Orca attack near Strait of Gibraltar leaves yacht with £15,000 in damage

A British yachtsman and businessman has described a 45-minute attack by a pod of orcas on his Swan 391 sailing boat as it approached the Strait of Gibraltar, an incident he says caused about £15,000 in damage and left his crew fearing the vessel could sink.

The 71-year-old, identified by the Daily Mail as Mr. Hegan, told the newspaper the attack involved four orcas and unfolded as his family’s voyage east toward the Strait, a 10-mile-wide channel that separates Europe and Africa and is a frequent hotspot for orca encounters. He described the episode as surreal and coordinated, lasting roughly 45 minutes, and said the damage was concentrated on the rudder and self-steering gear.

The voyage began on June 20, when the family departed Cascais, near Lisbon, bound for Gibraltar. They had heard, shortly before setting off, of an earlier orca incident about 30 miles south of Lisbon in which a catamaran lost a rudder. He said they felt somewhat reassured they were further south and believed the orca pod was likely farther north, adding that media reports had suggested only a small fraction of boats encounter orcas.

Just after dawn on June 22, as they sailed just west of the Strait, the first sign of trouble arrived around 5:45 a.m. A Mayday call from another vessel under attack by orcas five miles southwest of their position heightened the crew’s anxiety. "The radio caller was in a real panic and clearly very frightened," Mr. Hegan said. Despite the common label of killer whales, he noted orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family and are known for powerful predatory skills.

Shortly after, Mr. Hegan’s son, who was at the helm, sighted orcas nearby, followed by a loud bang against the hull. The crew activated a distress signal on Channel 16, the maritime international distress frequency. The coastguard transitioned the call to Channel 71 and instructed the crew to monitor the rudder mountings for potential ingress of water while keeping their position logged and awaiting rescue if necessary. The coastguard advised attempting to reach shallower waters, though that proved a difficult course of action.

According to Mr. Hegan, the attack was a sequence of repeated impacts on the rudder and hull by what he counted as four orcas. He described one animal turning upside down at the stern and appearing to grab the rudder with its mouth, while another repeatedly struck from either side at high speed. "Five tons of orca hitting the boat has a real impact," he said. After the prolonged assault, the orcas finally left, and the crew headed toward the coast and shallower water, relieved that the main damage had not caused water ingress.

The incident resulted in about £15,000 in damage to the rudder and self-steering gear, though insurance largely covered the loss. Mr. Hegan said the boat remains marooned at La Linea near Gibraltar Airport and he hopes to retrieve it next summer. He urged authorities to address what he described as a broader problem, arguing that attacks near Iberian waters are being underreported to avoid undermining tourism. "The authorities have talked about tagging them so we know where they are to avoid them," he said. "No one wishes the orca unnecessary harm but there seems to be a lot of underreporting of the problem."

Experts note that orcas, or Orcinus orca, are highly intelligent apex predators that can present a risk to vessels, though scientific perspectives on such interactions vary. Renaud de Stephanis, president of the Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE) in Spain, told the Daily Mail that interactions of this kind are closer to play than to aggression or predation. "What is happening with the Iberian orcas and boats is not an attack in the sense of aggression, predation, or territorial defense. This interaction is closer to a game than to an attack," he said, adding that orcas are not typically mistaking boats for prey or defending territory.

Orcas are described by scientists as the largest members of the dolphin family, commonly found in oceans worldwide, especially in colder waters. They can reach about 8.5 to 9.9 meters in length and weigh roughly 4.7 to 6.6 tonnes. Their diet is varied, and pods often specialize in certain prey, though individuals can target a broad range of species.

The Strait of Gibraltar and nearby areas, including the Bay of Biscay, are frequently cited in reports on orca encounters with boats. Advocates call for better understanding and reporting of such incidents to help mariners plan routes more safely. In the interview, Mr. Hegan said the problem warrants serious attention from authorities, arguing that policy responses, such as tagging or monitored access, could help reduce risks for crews navigating these waters.

As the discussion around Iberian orca interactions continues, scientists emphasize that behavior observed in the region is complex and context-dependent. While some experts describe certain incidents as playful or non-predatory, others stress the potential hazards for boaters and the importance of cautious navigation in areas known for high cetacean presence. For mariners, the episode serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the ocean and the need for robust safety measures when sailing through busy migratory corridors.