(ORANGE BEACH, Ala. ) December 5 - A group of fishermen working 90 miles off the coast of Orange Beach ended up with more than just the daily catch. During a Halloween voyage-- they caught a glimpse of killer whales. It’s not something you’d expect to see when fishing off the coast of Orange Beach.
“None of us can believe what we’re seeing…killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico.” But for Eddie Hall and Shawn Clemmons…this was a fisherman’s dream come true.
Hall says, “for me to see this at my age was just a life changing event.” They were out fishing for tuna as they normally do a few times a month. But this time they saw something out in the distance they’ve never seen before.
We got up to them and sure enough they came up again right beside the boat…wasn’t scared one bit. It was amazing…the most amazing thing I’ve seen out there. They were only about 90 miles off the coast of Orange Beach.
Keith Mullen is a marine research biologist. He says, “the rig is quite familiar…I know about where they were…south of Mobile Bay there.”
And for these fisherman, killer whales off the Gulf Coast makes them think anything’s possible. Hall says, “Anything’s possible out here in the Gulf…always be ready cause you never know what you’re gonna see.
Biologists are still trying to figure out why the whales were swimming so far north in the Gulf. Typically, the whales swim in arctic waters.
