Orcas Are Attacking And Sinking Yachts In The Strait Of Gibraltar

In the off chance you're planning to sail your private yacht in the Mediterranean sometime soon, you'd better look out for orcas.

Footage has gone viral of a killer whale attacking a large sailing yacht near Barbate, Spain, and the Strait of Gibraltar earlier this month. Ilona Skorobogatova captured video of the whale following the boat then repeatedly ramming into the vessel from the side. Later, the animal swims underneath the boat and slaps it from the bottom.

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This isn't an isolated incident.

Over the past three years, there have been at least 500 reports of orcas engaging in unusual interactions with yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar — one of the busiest waterways in the world. The aggressive whales have been ramming the boats, causing damage to the boats' rudders and, in some cases, even causing the vessels to sink.

In May 2024, a pod of orcas took down a sailing yacht called the Alboran Cognac. The couple aboard the boat alerted emergency services during the attack and were rescued by a nearby oil tanker.

Marine biologists and animal behavior experts have not reached a consensus on why killer whales in the area suddenly have such a problem with boats, but there are a number of theories.

Alfredo López Fernandez, a marine biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, told Live Science in 2023 that he believes the orcas learned these boat attack behaviors from a "traumatized" orca named "White Gladis," who was injured during a boating incident. That's when this whale began attacking yachts out of revenge and teaching other whales her techniques. 

But neuroscientist Lori Marino told the BBC it's more likely the attacks "started out as play behavior," and it's a case of copycat killer whales rather than aggression.

"We're talking about very intelligent beings, and we know that they are social learners," Marino said.

Most scientists think the endangered mammals instead appear to be "playing" with the boats out of curiosity, rather than trying to cause harm to the humans aboard.

Or maybe they just really hate your yacht rock Spotify playlist.

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