Orca Attack Sinks Sailboat in Gibraltar Strait, Raising Concerns About Increasing Incidents

"It was as if they knew exactly what they were doing. It was like a coordinated attack," says Powell, whose sailboat was attacked by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar, off Barbate and Tarifa, as he and two companions were crossing from Vilamoura in Portugal to Greece. At the first jolt, the 59-year-old Briton thought he had hit a rock. "As I looked around the boat, a second blow followed. At the back of the ship, I saw the dark shape of an orca," he recounts.

Five orcas began to circle the boat before focusing on the rudder, which they managed to disable. Then the group of orcas began to attack the vessel. "They were circling. It was as if I was watching wolves hunting," Powell details. After that, the orcas began to take turns hitting the boat. "I had the impression that they were not playing, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the weak points of the boat and knew how to sink it. It was very frightening," he says.

After an hour and a half of attacks, the sailboat was taking on water. Alerted by the distress flares fired by Powell and his companions, the Spanish coast guard was able to fly to their rescue, just in time before the Bonhomme William sank completely. Orca attacks are becoming more and more recorded in the Strait of Gibraltar. According to researchers, a group of fifteen orcas led by the female called White Gladis would be behind these attacks, the first of which were reported in 2020.