French sailors rescued after yacht attack by orcas off Basque coast

Sailors in British waters are being urged to follow safety protocols after two French sailors were rescued by the Spanish coastguard when their yacht was attacked by orcas off Spain’s Basque coast.

The vessel Azurea was rammed by the whales around 2 pm local time on July 21, roughly two nautical miles from the town of Deba. The pair, one aged 60, issued a mayday call and were brought safely to Getaria. Authorities described such incidents as unusual in the northern Atlantic, although attacks are more common further south in Galicia and the Strait of Gibraltar — dubbed “orca alley” — where multiple boats have been sunk, Caliber.Az reports, referring to UK media.

Orcas typically approach from the rear and disable a vessel by targeting its rudder, then disengage. The phenomenon remains poorly understood, though experts believe a subgroup of 15 whales out of a 50-member pod is responsible.

The event follows the first confirmed sighting of Iberian orcas in Cornish waters earlier this month. The UK has so far seen just one such attack, when a killer whale rammed a fishing boat near Shetland in 2023.

Wildlife conservation expert Prof. Volker Deeke of the University of Cumbria cautioned that these incidents should not be seen as aggressive. “The animals remain calm and show no signs of hostility,” he said, but added that similar behaviour could eventually emerge in British waters.

He recommended that sailors transiting known hotspots — especially near Gibraltar or Cornwall — follow safety guidelines: stop the engine, lower sails, disable autopilot and echo sounders, and avoid making noise. Staying in shallow waters under 20 meters is also advised, as orcas prefer deeper seas.

Dr. Javier Almunia, director of the Loro Parque Foundation, noted that following Spanish safety measures has reduced incidents in the Strait of Gibraltar by about 90%. While he said the Basque encounter may involve the same whales circling the Iberian Peninsula, there is no current evidence of other pods adopting the behaviour.

Theories for the orcas’ conduct range from boredom to territorial, defensive, or playful motives. One suggestion is that a traumatized female orca, dubbed White Gladis, triggered the trend after an earlier collision with a boat or entrapment in illegal fishing nets.

The first aggressive interactions off the Iberian coast were reported in May 2020. By September of that year, Spain temporarily banned vessels from sailing near the northwest coast after 29 such incidents.

Since 2021, at least six boats have been sunk by orcas, including two in 2024. In May, two crew members were rescued when the Alboran Cognac sank after repeated ramming in the Strait of Gibraltar. Another yacht, the Bonhomme William, was attacked and sank in July, though all three onboard survived.

The Basque Country saw its first orca ramming cases in August 2023, when pods struck two vessels near Zumaia and Ondarroa, causing only minor damage.

By Tamilla Hasanova