AFTER a spate of killer whale attacks off the coast of Portugal, a crack team of orca hunters are vowing to help end the violence out at sea.
A pod of killer whales have rammed three yachts in the past week – with experts now laying out their plans to keep both the powerful orcas and humans safe.
SuppliedOrca tracker Rui Alves has set up a website which records all known orca sightings and boat attacks[/caption]
AlamyKiller whales have grown a reputation of being aggressive towards boats after a number of attacks[/caption]
Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge/CENFootage showed an orca attack last weekend as a boat sank following several heavy blows from the killer whales[/caption]
Instagram/bernardosbqueirozBernardo Queiroz, the General Director of Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge, revealed how the three attacks are all likely led by the oldest in the group[/caption]
Five sailors had to be rescued from a sinking vessel in Portugal last Saturday after the crew sent a panicked SOS call saying the boat was being smashed up by a group of killer whales.
A second vessel was also immobilised in the same area after it was struck in a similar fashion and left with its rudder snapped.
Just 48 hours later, a third boat was hit by “successive collisions” – believed to be caused by the same gang of orcas near to Lisbon.
Bernardo Queiroz, the General Director of Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge, was one of the first people to notice the killer whales approaching the sailors last weekend.
He was running a dolphin tour at the time on another vessel and quickly sped over to help disperse the orcas from the boat.
Despite his efforts, the yacht took on too much water after its rudder broke following several heavy blows as it soon sank.
Mr Queiroz told The Sun he believes all three recent incidents are linked after tracking the movements of the apex predators.
He revealed how the pod is said to be led by the oldest in the group – a female matriarch known as Toni.
He explained: “We know the names of each individual animal and each has their own personality.
“In this group we have Toni who is the oldest of the killer whales in the area. She’s considered the keeper of the knowledge of the orcas, because they transmit the knowledge to each other.”
Toni, 57, was joined by older male Pingu, 28, and three youngsters known as Kora, 11, Scarlet, 14, and one other called IB48, Mr Queiroz said.
Over the years, reports of attacks off the coast of Portugal and near the Strait of Gibraltar have increased.
These two areas appear to be the epicentre of the globe’s rampant orca strikes.
One man who dedicates much of his time to tracking and developing in-depth reports on killer whales is Rui Alves.
The Portuguese native launched a website in 2022, called orcas.pt, that tracks orca encounters with boats.
It emcompasses both sightings and attacks in and around Portugal and Gibraltar.
Both orca experts work together to map out sightings and alert the public and fellow sailors about which areas to avoid.
Louis WoodSea Shepherd France Captain Thomas Le Coz says the reputation of orcas is being seriously harmed due to the attacks appearing to be violent[/caption]
CENPhoto shows the moment a tourist boat is attacked by orcas in Sesimbra in Setubal, Portugal in August 2023[/caption]
Instagram/bernardosbqueiroz
One of the pieces of data being sent back is on which of the orcas are known as “gladis” killer whales.
Gladis’ are the name that biologists and experts give to the orcas that slam into boats.
Some of the seven tonne mammals are calm and unphased by boats whereas others are known to be more brave and curious by the odd movements above the water.
The world’s most infamous orca is dubbed White Gladis and is said to be the ringleader of a particular pod known to be behind several attacks – smashing into boats and causing them to sink.
It has been suggested that the so-called gang leader could even be teaching younger members of the group such as her lieutenants Black and Grey Gladis to strike the vessels.
Are the attacks violent?
MANY people see footage of the orcas ramming boats, the screams of those on board and the vessels slowly sinking and think the attacks have a sinister meaning.
But most scientists and marine biologists are in agreement that the orcas are not acting with any aggression when they crash into boats.
Instead, the reason behind these near fatal encounters is often attributed to the killer whales simply playing with the boat’s rudders.
Orca tracker Rui Alves told The Sun: “Scientists will always explain that if an orca is busy or if they’re hunting or something they will not care about the sailing boat
“But if there is no activity, the orca will see a sailing boat passing and will approach it and try to force the rudder from one side to the other side.
“They play with the rudder because it’s a moving part of the boat.
“They approach the boat to play with the rudder but they are very heavy – sometimes six tones – so they break it.”
Bernardo Queiroz, a dolphin tour guide who helps photograph orcas, added: “I’ve been with orcas on the water just 10cm away from their mouth, and they just come and watch you eye-to-eye.
“They are very curious and are not pretending to harm any person.
“Even if you fell on the water with them they will not touch you.”
And Thomas Le Coz, the captain of the Sea Shepherd France, explained killer whales are misunderstood and often aren’t aware of their sheer size.
“We have been working on the ground with scientists that have been studying orca for 30 plus years and the entire attitude of the orca during an interaction is a play attitude.
“The only difference with some orcas is that they push the game a bit too far and they are pushing to the point where they break the boat.
“They do it with our boat quite often but they are quite gentle. They come, they touch, and they blow bubbles.
“So it is definitely playing but obviously it’s causing all these all these problems with the sailboats.”
Mr Queiroz said noticing which of the killer whales are known to approach boats is a crucial job for his team.
He added: “We are very involved with orca conservation and we are talking with Spanish and French marine biologists all the time.
“Normally, we go out every time we see one and make a photo ID to send to marine biologists.
“This way we know about the Iberian orca population which are less than 30 right now so they are an endangered species, and we have to protect them – even if they are slamming the boats.”
Mr Alves also speaks with sailors ahead of their planned trips and gives them advice to help them stay safe.
We have to protect sailors and orcas. It’s not only one side or another side
Rui Alves
He had even warned the skipper in charge of the now sunken vessel last weekend about a new pod of killer whales which had recently arrived in the region.
Mr Alves explained: “People should prepare for these trips. Orcas are a risk, like the weather is or like big whales.
“So sailors have to prevent risk. They have to go to websites to check on the position of the orcas in the last few days.
“We are doing a job of spreading the information and sharing the information with sailors, in order for them to prevent an attack.”
SuppliedMr Alves speaks with sailors ahead of their planned trips and gives them advice to help them stay safe[/caption]
Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge/CENLast weekend, a pod of orcas attacked a sailboat in Portugal and made the vessel sink[/caption]
Renaud de Stephanis / CIRCEOrcas are often said to be playing with the boats rudder and motor and are hardly ever being violent[/caption]
He added: “Sometimes, I’m saying to sailors if you are around Lisbon, stay in the port for two, three days, and see where the orcas go.
“My approach is always that we can sail in the areas with orcas but we have to be more careful and we have to prepare the crew. We have to protect sailors and orcas. It’s not only one side or another side.”
The orca hunters are trying to ensure the safety of the endangered mammals.
Thomas Le Coz is the captain of the Sea Shepherd France which prides itself on being the “world’s most aggressive ocean conservation organisation”.
Their job is to defend, preserve and protect the wildlife of the oceans – especially orcas.
But Le Coz says the reputation of orcas is being seriously harmed.
The “violent” attacks have created a sense of fear for both tourists and sailors in certain regions.
Some have even started to devise dangerous ways in order to scare off and repel incoming orcas.
Louis WoodMr Le Coz (sat behind the wheel) on board his orca exploration boat[/caption]
In one boat attack a killer whale managed to rip off the rudder as he happily swam away with itInstagram/@catamaranguru
SuppliedAs an experience dolphin watcher Mr Queiroz have his top tips on how to stay safe around orcas[/caption]
Le Coz told The Sun: “Sailors get scared and we’ve seen in forums of skippers where they try to find ideas and way to repel the orcas.
“For example, we know that many, many boats are equipped with firecrackers, very big fat firecrackers, that they throw at the orcas when they approach the boat.”
Now, Mr Alves gives out advice to sailors on how to stay safe in orca-infested waters through peaceful measures.
Oceanic explorers are often left in fear of killer whales due to their dark past.
But the orca tracking expert views it as his job to repair the relationship between man and killer whale through his research.
People don’t have to be afraid to go on the water when orcas are around, you just have to be extra, extra careful
Bernardo Queiroz
He always recommends doing a number of key things to ensure the best protection out at sea.
“There are two or three things that maybe you could do and that is only going in very shallow water,” Mr Alves said.
“And the first thing to do once an orca is spotted is to react and switch on the motor.
“When you have a motor, you can react faster than when you are sailing to go away from the area in the direction of shallow waters.”
How to stay safe
All three experts are in agreement that the orcas are not out to cause trouble despite what footage may show.
The orcas are simply in their homes and when they see a boat moving and producing bubbles on the water it attracts them over.
But there are a few key tips on how to stay safe as a sailor.
Mr Queiroz explained: “People don’t have to be afraid to go on the water when orcas are around, you just have to be extra, extra careful.
“Normally try to run the boat above 65ft of depth line. It’s not completely safe, but it reduces the amount of encounters that you are going to have.
“Don’t sail by night because it’s more dangerous if you have a problem.
“Try to sail with other boats nearby so you have a safe place to call if you have any problem.
“And mostly keep an eye on the tracking websites because it’s where you can find all the information on where they are.”
I joined Orca team searching for infamous killer whales smashing into yachts
THE SUN’S Aliki Kraterou joined the specialist Orca team searching for fearsome killer whale White Gladis and her gang in the choppy waters off Gibraltar.
She met the squad of Sea Shepherd France in the port of Barbate, a small fishing village in Spain, as they searched for the pod that have taken to attacking boats.
The group, part of the Save the Iberian Orcas operation, is focused on documenting the orcas’ interactions with vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar and preventing reprisals by sailors.
One particular rogue pod of whales with its leader White Gladis has been behind several attacks – smashing into boats and causing them to sink.
When The Sun arrived at the Andalusian port, Captain Thomas Le Coz welcomed us and introduced the team to the Walrus’ crew.
Thomas showed us the so-called “hot zone,” just south of the port, where they have had the most encounters with the killer whales.
The team’s leader, Lamya Essemlali, explained that the killer whales are usually found in Spanish and Moroccan waters, but it’s not uncommon for them to reach Portugal while during the winter they head up north and go as far as Brittany in France.
Lamya was chatty, friendly and passionate as she explained why the whales are not a threat to humans.
She finished her thoughts in a philosophical tone, saying that humans are entering the sea which is in fact the orcas’ natural habitat and we all need to be more humble regarding our place in the sea.
“We are just their guests, this is their home, we are passing through,” she added.
Another useful piece of advice the experts had was to simply avoid areas where orcas are known to be active.
Killer whales are known to populate one area before moving away after a few days as they continue to swim in pods.
So the best tip to avoid a clash is to just avoid the orcas.
Mr Le Coz added: “When there are orcas in an area when they are spotted, it’s always being shared on different groups
“So the best thing to do is not to go there basically and avoid the area altogether.
“This didn’t happen on Saturday with the sailing boats as they knew they were in the area and decided to go anyway and the boat sank so that was a big mistake.
“Unfortunately all the last few times have been a similar situation with boats going through an area where we know there are orcas, but they decide to go anyway.”
Louis WoodThe Sea Shepherd France heads out to see orcas off the strait of Gibraltar last year[/caption]
HandoutAn orca swims past a fishing boat in Norway[/caption]