Fishermen Record 'Unusual And Exciting' Killer Whale Sighting Off Chatham
CHATHAM (CBS) – Fishermen recorded video as a pod of killer whales swam alongside their boat off the Cape Cod coast in what experts call a rare occurrence.
The fishermen recorded a video showing at least four orcas following alongside their boat, which was about 12 miles off of the Chatham coast. The sighting was shared by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
The whales playfully swam close by for 10-15 minutes. One of them breached about 40 feet from the boat's bow.
Philip Hamilton, a whale expert with the New England Aquarium, said sightings so close to the New England coast are rare.
"There have been less than 1,000 sightings over 250 years. So any sighting is unusual and exciting," Hamilton told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl.
Hamilton said he has been on the northwest Atlantic Ocean researching whales for 30 years and has only seen orcas twice.
He adds that this pod of whales is unlikely to be seen in the area any time soon.
Orca females like the ones seen in the video can grow to be up to 24-feet long and weigh four tons.
Adult males, meanwhile can reach 30 feet in length and weigh eight tons.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl reports