After a spike in killer whale attacks on boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, sailors have been urged to be cautious. A single pod of orcas is said to have knocked out two ships in a single day last week.
The Spanish lifeboat Salvamar Enif rescued the 15-meter (49-foot) sailboat Alboran Champagne to safety on Monday afternoon, then went out that night to save three crew members from the Cachacha in the same region. The orcas rammed and shattered the boats' rudders in both incidents.
There were at least 22 confirmed instances since April when killer whales rammed and shattered the rudders of both boats. The killer whales tried to bite through the tow rope on one occasion, and 10 of the attacked boats had to be hauled to the port.
The first occurrence was reported in 2020, and by 2021, there had been over 100 incidents on Spanish and Portuguese seas.
Killer Orcas Attack Sailor, Rips Yacht in Portugal
Sailor Matt Johnston was among those assaulted by the killer whales in Portugal. Last October, he was sailing his boat from Belfast to Almeria when four killer whales started a 40-minute attack.
"The two young ones went at the rudder-like labradors fighting over a treat while the two larger ones were ramming the boat, spinning it around," he told The Times.
"At one point I saw one of them swimming away with a piece of the rudder on its head like a trophy, and I had some concerns that the bigger ones might split the hull."
After paying £425 (around $510) to be towed and more than £10,000 ($12,000) to fix his boat, Johnston said he "had no intention" of sailing in the same region again.
Sailing Ban in Spain, Portugal For Smaller Boats
Mirror said killer whales, commonly known as orcas, are dolphins that feed on bluefin tuna off the coasts of Spain and Portugal every spring.
The cause for their recent attacks on boats is unknown. However, some speculate that it is related to tuna fishing competition or even "protest" by the animals.
Others speculate that it's because migrants are crossing the Straight at night, when orcas may be smashing their boats in search of food.
Boats under 15 meters have been barred from a section of the Galician coast in Spain's northwestern region, where orca assaults have surged in recent years.
Others want the prohibition reinstated this summer so smaller vessels may sail further away from the shore to avoid danger.
About Orcas
Killer whales, often known as orcas, are marine creatures. They are the biggest member of the dolphin family and belong to the odontocetes suborder of toothed whales, according to UKWhales.org.
Orcas are extremely popular since they are the most widely dispersed whales and dolphins, appearing in every ocean. They are well-known for their black and white coloring. But they have distinct looks, behavior, communication styles, and diets depending on where they dwell!
Whales and dolphins are closely related. Ancient mariners observed groups of orcas hunting and preying on larger whale species, earning the term "killer whale." Orcas were dubbed asesina ballenas, or "whale killers," a phrase that was subsequently shortened to 'killer whale.'
Orcas' Latin name, Orcinus orca, refers to the fact that they eat huge whales. Orca refers to a kind of whale, while Orcinus means "of the domain of the dead." Yes, orcas are top predators, but they aren't the terrible "whale murderers" that ancient sailors believed them to be.
Also, although orcas or killer whales are apex predators, they almost never attack humans. There is no record of an orca killing a human in the wild because humans are not part of their diet, but might mistake humans for something they eat like seals. However, orcas in captivity have attacked and killed people, according to Live Science.
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