orca whale is very, very uncommon,” he said. “We were all amazed. In some of the videos that we took there’s definitely some raw language and raw emotion that’s on display.”
The crew took plenty of photos and videos, some of which they shared on their Instagram.
“It’s a day that I won’t forget, and I’m sure nobody else on the boat will forget,” he added.
Including the orcas, aquarium researchers spotted nearly 150 whales and dolphins on Sunday. The team was out for seven hours, catching glimpses of fin whales — including a mother and her calf — mink whales, bottlenose dolphins, and humpback whales.
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