Wild Isles: Orca pod footage in Northumberland solves 'conundrum'

The pod of orcas was spotted about 18 miles east of Seahouses, Northumberland

A pod of orcas that featured in BBC documentary series Wild Isles has been filmed off the Northumberland coast.

Fisherman Ben Fordy and his crewmates first spotted the killer whales on Thursday, and initially mistook them for stranded paddleboarders.

"We didn't want to disturb them, we let them do what they wanted to do. On Friday, we stopped the engine and got alongside them," he told the BBC.

The pod, known as the 27s, were identified by distinctive features.

They had been filmed in Scotland as part of the BBC One series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, which featured wildlife native to the UK.

A killer whale expert said the new footage had solved "a conundrum" of where the pod had been going and it was the first time they had been seen outside the waters of Scotland, Iceland and the Faroes.

Mr Fordy, from Seahouses, described being "on top of the world" after the crew of the Sea Menace captured the footage on Thursday and Friday lunchtime.

The orcas were spotted on Thursday and Friday

The fisherman said he first saw orcas four years ago in the area but as he had not filmed them it was difficult to prove.

He said there were about 16 individuals in two distinct groups, containing males, females and calves.

"We were about a mile and a half away when we first saw them," he added.

"It was absolutely amazing, it was beautiful to watch them in the wild and not on a TV screen.

The fishermen spent about an hour and a half watching the orcas

"The boat I am working on came from the same place where this pod of orcas came from which is Wick, which is why they were playing so much with the boat, they were already familiar with it."

The marine mammals have travelled from Scotland to feed on seals and porpoises, which are their main diet.

Sightings have also been recorded in Northumberland 2020.

Mr Fordy said the pod contained males and females

"It was a case of stopping all the lobster pots and take video and share footage with all the local boats and everyone in the area," he added.

"I was ecstatic, I never stopped smiling."

Ben Fordy, a fisherman from Seahouses, captured the spectacular sight on film

Steve Truluck, from the Scottish Killer Whales Photo Identification Catalogue, said the footage solved a "great mystery" as to who the killer whales were.

"We have known that killer whales have been going down to Northumberland for a few years now," he said.

"I was absolutely thrilled in one of the videos you can very clearly see two of the males that we know and love in Scotland from a group called the 27s.

"One of the males is male 34, he has got a very distinguishing fin. There's a notch missing out of the very top of his dorsal fin and you can see him really clearly in Ben's video."

Mr Truluck added it was the first time the pod have been seen anywhere out of Scotland, Iceland and the Faroes.

"It's a conundrum that we have had for the last five years," he added.

"It's phenomenal, the stars of Wild Isles have gone to England which is just incredible.

"It's amazing news," he said.