Over a dozen Killer whales were spotted close to the shore at John o'Groats on Monday morning.
While spotting Orcas in the Pentland Firth isn't unusual, this sighting is said by experts to be unprecedented as the group of 14 whales was made up of two or three different pods.
There has been a record number of sightings off the Caithness coast this year, with 24 sightings of orcas since the whale-watching season began in April — the annual average is 15-20.
Seawatch Foundation co-ordinator Colin Bird said: "Most sightings usually involve between three to five whales but what was seen at John O’Groats was unprecedented as there were two or three pods coming together.
"As they come from Iceland, the killer whales usually follow the herring trails and, due to the very cool summers, the fish have travelled more south than usual.
"When they do arrive at the Pentland Firth, they find that there is a great number of seals living in the area, which is part of their main diet.
"This time of year seal pups are more common and are oblivious to the dangers orcas pose which make them easy prey."
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