'Orca wars' continue after yacht sinks in relentless 45 minute ambush

Sailors in the Strait of Gibraltar got a serious scare this Halloween, after a gang of killer whales sank their yacht in a nearly hour-long attack.

The orcas repeatedly attacked the boat’s rudder for more than 45 minutes causing major damage and a leak, said Polish boat operator Morskie Mile.

Fortunately everybody made it out alive, but the incident is the latest in a worrying spate of attacks by pods of orcas on boats in the region over the last few years.

The trend – dubbed "orca wars" by some on social media – has seen a pod of orcas smashing into boats off the coast of Portugal and near the Strait of Gibraltar.

At one point earlier this year the attacks were happening at a rate of nearly one-per-day, according to researcher Rui Alves, who collects data on the attacks.

By October it appeared to have calmed down a little, but there were still seven recorded attacks along the coast of Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco and southern Spain, says his website, orca.pt.

Researchers don’t know exactly why this is happening, but there are two main hypotheses. The first is that killer whales – highly intelligent and social creatures – have invented a new fad, something that younger members of orca pods have been known to do.

The other, more concerning possibility, is that it is a response to trauma involving a boat, Dr Alfredo López Fernandez, of Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlántica (GTOA, or Atlantic Orca Working Group), told the Guardian.

“[It could be a] response to an adverse situation; one or several individuals have had a bad experience and are trying to stop the boat so as not to repeat it. This behaviour coincides with the profile of adults,” he said.

However, it doesn’t appear to have deterred the Polish tour operator from returning to the area. In a translated statement, Morskie Mile captain Lech Lewandowsk wrote: “They struck the rudder fin causing major damage and a leak.”

“Despite efforts to bring the yacht to port made by the captain, crew, and rescuers, as well as with the help of port tugboats and the Moroccan navy, the vessel sank near the entrance to the Tangier Med port. The crew is safe, whole, and healthy now in Spain.

“This yacht represented the very best of maritime sailing to all of us. Lifelong friendships were formed on board. We sailed through the most beautiful places in Europe and the Atlantic archipelagos, trained numerous maritime yacht skippers, discovered beautiful and unknown territories, tasted Mediterranean delicacies, and we sailed, and sailed, and sailed.

“We will carry very good memories onto Grazie Mamma II. The love for the sea always wins, and the friendships will stay with us.”

“We are working to ensure that the upcoming trips in the Canary Islands take place as planned on yachts belonging to our friends. We will be in contact with all our guests in the coming days.”

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