A pack of killer whales sank a 50-foot yacht in Moroccan waters Sunday when the massive sea mammals slammed into the vessel and forced two sailors aboard to flee, officials said.
Spanish authorities said the crew members were rescued by a passing oil tanker that was alerted to the desperate situation after the boat sprang a leak during the orca encounter in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The two people were customers, and the vessel belonged to Spanish company Alboran Charter.
The yacht, which was 14 miles from the Cape Spartel coast, later sunk to the bottom of the ocean in the latest orca attack that has prompted experts to warn other sailors of danger in the area.
Last October, a Polish tour agency’s yacht was relentlessly hit by a herd of orcas for 45 minutes that led to “major damage and leakage,” the agency said. The boat ended up sinking.
Orcas also interfered with a sailing race last year when a boat traveling from the Netherlands to Italy had a 15-minute showdown with the animals. The crew was forced to drop its sails and make a ruckus to repel them.
Since 2020, hundreds of boats sailing in waters near Spain, Morocco and Portugal have encountered at least 15 orcas that led to some of the vessels sinking, the Washington Post reported.
Spain’s ministries for transport and the environment warned sailors of sailing boats and small motorboats that orca activity is at its peak between May and August between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz. Officials encouraged boaters to sail near the coast.
A team of Spanish and Portuguese marine life scientists, called the Atlantic Orca Working Group, said there were 197 interactions between boats and killer whales in 2021 and 207 more in 2022. [NYP]
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‘Killer whales keep ramming and sinking boats. Scientists now may know why, report says.’
excerpts below
An international group of orca experts met to determine why orcas are ramming boats. The leading theory: They’re bored and playful.
What originally appeared to be attacks on more than 673 boats since 2020 now seem more likely to be a bunch of bored teenage orcas looking for something to do, said cetacean expert Alexandre Zerbini. Essentially, the whales started a fad of playing with boat rudders.
“The sea is a very boring place for an animal,” said de Stephanis. “Imagine if you’re a dog or some other mammal, you can interact with objects around you. But in the sea there’s not much for the orcas to interact with, so they play with the rudders.”
He imagines a young orca butted its head against a boat’s rudder one time and when it moved, the orca thought, “This is fun.” After ramming it a few times, a piece of the rudder broke off and that was even more fun because there was something to play with.
“There’s documented evidence of the orcas then playing with the pieces,” he said.
Orcas have a history of weird fads
Killer whale groups, especially younger individuals, are known for their fads and idiosyncrasies.
In the Pacific Northwest, one group of killer whales suddenly got into the habit of carrying dead salmon around on their heads in 1987. The fad arose and spread widely among the group that summer.
The salmon hats craze began with adolescent orcas but then spread, said Rose.
“By the end, everyone was wearing them, including the adults,” she said.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/24/killer-whales-attacking-sinking-boats-are-bored-scientists-say/73558157007/
Yep, linked in my newsletter! They just wanna play… LOL!