Orca spotted off the coast of Cape Cod

For the third time this month, orca whales have been spotted off the coast of Massachusetts, a rare treat as the population of orcas here is very small.

On Monday, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared a video of an orca a boater spotted Sunday near the wreck of the Regal Sword near Cape Cod.

The Regal Sword sank 25 miles off the coast of Chatham in 1979 after colliding with an oil tanker. The wreck site of the frieghter has since become a popular fishing spot.

In the video, you can see the orca swimming in the distance.

On June 11, a group of four orcas was spotted swimming 40 miles south of Nantucket. The next day, a fishing crew ran into “Old Thom” — the one orca known to frequent New England waters.

This is the second year in a row that orcas have been spotted near the Regal Sword wreck. In May 2022, it was Old Thom himself that made an appearance near the wreck.

Orcas have made headlines recently for attacking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, but so far, no attacks have been recorded near New England.

Orca whales aren’t actually whales at all. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they’re the largest member of the dolphin family. While they can be found in every ocean, they can be found in their largest numbers near the northern and southern poles where waters are coldest.

Like North Atlantic right whales, orcas are endangered due to threats like fishing gear entanglements and overfishing. NOAA estimates that the world’s orca population is around 50,000.