16/08/2026
🐋 Risso’s vs. Pilots — Round 2! 😳
WOW… just WOW.
Without a doubt, one of the most incredible encounters we’ve witnessed this season.
Here’s a question for you:
What species could make an entire group of 20–25 pilot whales flee an area?
Honestly, if you had asked me that before today, I would have said, “I don’t think that’s possible.”
Pilot whales live in large, powerful groups and often seem to have the numbers on their side. In fact, last year we even witnessed orcas being chased away by pilot whales.
So naturally, I thought I knew the answer.
Well… nature proved me wrong today. 🤯
We were watching a group of around 20–25 pilot whales peacefully playing and socializing when, suddenly, 4–5 Risso’s dolphins appeared.
And then… everything changed.
The interaction quickly became intense and somewhat "agressive".
We had witnessed something similar about a month ago, but today was on another level. The Risso’s dolphins repeatedly herded the pilot whales, surrounding them and pushing them away from the area.
The pilots responded by forming an incredibly tight formation.
Then, more pilot whales started arriving — at high speed. Perhaps they were responding to the vocalizations of their group members and coming in to provide protection.
But the Risso’s dolphins didn’t back down.
They continued surrounding the much larger group and herding them.
And eventually…
The pilot whales had enough.
They suddenly took off at an astonishing speed — porpoising across the water at around 10 knots, throwing up enormous splashes as they fled.
At that point, I thought, Surely the Risso’s will stop now…
Nope. 😳
They went after them.
Jumping. Porpoising. Chasing.
Try taking photos from a moving boat while the animals AND the boat are moving at that speed… 😂📸
The pilot whales managed to maintain that incredible pace for around 10 minutes before slowing down.
And almost immediately, the Risso’s dolphins surrounded them again.
I have been observing whales and dolphins for the past 10 years, and I have never seen anything quite like this. Not even in a wildlife documentary.
It was a true National Geographic moment — and our guests were incredibly lucky to witness it. ❤️
The back-and-forth continued for quite some time, until we eventually had to leave.
And now we’re left wondering…
What happened after we left? 🤔🐋
We filmed the entire encounter, and the pilot whales even approached our boat several times — perhaps looking for a little protection, much like herring sometimes do around orcas.
We’ll be sharing some of the remarkable videos from this encounter over the coming days, so keep an eye out. 👀
We’ll also be sharing all the photos and footage with the researchers at Ocean Sounds, so they can hopefully help us understand more about what was happening between these two fascinating species.
Have you ever witnessed an encounter between Risso’s dolphins and pilot whales like this?
And perhaps the biggest question of all:
Why do you think the Risso’s dolphins were so determined to drive the pilot whales away? 👇
We’d absolutely love to hear your theories!
📍 Bleik, Andøya, Northern Norway
📅 16 August 2026
📸 Photographer: Krisztina Balotay
Enjoy! ❤️🐋
fans
Orca Channel
