Orcas Strike Again: Sink Another Boat Off Spain’s Coast

The series continues. Just under a year after the last such event recorded along the Iberian coast, orcas have resumed targeting ships, whose occupants were able to be rescued.

Gladis the White’s ‘Gang’ Strikes Back

On July 24, the Spanish coast guard received a distress call from a Swedish yacht located in Galician waters, to the northwest of Spain. While the vessel was able to be towed to the nearest port, the Idem did not have the same luck. A few days earlier, this pleasure boat sank near Estaca de Bares after the rudder was destroyed by a group of Orcinus orca.

Since the beginning of these attacks in 2020, nearly 700 interactions between orcas and ships have been recorded. These interactions, which can last for several hours, have led to the loss of eight boats, including the Idem.

According to the Orca Working Group, which studies the phenomenon closely, they involve around fifteen individuals from a sub-group of about fifty. Largely dependent on the Atlantic red tuna, this stock is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

A small, endangered pod of orcas off Spain and Portugal has sunk at least eight boats since 2020, and despite speculation, the real explanation might have nothing to do with revenge. https://t.co/PGvilh1KBG

— Live Science (@LiveScience) July 28, 2026

The wrongdoers have been linked to “Gladis the White,” a dominant female thought to have developed a “post-traumatic syndrome” after being struck by a boat. The first known member of the group to target rudders, she would probably have inspired her adult peers. Because of the highly social nature of the species, scientists suppose that the juveniles within the group have, in turn, replicated this behavior “for play,” thus contributing to its spread.

Cetaceans Target Sailboats More Often Than Other Vessels

In 2022, a study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science concluded that these cetaceans were more likely to target sailboats, and tended to disengage when they stopped.

When such interactions occur, maritime authorities recommend cutting the engine, and, whenever possible, lowering the sails and letting go of the wheel to limit the damage caused to the rudder.

If, at this stage, the true causes of this behavior remain debated, as the researchers remind us, every observation adds new pieces to the puzzle.

Earlier, scientists had described the formidable tactic used by orcas to kill great white sharks.