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Incredible footage shows killer whales hunt just meters away from the coast in one of the most northerly parts of the British Isles.
Haydn Thomason, 27, was filming the orcas near Lerwick in Shetland when they suddenly began chasing a lone seal, Daily Record reports.
In the clip, uploaded on January 2, the hunting pod chases a seal through the shallows, with the panicked animal only just making the safety of the rocks.
The killer whales then veer around and circle the area strategically, while the seal takes its chances and slips back into the water.
Amazingly, one killer whale swims just metres away from gobsmacked spectators.
Haydn, who founded Viking Fitness Training, said it was the first time he'd seen orcas this close even though the majestic beasts are a common sight in Shetland.
Haydn said: "That is the first time I've been metres away from them, especially when they are hunting.
"I've seen them a few times this summer, but I’ve never been lucky enough to watch them hunt.
"They frequently visit Shetland and seem to be coming here a lot more often now."
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Haydn reckons there were at least 10 animals in the pod, including a large bull who at one point flipped a seal out the water with its tail.
He added: "Luckily we have a Facebook group dedicated to seeing these animals called Shetland Orca sightings, so once my mum Lara who is a local tour guide for www.shetlandtourguide.co.uk spotted the post showing they were there, I immediately rushed across town to follow them.
"We ended up tracking them for about an hour along the coastline of Shetland, causing a convoy of cars following them too.
"As we were following the pod, we realised that they were hunting seals along the coastline, which is an animal we see so commonly here in Shetland.
"I was so lucky to get the footage I did and see the pod in full hunt mode, it's something you’d rarely see – let alone capture on camera."
- Animals
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