# This year has reportedly seen a spate of attacks by orcas ("killer whales") against boats in the Strait of Gibraltar **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611 "2020-09-14T21:57:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/62 "2024-05-14T00:08:07Z")
I think that there may be an exciting new market for the RCN’s Orca class patrol boats: [Orca-class patrol vessel - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca-class_patrol_vessel) They’ve got steel hulls and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/63 "2024-05-14T07:29:37Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > They’re baaa-aaack Just when you thought it was safe to sail a yacht past Gibraltar… “Highly social apex predators” is a fantastic journalists’ second mention, especially as “killer whales” is right there. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/64 "2024-05-16T01:16:03Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > “Highly social apex predators” Yes, but are they talking about orcas or humans? The term describes both, just one is oceanic and the other terrestrial. It’s gonna be a real cage match to the death. Bio 101 is that there is only room for one apex predator; the technical term for the other is “lunch”. I’d have assumed a ~50 foot yacht would be stout enough to absorb any abuse from orcas. At least if the vessel was in good condition to begin with. Seems I assumed wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/65 "2024-05-16T01:25:46Z")
If the yacht is fiberglass (likely) the orca only needs to crack it so water gets in. For an animal their size and power seems doable (and apparently is). That said, these attacks are surprising. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/66 "2024-05-16T01:42:19Z")
Who knew the real-life Jaws “needing a bigger boat” was about cute and cuddly Orca whales? Great Whites need to step up their freaking game! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/67 "2024-05-16T02:03:51Z")
Not if they don’t want their livers eaten. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/68 "2024-05-16T03:52:22Z")
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m rooting for the orcas. Go get 'em, sharks! Now if they could just take out an oil tanker… ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/69 "2024-05-16T11:02:14Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Now if they could just take out an oil tanker… Preferably an empty one… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/70 "2024-05-16T12:09:08Z")
Yeah, otherwise that would be a stupendous self-pwn. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/71 "2024-05-16T13:21:04Z")
I was just in Tarifa at the Strait of Gibraltar and went whale watching. They said that we wouldn’t see any orcas as they don’t come until [July or August](https://www.turmares.com/en-US/whale-watch/orcas-tarifa). Good thing they didn’t attack the boat while I was swimming. ---
**Author:** ![EnglishGrey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/englishgrey/32/14111_2.png) [@EnglishGrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnglishGrey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/72 "2024-05-16T21:20:00Z")
An acquaintance of mine was delivering a yacht to Tangiers in March and had their rudder broken off by an Orca. And a good friend is about to sail back to the UK from the Med… it’s a genuine concern. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/73 "2024-05-17T01:29:41Z")
When are people going to begin shooting them with elephant guns? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/74 "2024-05-21T02:18:15Z")
20mm cannon are probably a better choice. Mere elephant guns have shitty penetration into water. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/75 "2024-05-21T03:30:21Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > 20mm cannon are probably a better choice. No- just stop fucking with them is the best choice. The orcas are very likely retaliating to some morons who attacked some orcas- 'as they eat all the fish". 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/76 "2024-05-21T12:17:11Z")
Well yes, of course. The right answer is don’t try to kill the wildlife for stupid reasons. But if you do have a legit want / need to kill wildlife, use tools that will get the job done. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/77 "2024-05-21T13:17:25Z")
They’ve gone Moby Dick? They are able to connect boats with orcas being killed or injured? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/78 "2024-05-21T13:32:39Z")
England has the perfect response. [Stand by for action ! {LINK}](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45NtEXv7DZs) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/79 "2024-05-21T20:33:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They are able to connect boats with orcas being killed or injured? Yep. > **[Orcas Just Sank Another Yacht](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/orcas-just-sank-another-yacht/)** > > Orcas have once again attacked and sunk a boat near the Strait of Gibraltar, a behavior that has scientists stumped _The other is that the new trend stems from past negative experiences with boats, which can strike and severely harm marine animals._ > **[Orcas Are Attacking Boats Near Spain. Scientists Don’t Know Why](https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/orca-attacks/)** > > Orca attacks on boats in the region have increased, leading to three sinkings. Plus, how a Supreme Court decision could affect wetlands. _They could also be a response to a potential bad encounter between boats and orcas in the area._ > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > England has the perfect response. That leads to one of those Puppet Animation TV shows from the past- starts with an explosion in the ocean- which is not only not England sresponse, but killing the orca- an endangered population there- is a really bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/80 "2024-05-22T00:56:51Z")
Beware the pelagic panda. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611/81 "2024-05-22T09:12:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No- just stop fucking with them is the best choice. The orcas are very likely retaliating to some morons who attacked some orcas- 'as they eat all the fish". > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They’ve gone Moby Dick? They are able to connect boats with orcas being killed or injured? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Yep. Nope. As both your cites show, and as the headline of the second - **“Scientists Don’t Know Why”** - makes perfectly clear, we in fact cannot connect boats with orcas being killed or injured. Regrettably, your first excerpted quote omits key information; your second makes it pretty clear with its use of “could also be” that this is not an established fact, but simply a hypothesis. The first quote omits the preceding sentences which tell you what is being referred to by the words “The other…” in your original quote. The other _what_?, we might ask. What indeed? > _So far there are two main hypotheses_ regarding the baffling behavior. One is that it is a fad, which orcas seem to engage in just like humans do. Orcas in one Pacific Northwest group famously spent the summer of 1987 sporting dead salmon on their head, for example. > _The other_ is that the new trend stems from past negative experiences with boats, which can strike and severely harm marine animals. (Italics are mine.) From the same article, you could also have included the following quote: > But researchers caution against attributing malicious intent to animals. It’s a plausible hypothesis, but that’s all it is. I would also be interested in the source of your quote “as they eat all the fish” and the identity of the specific moron it should be attributed to, as this goes beyond even the hypothesis that the orca attacks are retaliation for some unknown event to tie them into a specific pattern of fisherman attacking orcas in a misguided attempt to preserve fish stocks. Is this in fact a thing that has happened? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-year-has-reportedly-seen-a-spate-of-attacks-by-orcas-killer-whales-against-boats-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/920611.md?page=5)