Paul Van Steensel and Peter Martinez of Cape Dreams Building and Design spotted an orca off the coast of Chatham on Sunday.
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Some lucky boaters were treated to an unexpected sight off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts, this weekend -- an orca.
Taylor Grai posted several videos to Facebook Sunday evening and tells NBC10 Boston that her boyfriend was captaining the boat with his two sons when they spotted the killer whale.
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The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared the videos to their own Facebook page, writing, "Very exciting to see!"
There are very few orcas in the waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean, associate research scientist Orla O’Brien previously told NBC10 Boston, noting it's "always unusual to see killer whales in New England waters."
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Orcas, nicknamed "killer whales," are apex predators and are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
There have been a few sightings in recent years. Last June, an Orca known as "Old Thom" -- one of the only orcas seen regularly in North Atlantic waters -- was spotted by Pat Simon who was fishing off the tip of Provincetown with his family. Later that day, a rare pod was spotted about 40 miles south of Nantucket by a team of scientists from the New England Aquarium.
Orcas have also been in the news recently for attacking boats off the coast of southern Europe, puzzling scientists as the behavior appears coordinated.
