Killer Whales Wreck British Sailor's Yacht; Authorities Take Action on Orca Attacks

A pod of killer whales (orcas) ravaged the yacht rudders of a British sailor in the Strait of Gibraltar, which adds to a series of related events in the area over the past several weeks.

The afflicted sailor, Iain Hamilton, revealed his story on BBC Radio 4's "Today" show, as reported by Business Insider. He said that while sailing about twenty miles off the shore, he saw a fin near his boat, then a series of sharp bumps. Then, a giant orca and four smaller ones began to attack the ship, constantly bumping into it as the large orca tried to bite the rudder.

Hamilton was alarmed when one of the orcas eventually succeeded in pulling off the first rudder. The second rudder was also pulled off, leaving the boat without any steering capabilities, which worsened the problem. Hamilton compared the orcas' subsequent aggressive maneuvering of the ship to playing with it.

The sailor noticed that, despite the extent of the destruction, the orcas seemed more playful than hostile. Due to their tremendous power, he thought they could have quickly demolished his boat if they had wanted to.

The latest orca attack comes days after a sailing yacht called Mustique sustained considerable damage from killer whales in an incident off the southern coast of Spain, shattering the rudder and puncturing the hull. The Mustique's four-person crew requested aid from Spanish authorities.

Killer Whale-Ship Contact Incidents Rise

There have been multiple killer whale assaults on ships off the Portuguese and Spanish shores this year alone. The first reported occurrence occurred in May 2020 in the Strait of Gibraltar, which sees a lot of boat activity. There have been over 500 cases of orcas reacting to boats, according to the Global Threats to Orcas (GTOA) organization. However, few orca encounters include physical contact.

Marine Mammal Science reported 49 orca-boat contacts in 2020 in June 2022. Although a few fishing boats and motorboats were also assaulted, sailboats and catamarans were the most often targeted vessels.

Researchers discovered that orcas often use their teeth to scrape the boat's hull while they hunt for prey. These assaults often break rudders, leaving boats unable to sail. Three times, orcas forced ships to sink, but all the people on board were safely saved.

Reason Still Unclear

Wild Orca's scientific and research director, Deborah Giles, notes that these orcas do not want to harm people. She emphasizes the history of orca harassment and captures off the coastlines of Washington and Oregon in the 1960s and 1970s, per the Scientific American. Despite their horrific past, these orcas never aggressively attacked boats or people.

Giles points out that it is theoretical to ascribe such reasons to the orcas in the vicinity of the Iberian Peninsula, even if it is likely that the marine creatures may be responding due to unpleasant interactions with boats.

The Spanish Transport Ministry has established rules in reaction to these instances of killer whale attacks that state ships should leave the region right away and avoid upsetting the orcas more if any changes in their behavior, such as abrupt changes in direction or speed, are seen. The government mandates that any contact between ships and orcas be reported to the appropriate authorities, according to Reuters.

Orcas are a species of dolphin and are presently considered endangered. As adults, they can reach eight meters and six tons.