A retired German physicist was reportedly nudged several times violently by an orca on his yacht off the Shetland Islands in Scotland on Monday. An incident of this type is the first to occur in the North Sea.
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Wim Rutten, 72, fished for mackerel on his solo voyage across the sea from the Shetland Islands to Bergen, near Norway, reports Global News.
At the stern of his boat he saw a large black fin for the first time. Seconds later, the man faced the giant orca charging towards him.
The pensioner told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper that after the whale disappeared briefly after the initial attack, the animal returned to the boat, pursued it two or three more times and then circled the ship.
Despite the “little bumps” the orca made on the aluminum hull, Rutten confirmed the scariest moment was hearing the sound of the whale.
“The sound of the animal’s heavy breathing was terrifying,” he said.
According to researcher Jeroen Hoekendijk from the Royal Netherlands Institute, this meeting seemed “really special” as it marks the first event of its kind in the North Sea.
The Atlantic Orca Task Force, a research organization for killer whales, said these types of incidents have tripled over the past two years, with more than 200 episodes in 2022 compared to 52 in 2020.
Nobody knows exactly why killer whales are increasingly attacking boats occupied by people.
“Maybe he just wanted to play. Or look me in the eyes. Or get rid of the fishing line,” Rutten wondered.