A RARE ORCA ENCOUNTER
One of those days at sea that reminds us how unpredictable and fascinating wildlife can be.
We were incredibly lucky to witness orcas hunting a seal in Skjálfandi Bay, a very rare sighting in our waters.
Looking back at documented observations, orcas have previously been recorded hunting marine mammals in the bay: a minke whale on 22 July 2008, and a harbour porpoise and harbour seal on 27 June 2012 the same day within an hour! (Source: Samarra et al. (2019), PLOS ONE — “Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland.”)
Icelandic orcas are often associated with herring, but research shows that their diet can be more diverse, including different marine mammals. One observation cannot tell us whether these particular whales are marine-mammal specialists, but every such encounter adds valuable information to our understanding of Icelandic orcas.
For us, witnessing this hunt was an extraordinary reminder that the ocean always has something unexpected waiting for us.
Wildlife doesn't follow a script. And that's what makes every day at sea unique.