Killer whales attack British couple’s yacht for an hour during sailing course off Morocco

A British couple have described the terrifying moment when their yacht was attacked by killer whales.

Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell from Cambridge were enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco when they spotted a pod of killer whales.

Some of the deadly mammals then began crashing into the boat – an attack reportedly lasting an hour.

Also facing strong winds and big swells, the skilled crew managed to navigate to calmer waters – and to safety.

Business consultant Janet, 58, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw them – it’s extremely rare. We were sitting ducks.

A killer whale invades the sailboat during the hour-long attack

“We were incredibly calm, but inside we were like, ‘Oh my God.’

“Because everyone was calm, it felt okay, but we were terrified, only afterwards did we talk about being very scared.

‘We took our valuables and our passports and talked about getting the life raft ready.

‘It really didn’t help that the conditions for the orcas were bad. The boat moved a lot – it was difficult to distinguish one cause from another.

“The captain was very calm and orderly, getting everyone through.”

Photographer Stephen, also 58, said: ‘We all stayed calm because we were aware that if any of us got anxious it would be contagious.

“We were able to do that because the skipper was so calm.

“Orcas enjoy the thrill of the chase, so we would have preferred to keep quiet, but that was not possible because of the wind.”

Janet and Stephen, who are qualified to charter and captain sailboats, were on the second day of a week-long course to clock sailing miles when the killer whales struck just seven miles from Tangier on Tuesday, May 2.

The couple were taking a nap in preparation for their night watch when they were thumped on the hull and heard crew members yelling, “Orcas! Orcas!’ – so they hurried to the deck.

At one point during the attack, the crew spotted the killer whales — believed to be at least six of them — chasing pieces of debris that looked like a sponge in the water.

The killer whales gave up the chase after an hour, but the boat’s steering failed, so they headed back to shore.

Back in port, they realized that the debris was debris from the rudder of the sailing yacht, a 14-meter Bavaria.

At least six of the deadly mammals began crashing into the boat – an attack that lasted an hour

A killer whale invades the sailboat during the hour-long attack

Janet and Stephen, who are qualified to charter and pilot sailboats, were on day two of a week-long course to clock sailing miles when the killer whales hit

The pair will have another chance to do the course, Janet said.

She added: “We were on training to gain experience, and we will know what to do if this happens again.”

The Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Europe and Africa, is rather called ‘orca alley’ because of the large number of whales.

There have been previous reports of whales attacking boats in the area – which has baffled scientists.