The yacht Grazie Mamma II transported her crew along the coasts and archipelagos of the Mediterranean. Its latest adventure took place last week off the coast of Morocco when it encountered a pod of orcas.
According to Morskie Mile, the boat’s Polish operator, the sea creatures hit the yacht’s rudder for 45 minutes, causing extensive damage and a leak. The crew managed to escape and rescuers and the Moroccan navy tried to bring the yacht to safety, but it sank near the port of Tanger Med, the operator said on its website.
The report of the sinking adds to the concerns of many sailors on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where marine biologists are studying a puzzling phenomenon: orcas bumping and ramming boats in interactions that have disrupted dozens of voyages and caused at least four boats to sink in the past two years .
Orcas, the largest dolphins, are playful apex predators that hunt sharks, whales and other prey but are generally friendly toward humans in the wild. The orcas that hunt in the Strait of Gibraltar are considered endangered, and since 2020 researchers have observed an increase in unusual behavior: A small group of the marine animals attack boats on busy routes around Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
While most interactions take place in the waters of southwestern Europe and North Africa, an orca is also reported to have rammed a yacht about 2,000 miles north off the coast of Scotland, according to The Guardian.
“Orcas are complex, intelligent and extremely social,” said Erich Hoyt, research associate at Whale and Dolphin Conservation and author of “Orca: The Whale Called Killer.” “We are still in the early stages of understanding this behavior.”
Researchers have rejected the idea that orcas attack ships. Instead, they suspect that boat oars have become toys for curious young orcas, and that the behavior has become a learned fad that has spread throughout the population. According to biologists who published a study on the population last June, another hypothesis suggests that ramming is an “undesirable behavior” due to a bad experience between an orca and a boat – although researchers tend to favor the former.
It’s unclear what will stop the ramming, playful or not, a point that has led concerned boatmasters traveling these areas to share advice in Facebook groups dedicated to tracking such interactions.
“It’s been an interesting summer hiding in shallow waters,” said Greg Blackburn, a Gibraltar-based skipper. Orcas crashed into a boat he was captaining in May and chewed on the rudder, he said, even though the ship was able to return to land.
The encounter left an impression: On a recent trip to Barcelona, Mr. Blackburn had to cross an area where orcas had been spotted the week before. “I felt really sick for about three hours,” he said, “I kept watching the horizon for a fin to appear.”
Conservationists, maritime rescue groups and yacht clubs are working together to meet the challenge of protecting a vulnerable population and helping sailors avoid disaster. The Cruising Association, a club that supports sailors, has recommended safety protocols for orca encounters, such as uncoupling the boat and remaining still. The captains have given each other anecdotal advice on deterring attacks, including throwing sand into the water and banging loudly on the boat.
Before leaving shore, mariners can also consult digital platforms that now track reported orca sightings and interactions in the region. This can help them avoid the animals or book a route closer to shore, said Bruno Díaz López, a biologist and director of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute based in Galicia, Spain.
“We suggested that the boats stay in shallow waters,” he said, adding that they noticed more boats changing their routes. “Maybe the journey will take longer, yes. But it’s worth it.”
Mr Blackburn, the captain, said he had heard of people throwing fireworks into the sea to scare away the animals, adding that the boats served as homes for people at sea. “What will you ultimately do if you protect your home?”
But the sea is home to orcas, and conservationists say scaring the animals away is not a solution.
“It’s not about winning a battle because this is not a war,” Mr. López said. “We have to be respectful.”