Two killer whales spotted off the coast of Cornwall

Stock photo: PA

Surfers and tourists have been warned to stay out of the water after two killer whales were spotted off the coast of Padstow, near Newquay, in Cornwall.

Local Dom Clarke, who runs a rock pool exploration company, spotted the orcas about 100 metres into the ocean while he was walking his dog.

He saw a six-metre whale and another smaller one, thought to be her calf.

Mr Clarke said it was the last thing he expected to see on his daily walk, and told the Telegraph: 'It's not totally unheard of for killer whales to be off the coast of England but it's certainly incredibly rare.

'It was amazing how clearly they could be seen. I first noticed a magnificent dorsal fin coming out of the water.

'There was no mistaking what it was. I was just gutted I didn't have a camera.'

It is likely they are in the area looking for food, like seals or dolphins. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, but fisherman Zyg Gregorek, who has travelled the world hunting sea predators, told the Daily Mail: 'If a swimmer or a surfer got too close to a killer whale, it only takes one swish of the tail and you've had it.

'A killer whale might be curious around humans and therefore might attack, whether by accident or design. Also, because of over-fishing, their diets have been affected.

'If they are starving, they can be unpredictable and there is a possibility they may go for a human.'

Experts have said that orcas, which are typically found in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as warmer waters like the coast of Australia and can weigh up to six tonnes, could soon be more of a common sighting as global warming heats up English seas.

It is thought that as prey like fish and squid move into the North Sea, whales will follow.

For example, experts now expect that the grey whales will also soon be found in the coast around Cornwall.

The 16-metre, 36-tonne animals are usually found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans.

Peter Evans, director of the Sea Watch Foundation, told the Telegraph: 'We are now seeing a number of species far from home, and they probably will continue to recur with increasing frequency.

'If the fish are extending their range, as we know many are, then the whales and dolphins will follow.

'Anchovies for example were really quite scarce in the North Sea 10 to 20 years ago.

'Now they are widespread and may be why the common dolphin is now a regular in the North Sea.

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