Somewhere off the coast of Galicia, Spain, a group of sailors looked down and realized their rudder was gone. They knew their boat hadn’t hit anything. It had been ripped off—clean—by two orcas circling below. One was nearly 23 feet long. The other was smaller, swimming tightly alongside like a wingman. And neither seemed interested in leaving.
“We completely freaked out,” said boat owner Valentín Otero, who had been sailing near O Grove when the blows started. “The truth is, we were very frightened.” Fair enough. Two orcas had just come up under his wooden sailing ship and torn off part of it like a toy.
These attacks—or interactions, depending on how generous you feel—are happening again. Over the past few weeks, orcas have targeted multiple vessels off the Iberian coast, cracking rudders, opening leaks, and, in at least one case, continuing to shove the boat even while it was being towed away. Sailors are calling for help mid-ocean. Crews are abandoning ships. Rescue footage has started making the rounds on X.
Ataque de orcas en costa da vela a varios veleros produciendo daños en la pala del timón a uno. La patrullera de la #GC da protección hasta llegada embarcación Salvamento Maritimo que inicia remolque a puerto.
Patrullera realiza protección y acerca proa, intentando alejarlas. pic.twitter.com/u9KAyXbUF2
— Guardia Civil Pontevedra (@guardiacivilPon) August 21, 2025
Yes, Orcas Are Still Waging War on Boats in Spain
No one really knows what’s behind it, but researchers have some theories. The orcas involved are part of a critically endangered population in the region, estimated to include fewer than 40 individuals. Most of the behavior is coming from juveniles, and since they’re hyper-focused on rudders, almost exclusively, it suggests this isn’t predatory. It’s more like fixation.
Some scientists think the whales are just experimenting. Their primary food source, bluefin tuna, has bounced back in the area, which means they’re spending less time chasing meals and more time doing whatever it is apex predators do when they get bored. For this group, that might mean harassing sailboats.
Orcas have been seen adopting strange behaviors before. In one population, they started draping dead fish across their heads. In another, they were observed mouthing each other’s tongues. These kinds of patterns tend to emerge within small populations and then spread. Once a behavior takes hold, it can stick for years.
There’s no sign they’re actually targeting humans. But that doesn’t make it easier to process when your rudder’s gone and you’re drifting backward into a pod of teeth.
It’s hard to know exactly what they’re getting out of it. But they keep doing it anyway.
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