Orca experience off Buckie coast
A BUCKIE woman and her family had an unforgettable experience when they encountered a family of orcas off the Moray coast.
Rachel (31), from Buckie, snapped some breathtaking pictures on her iPhone between Strathlene and Findochty.
"It was amazing, brilliant. We were so lucky to time it right," said Rachel. "I am still totally excited about it. I had only seen a killer whale at Sea World in Florida before.
"I would say there were about 10 whales and when four or five of them broke away we followed them."
Rachel and her partner, son Cody Hill (6) and friend Stewart Grieve, also from Buckie, had ventured out in ‘The Blossom’ pleasure boat.
Kate Hannigan of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay, said the whales were most likely Icelandic orcas.
"Over the last couple of years they have been nipping in and out," she said. "They were probably here for seal pups. They have the ability to understand when there are vulnerable animals.
"We quite often see minke whales and there have been some good sightings off Burghead recently. We were devastated we didn’t get to see the orcas."
