A group of killer whales have once again attacked a sailing yacht on its way to Palma to take part in the Copa del Rey regatta, according to the organisers of the event at the Real Club Nautico in Palma today.
The incident occurred in the early hours of this morning off Estepona, when the crew of Ignacio González Camacho’s Kapote tercero was sailing to Mallorca.
The boat’s crew is safe and no personal injuries have been reported.
The maritime rescue service has towed the yacht to Estepona Marina beacuse they lost all means of steering as a result of the attack.
The full extent of the damage will be assessed before a decision on whether they can campete in the Copa del Rey will be taken.
After four years and hundreds of incidents, researchers remain puzzled why orcas, also known as killer whales, continue to ram boats – sinking a few of them – along the Iberian Peninsula.
The origin of these interactions remain a “great mystery,” said Alfredo López, a University of Santiago biologist, but he does not believe the behavior is aggressive. Orcas are large dolphins, López said. And like dolphins, the events could stem from the orcas’ curious and playful behavior, such as trying to race the boats.
López, who specialises in orcas, and his team, Grupo de trabajo Orca Atlántica (GOTA), have tracked these encounters since 2020. The team’s recent study theorizes the orcas could also be exhibiting cautionary behavior because of some previous traumatic incident.
GOTA has tracked more than 350 interactions just on the Iberian Peninsula since 2020. Most have taken place along the Strait of Gibraltar, but the orcas’ mischief or self-defense may be spreading north. An incident was reported in June in the Shetland Islands in Scotland.