A PACK of killer whales have struck again in the Atlantic after nearly capsizing a yacht and leaving a helpless crew fearing for their lives.
The terrifying encounter, said to be linked to the bloodthirsty White Gladis pod, took place two miles north of the Spanish town of Deba.
Shocked witnesses first reported the dangerous scenes after several orcas surrounded the 30ft boat which was stranded out at sea.
At least two of the beasts then attacked and left the ship severely damaging with the rudder shredded.
A frantic rescue mission was quickly launched by Maritime Rescue for the two men on board.
Miraculously the boat stayed intact and above water for long enough for the pair to be saved and towed back to port.
The entire mission took a staggering three hours to complete from the moment the men first raised the alarm.
Sharing a photo on social media, the relieved pair announced: “ATTENTION TO SAILORS!! Yesterday afternoon near Deba, the pod of ORCAS that roam our waters, attacked this sailboat.”
“Maritime Rescue of Getaria had to come to the rescue.”
The boat was French registered and both occupants are thought to be from France.
One was aged 60.
This type of situation involving orcas has already occurred on other occasions in waters of southern Spain and in Galicia.
Killer whales have previously sunk one boat in the Straits of Gibraltar and caused damage to numerous others off the coast of Spain.
Orcas even disrupted a sailing race last year, when a boat travelling from the Netherlands to Italy had a 15-minute encounter with the animals.
This prompted the crew to drop their craft’s sails and raise a clatter to fend them off.
The latest attacks have prompted warnings for Brit sailors.
Professor Volker Deecke, an expert from the University of Cumbria specializing in marine mammal conservation and conservation biology behavior, informed the Daily Telegraph that “Sailors in the UK who pass through these hotspots should definitely acquaint themselves with the appropriate guidance.”
“The same guidance applies for sailors encountering any killer whales in Cornish waters.”
Earlier this month, wildlife experts confirmed they had spotted Iberian orcas in Cornish waters for the first time.
And in July of last year, a Brit yachtsman posted video footage of his boat sinking after it was attacked by orcas.
Robert Powell and two others on the Bonhomme William had to be rescued by coastguards after their vessel capsized in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Last year, Brit couple Janet Morris, 58, and Stephen Bidwell, 58, from Cambridge, were involved in a whale attack that lasted for an hour.
The orcas off the Iberian coast often average between 16ft to 21ft in length.
They are considerably smaller than orcas in Antarctica who can reach over 29ft.
The attacks tend to happen between May and August but researchers don’t believe they are often aggressively commited.
Instead, some orcas may disrupt boats out of sheer boredom.
Other experts fear that one main culprit may be teaching other orcas how to strike.
A majestic beast, named White Gladis, has been terrorising sailors around the coast of Gibraltar over the past four years.
Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist with the University of Aveiro in Portugal and a member of the Atlantic Orca working group, suggests a “critical moment of distress” caused White Gladis to become aggressive toward vessels.
Why do orcas attack boats?
WHILE researchers are unsure exactly why killer whales have been attacking boats so often lately, many theories have been put forward.
Some experts suggest it could be a playful manifestation of the animals’ curiosity.
But others fear a “critical moment of agony” such as a collision may have sparked aggression towards boats.
Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, told LiveScience: “That traumatized orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat.”
Some even speculate White Gladis may now be spurring fellow killer whales on.
Orcas are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family.
Although they never attack humans, the apex predators can take down large groups of whales, hence the name killer.
What makes them a unique marine mammal is that they often hunt in lethal pods and family groups of up to 40 individuals – and feast on fish, dolphins, seal lions, seals, sharks and stingrays.
The carnivores can grow up to 32ft long and weigh up to six tons – and are immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white colouring.
