A Pod of Killer Whales Attacked a Yacht During the International Ocean Race
Three orcas attacked a yacht during an international race, the latest instance of killer whales targeting boats in recent weeks.
The crew of the Ocean Race’s Team JAJO were in the Strait of Gibraltar when they experienced several terrifying moments as a pod of orcas attacked their vessel, according to ESPN. Video footage (which can be seen below) shows the animals circling the Dutch yacht, then ramming into it and biting its rudders. In an attempt to scare them away, the crew banged on the hull of the ship.
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“This was a scary moment,” skipper Jelmer van Beek said. “Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.” He explained that the crew “took down the sails and slowed down the boat as quickly as possible, and luckily after a few attacks, they went away.”
The boats were competing in the Ocean Race, a six-month, 32,000-nautical-mile (37,000-mile) competition that includes crews from all around the world. The Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team also revealed that they, too, had an encounter with orcas, ESPN reported, citing organizers behind the race. Thankfully, nobody was injured in either encounter.
Authorities have reported there have been an increase in confrontations between orcas and vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar and Portugal, with 20 such incidents taking place in May alone. Organizers say the behavior is apparently spreading to other killer whale family clusters. Some ships have suffered substantial damage in previous incidents.
There’s disagreement among ocean experts about why these incidents keep happening. However, Dr. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist who wrote a paper last year about the phenomenon, offered one theory, according to HuffPost. It all may have started with a female orca referred to by scientists as White Gladis; after she had a traumatic encounter with a boat, she started to act aggressively against other boats and fellow orcas adopted the behavior.
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