A skipper was stunned when he spotted a pod of eight killer whales in UK waters - in an extremely rare sighting.

Andrew Douglas, 53, was in his boat, the Serenity, on May 4, when he encountered the orcas breaching the surface.

The tour guide and his crew have been sailing around the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, for 30 years and were just five miles from the coast when the sighting occurred.

Andrew has come across puffins, dolphins, seals, orcas, diving gannets, minke whales, and fin whales on their trips, but says he hasn't even seen such a large pod of killer whales, as it's "really rare" to spot the animals at all."

He believes the animals were swimming freely and playfully as they were leaping in and out of the water.

Andrew, from Seahouses, Northumberland, said: "Watching them glide through the waves so effortlessly, knowing they weren't even moving at full speed, was humbling."

"I got a call from my good friend, Glen, who was out on his fishing boat, and he said to me, 'they're here'."

"Within minutes, we were flying across the sea, hoping we weren't too late. I've spent most of my life on these waters and thought I'd seen it all, but this was something else."

Andrew posts videos from his boat trips on social media under the handle @serenity.boats.

He said: "I'm very grateful to be able to see these animals live, and every time I see them, I just can't believe it."

"We were just two lads floating in a boat, completely overwhelmed. It's just the best job in the world, and I find it absolutely brilliant every time."

"They rose from the water, and they were powerful but also graceful. The adults were colossal, with dorsal fins slicing through the sea like black sails. "

"The younger ones were bursting out of the water with joyful ease, so full of life."

"One of the orcas in the group couldn't be identified at all, meaning there were three different groups represented in that pod of eight. A coming together of families, right here in our waters."