A chilling video has captured the moment when a tourist sailboat was attacked and sunk by a group of aggressive orcas off the shores of Portugal. The boat, carrying five individuals, was repeatedly struck by the marine predators near Fonte de Telha Beach in Costa da Caparica. Video footage shows one orca hitting the sailboat, which belonged to the Nautic Squad Club.
The vessel tilted dangerously from side to side after several blows, as depicted in the video from Daily Goat, before gradually submerging and sinking. Despite nearby boats failing to rescue the sinking sailboat, all five passengers were successfully rescued. The Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre received the distress call at 12.30pm and promptly dispatched lifeguards to the scene. Another group of four individuals from a different yacht was also rescued after being attacked by the same orcas.
All nine individuals were rescued by nearby tourist boats before the lifeguards arrived. Fortunately, everyone was found to be physically well, and no medical attention was necessary. This incident is not an isolated one, as a similar attack by orcas occurred recently in the waters of Galicia, northwest Spain. Multiple pods of orcas have been sighted in the area in recent weeks.
In a separate event off the coast of O Grove, orcas were observed damaging the rudder of one boat and causing a leak in another. Crew members expressed fear and concern during the encounter. In a previous incident in July, a group of killer whales almost capsized a yacht in the Atlantic, leaving the crew distressed. These aggressive encounters have been attributed to the White Gladis pod, known for attacking boats and causing them to sink.
Despite these alarming incidents, experts emphasize that killer whales are unlikely to target humans intentionally, as humans are not part of their natural prey. Researchers studying human-orca interactions suggest that the orcas may be driven by curiosity rather than aggression. While theories exist about retaliatory behavior from a specific orca named White Gladis, there is no concrete evidence to support such claims. The lack of consistent aggression towards boats indicates that the orcas’ intentions may not be solely destructive.
