A MAN says he has spotted killer whales off the coast of Hove.
Daniel Horne managed to capture two photographs of what appears to be a dorsal fin breaking the waves in the water opposite Marroccos in King’s Esplanade.
The sighting has been reported to the Sussex Dolphin Project, a charity project of the World Cetacean Alliance, an organisation which aims to “inspire and engage the local community to learn about the incredible marine wildlife off the Sussex coast”.
Sussex Dolphin Project keeps a record of the number of marine mammals spotted off the Sussex coast as part of its research into the county’s aquatic wildlife.
Thea Taylor, Sussex Dolphin Project lead, said that while Orcas have been confirmed in the waters around Sussex this year, an accurate identification of the exact species could not be made on this occasion.
She said: “Orcas have been recorded in the English Channel this year, so it is a possibility.
“Other potential species include White-beaked dolphins, which also have large dorsal fins and are sighted in Sussex waters around this time of year, though usually further offshore.”
Earlier this summer, a pod of female orcas were spotted near Telscombe Cliffs.
Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family.
In May, two killer whales were spotted off the Cornish coast by members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
- READ MORE: 'Killer whales' spotted off the coast in an 'incredibly rare sighting'
- READ MORE: Dolphins spotted by Shoreham RNLI off coast of Sussex
The pair, named John Coe and Aquarius, were identified by the shape and notches of their dorsal fins and patches of colouration near their eyes and on their backs.
They are two of the UK’s only resident population of killer whales.
The pair form part of the West Coast Community, a specialised pod of eight individuals that can be distinguished from other groups of orcas by their unusual sloping eye patch and larger size.
Although they are regularly monitored, some have not been seen in recent years and there have been no calves observed since monitoring began in the 1990s.
According to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, the pod faces the risk of extinction as a direct result of human activities.
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