Orcas sink fourth boat at Iberia, nerve-wracking sailors

The yacht Grazie Mamma II transported its crew along the coastlines and archipelagos of the Mediterranean. His latest adventure took place off the coast of Morocco last week, when he encountered a pod of orcas.

The sea creatures hit the yacht’s rudder for 45 minutes, causing extensive damage and leakage. according to Morskie Mile, the Polish operators of the boat. The crew escaped and rescuers and the Moroccan navy tried to pull the yacht to safety, but it sank near the port of Tangier Med, the operator said on its website.

The story of the sinking heightens the concerns of many sailors on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where marine biologists are studying a mysterious phenomenon: Orcas crowd and ram boats in interactions that have disrupted dozens of trips and caused at least four boats sinking in the past two years.

Orcas, the largest of the dolphin family, are playful apex predators that hunt sharks, whales and other prey, but generally lovable to people in the wild. It is believed that the orcas that hunt in the Strait of Gibraltar threatenedand researchers have noticed an increase in unusual behavior since 2020: a small group of marine animals have stormed boats on the busy routes around Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

Although most interactions occur in the waters of southwestern Europe and northern Africa, an orca reportedly rammed as well a yacht about 2,000 miles north of the coast of Scotland, according to The Guardian.

“Orcas are complex, intelligent and highly social,” says Erich Hoyt, research associate at Whale and Dolphin Conservation and author of “Orca: The Whale Called Killer.” “We are still in the early stages of trying to understand this behavior.”

Researchers have pushed back on the idea that killer whales attack ships. Instead, they theorize that boat rudders have become a plaything for curious young orcas and that this behavior has become a learned fad that is spreading through the population. Another hypothesis, according to biologists who published a study about the population last June is that ramming is a “negative behavior” due to a bad experience between an orca and a boat – although researchers prefer the former.

It’s unclear what will stop the ramming, whether playful or otherwise, a point that has left anxious boaters traveling these parts sharing advice in Facebook groups dedicated to tracking such interactions.

“It’s been an interesting summer hiding in shallow waters,” said Greg Blackburn, a skipper from Gibraltar. Orcas crashed into a boat he was piloting in May and chewed off the rudder, he said, although the ship was able to return to shore.

The encounter left an impression: During a recent trip to Barcelona, ​​Mr. Blackburn had to pass through an area where killer whales had been sighted the week before. “I felt really nauseous for three hours,” he said, “I kept looking at the horizon to see if a fin showed up.”

Conservationists, maritime rescue groups and yacht clubs are work together to meet the challenge of preserving an endangered population and helping sailors avoid disasters. The Cruising Association, a club that supports sailors, has recommended safety protocols for encounters with orcas, such as unplugging from the boat and staying quiet. Boaters have given each other anecdotal advice to deter attacks, including throwing sand into the water and loudly banging on the boat.

Seafarers can also consult before leaving shore digital platforms which are now monitoring reported killer whale sightings and interactions in the region. This can help them avoid the animals, or charter a route closer to shore, says Bruno Díaz López, a biologist and director of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in Galicia, Spain.

“We suggested that the boats stay in shallow waters,” he said, adding that they had noticed more boats changing their journey. “Maybe the journey will take longer, yes. But it is worth it.”

Mr Blackburn, the skipper, said he had heard of people resorting to throwing fireworks into the sea to scare the animals away, adding that the boats served as homes for people on the ocean. “What are you ultimately going to do when you protect your home?”

But the ocean is the orcas’ home, and conservationists say scaring the animals is not a solution.

“It is not about winning a battle, because this is not a war,” Mr. López said. “We have to be respectful.”