A pod of false killer whales was seen in a rare occurrence by a group of sailors off the coast of Herzliya on Tuesday morning.
False killer whales - which are, in fact, dolphins - are typically deep-sea dwellers and are one of the rarest marine mammals in the region.
Moshe Ruach and his companions from the Blue Wave Tashoot sailing club in Herzliya set sail at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
"We went out to sea as usual, and after about 40 minutes, we noticed prominent fins above the water," said Ruach. "At first, I thought they were 'regular' dolphins, but their behavior was unusual. Their movements were calmer than what we are used to seeing, and they weren’t jumping.
"The depth was also relatively shallow. For nearly an hour, between six and ten of them swam alongside us. It was incredibly exciting to witness!" he added, recounting the rare sighting.
Ruach immediately reported the sighting to the SeaWatch app of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), which then relayed it to Delphis, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals in Israel.
According to Dr. Aviad Scheinin, head of the Marine Apex Predator Lab at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station at the University of Haifa, the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a deep-sea dolphin and one of the rarest marine mammals in the region.
"Until 2020, all sightings of this species in the eastern Mediterranean were in very deep waters between Israel and Cyprus, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, unusual sightings have occurred near the shore—only a few per year—possibly in search of food," Scheinin explained.
Sightings in Israel
Delphis reported that Tuesday's sighting is the first recorded observation of a false killer whale pod in 2025. The last documented sighting was in June 2024, when a pod of this species was observed off Herzliya Marina.
According to Dr. Maya Elasar from Delphis, the vast majority of false killer whale sightings in shallow Israeli waters have been in the central region, primarily off the coast of Herzliya.
Bar Sternbach, coordinator of SeaWatch and marine projects at SPNI, who received the report, emphasized that the documentation of the dolphin pod off Herzliya’s coast highlights the rich biodiversity in Israel’s seas that deserves protection.
"This thrilling sighting, recorded in the SeaWatch app, underscores our responsibility as humans to preserve marine ecosystems. A healthy sea is critical for top predators like the false killer whale. Therefore, it is essential to reduce destructive fishing practices, such as non-selective nets that may harm dolphins, minimize pollution risks from the fossil fuel industry, including EAPC (formerly Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company) and gas drilling, and promote extensive marine reserves—both within territorial waters and the deep sea, with the goal of protecting 30% of Israel’s marine territory," he stated.
The false killer whale, an impressive dolphin measuring about six meters (20 feet) in length with a charcoal-black color, is a close relative of the orca (killer whale). Like orcas, it preys not only on large fish and squid but also on small marine mammals, hence its name.
It inhabits deep waters and can live up to 60 years. The global population of the false killer whale is classified as Near Threatened (NT) and is estimated at approximately 80,000 individuals.
According to Delphis researchers, false killer whales are found in the Indian Ocean, the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean’s coastal regions, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Baltic Sea. They are considered fast and energetic swimmers and can even leap out of the water. They primarily feed on fish and squid of various sizes. While they are social animals, it is important to remember that they are still wild animals. Therefore, caution should be exercised, allowing them to choose the nature and duration of the encounter without imposing human interaction on them.
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