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ARCHIVED - Killer whales attack Lanzarote Nautical Academy boat in the Strait of Gibraltar
Two crew members suffered minor injuries when a pod of orcas repeatedly rammed the vessel bound for the Bay of Algeciras
Crew members aboard a Lanzarote Nautical Academy boat could only watch on in horror as the vessel was attacked by a pod of killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltor.
Several orcas began repeatedly ramming the boat as the crew sailed north of Cape Espartel at 12.30am on Thursday April 13.
The ship was sailing from Lanzarote to the port of Marina Alcaidesa in the Bay of Algeciras. After five days of sailing without any problems, they were attacked at night. According to reports, the crew was oblivious to the fact they were being 'stalked'.
The speed of the boat, which was travelling at 9 knots (16.7 km) at the time of first impact, combined with the 'violence' of the surprise attacks, meant crew members were thrown around, and two sustained minor injuries including bruising.
The killer whales rammed the boat at least four times, twice "very violently", breaking a steering arm and the entire chain system. And a rudder blade was destroyed when it was reportedly bitten by one of the orcas.
Also of interest: VIDEO: Two metre shark spotted battling the waves on a beach in Mallorca
The skipper contacted the port of Tarifa and the Royal Navy Morocco patrol boat guarded the Lanzarote Nautical Academy boat until the Salvamar Arturus arrived and towed it to Tarifa.
The vessel remained on the mainland awaiting a new rudder blade and other repairs, while the crew returned to Lanzarore.
There have been reliably verified fatal attacks on a human by an orca in the wild, but orcas have been knocking into sailboats off the Strait of Gibraltar and the coast of Galicia for years.
Between July and October of 2020 alone, there were at least 40 reported orca incidents involving sailboats off Spain and Portugal.
Image: Archive
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