A video showing a pod of orcas attacking a yacht off Gibraltar has gone viral. However, the Nautilus project has told GBC this behaviour is ‘normal’ and not as sinister as is being reported in some media.
The incident, involving British sailor April Boyes, was filmed and uploaded onto her private Instagram account, where it has since been picked up by the international press. In a recent post, Ms Boyes claimed her story has been over-sensationalised, adding she does “not condone demonising the orcas”.
Ms Boyes, who was sailing with a crew of four on the Mustique, saw a pod of orcas in the waters near Gibraltar on Thursday morning. After switching the engine off in accordance with guidelines, she says the whales began to bump into the rudder continuously for over an hour, causing considerable damage and flooding to the vessel. The crew were forced to mayday the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service for assistance.
There have been numerous similar attacks in the area over the past few years, with Sky News quoting the Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA) figure of at least 20 similar incidents this month alone in the Strait of Gibratar.
The Project's Lewis Stagnetto explained the juveniles in the pod were either being playful or learning how to hunt, and that these apex predators consume around 250 kilos of food a day.
Despite being known as killer whales, the endangered orcas are part of the dolphin family.
