New orca attack cripples yacht off Galician coast in north-west Spain

Another yacht has been crippled by orcas in a new attack off Spain's north-west coast.

On Thursday the mammals sank a boat,left another adrift after attacking its rudder and caused damage to two others.

On Friday a pod of the killer whales left another sailing vessel inoperative by ramming it off the same coast of A Coruña in Galicia.

This time they targeted a 14-metre Swedish-flagged vessel called Vai whose two occupants had to send a Mayday after their rudder was smashed.

The alarm was raised following the latest incident just after 1.15pm on Friday when the boat was around 20 kilometres to the northwest of Punta Candelaria, a lighthouse near the fishing town of Celeiro.

A Spanish coastguard vessel ended up coming to the rescue of the yacht and towing it to the town of Viveiro.

Coastguards said overnight as they published footage of the operation: “The vessel Mar de Galicia is towing a 14-metre yacht flying the Swedish flag towards Celeiro with two people on board due to a rudder failure following an interaction with orcas northwest of Punta Candelaria.

“The operation is being carried out under the coordination of the Finisterre Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (CCS).”

The same centre coordinated the response to the four incidents involving orcas on Thursday.

In the most dramatic attack, two people on board a pleasure craft called Idem had to be rescued after their rudder was destroyed and their boat began to sink.

That interaction with a pod of killer whales occurred around 5pm on Thursday just over a mile off Estaca de Bares, the northernmost cape of the Iberian Peninsula which is also part of the province of A Coruña.

Local mayor Alfredo Dovale said a private boat aided the sailors and tried to tow their yacht to shore before it started disappearing under the sea.

A Spanish coastguard vessel later took the pair to the nearby town of Cariño while a helicopter flew over the area where the orca attack occurred to check for signs of pollution.

The two people on board the yacht were unharmed.

In the other three interactions with orcas the same day in the same area, the rudders of three yachts were also targeted.

The damage done did not prevent them reaching shore in two of the cases although in the other one the yacht was also crippled.

Spanish coastguards describing the incidents said overnight on Thursday: “A yacht has sunk 1.3 miles from Estaca de Bares as a result of taking on water after an interaction with orcas.

“Its two crew members were picked up by a nearby motorboat and are safe. Later, the rescue vessel Shaula, dispatched by CCS Finisterre, transported them to Cariño.

“The Helimer 401 helicopter is flying over the area to check for any signs of pollution.”

In a second message they said: “This is the fourth orca interaction that occurred in the area today.

“While assisting the yacht Idem, it emerged another sailing vessel had also experienced an interaction with these marine mammals, but the damage to its rudder was minimal and it continued sailing to Viveiro.

“At midday on Thursday, the sailing yacht Glatisant was left adrift in the Viveiro estuary with its rudder inoperable.

“Coastguard rescue vessel Alioth reached its position and escorted the yacht to port.

“Likewise, another sailing yacht, Kador, with one crew member and three cats on board, also encountered orcas at around 2.30pm.

“In that case, although the coastguard rescue vessel Shaula was dispatched, it ultimately did not require assistance and was able to sail to Viveiro unaided.

"All of the emergencies were coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (CCS) in Finisterre.”

In October last year the Portuguese Air Force had to rescue a family of five including three children after they cheated death when their yacht was sunk in an orca attack.

A military helicopter was mobilised to winch the survivors off a fishing vessel that had come to their rescue after their boat was rammed by a pod of the mammals and started taking on water.

They were taken by chopper to hospital although they were not injured in the drama, which occurred late on 10 October 88 kilometres south-east of Peniche a 75-minute drive north of Lisbon.

Three children aged eight, ten and 12 were on board the French-flagged 36ft-long yacht, named locally as Ti’fare, with their mum and dad when it was attacked.

Their parents managed to send an SOS and get into a life raft before the vessel, said to have been left with a breached hull after being rammed, started sinking.

A Peniche-based fishing boat called Silmar responded to the alert as the military were mobilised.

In September last year a pod of orcas sank a yacht carrying five people including a British national near Fonte da Telha beach just south of Lisbon.

Footage shows an orca repeatedly striking the Oceanview sailboat which belonged to the Nautic Squad Club and it disappearing under the water before it could be saved after the crew were rescued.

The same day the same pod of orcas attacked another nearby boat called Nova Vida.

The Norwegian sailors on board told afterwards how they were able to save the vessel by installing an emergency rudder that enabled them to get back to Cascais 10 nautical miles away after being rammed.

A number of incidents have also occurred in the Gibraltar Straits.

There have been hundreds of orca attacks in recent years.

It is unclear why orcas attack boats, though experts reckon the marine mammals could be targeting vessels for sport or because they feel threatened.