'They're going for the rudder': Orcas attack yacht during around-the-world Ocean Race
The crew of a racing yacht endured a heart-stopping encounter when their boat was attacked by a number of orcas during the final leg of The Ocean Race near the Straights of Gibraltar.
Netherlands Team JAJO and Portuguese team Mirpuri Trifork Racing both reported Killer Whale encounters while racing.
In a video posted online, the orcas can be seen pushing up against and ramming into the boats while biting at the rudders. No injuries or damage to the boats occurred as a result of the incident.
Members of the Team JAJO can be heard saying 'they're going to get the rudder' before banging on the hull in an effort to scare off the orcas.
"This was a scary moment," said Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek.
"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.
"We took down the sails and slowed down the boat as quickly as possible, and luckily after a few attacks, they went away."
The area around Gibraltar has seen a recent spike in what some are calling 'orca attacks' on boats. Individual killer whales and sometimes entire pods have been ramming into boats and, in some cases, significant damage has been caused.
A female orca, known as White Gladis, is thought to be behind some of the incidents, after being traumatised by its own collision with a boat, researchers believe.
Gladis is now seemingly being joined by other orcas in the attacks, which have sunk three small sailboats in Europe.
Alfredo Lopez Fernandez, a marine biologist at the University of Aveiro, in Portugal, told Live Science the original incident involving Gladis was likely a "critical moment of agony".
He said: "The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behavior based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day."
In Shetland, the first UK incident of a killer whale attacking a fishing vessel was also recorded.
A Dutch physicist, Dr Wim Rutten had been sailing from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway when an orca rammed into his yacht.
The 72-year-old had been fishing for mackerel when the orca hit the stern of his seven-ton boat. The mammal went on to ram the boat a number of times.
Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Rutten said the orca was behind the boat, "then he disappeared, but he came back at fast speed, twice or thrice and circled a bit."
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