The TV star headed out when he heard that John Coe and Aquarius were in the area – and he certainly found them

11:14, 06 Apr 2026Updated 11:14, 06 Apr 2026

Steve Backshall films Orcas in Cornwall

TV environmentalist Steve Backshall had a close encounter with two famous whales off the coast of Cornwall.

The presenter, who is married to Cornish Olympic champion rower Helen Glover, headed out when he heard the orcas, known as John Coe and Aquarius and hailing from Scotland, had been seen around the south coast, as reported by CornwallLive last week.

The brothers appeared off our shores for the first time in five years and are the last two remaining members of the west coast orca community from a pod first identified off Caithness in Scotland, who Backshall called the “absolute celebrity rock stars and icons of the orca world”.

The star has also shared his own video of the massive mammals, writing: “Cornish killer whales! Two celebrity orca hung around Lizard point yesterday… @george_hoagy_morris gave me the call mid podcast and we headed out to see John Coe and Aquarius in full force off the Kernow coast.”

In his video – which you can watch at the top of this article – from a small boat off the Lizard, a visibly ecstatic Backshall says: “They’re there! They’re right in front of us. Unbelievable.

“Orca in Cornish seas and not just any orca but the two best-known individuals in the northern hemisphere. Just absolute rock stars, celebrities, icons of the orca world and right here on our doorstep.

“The size of the dorsal fin on these animals is simply immense and it seems like they are cruising on heading west towards Mount’s Bay.

“Unreal.”

They were also filmed by AK Wildlife Cruises in Falmouth Bay, as seen below.

Orcas spotted in Cornwall

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