A group of killer whales launched a terrifying eight-minute attack on a sailboat Spaintearing off half the rudder and forcing the crew to check for leaks.
Dramatic new video shows the orcas circling the ship before repeatedly crashing into the steering system underwater.
Between three and four whales targeted the boat when returning from a sailing competition near San Vicente.
The crew initially feared that the animals might have damaged the ship trunk and let water flow in.
Crew member Gage Butler, originally from Californiasaid his adrenaline spiked as they inspected the ship in the aftermath.
“It was so cool to see how smart these animals are and how they play and hunt as a group,” he said in a Instagram after.
“But at the same time, my adrenaline was pumping as we examined the boat to see if there were any leaks in the hull.”
Butler said everyone escaped unharmed and the boat suffered no major damage other than the loss of about half of the rudder.
A pod of killer whales launched a terrifying eight-minute attack on a sailboat off the coast of Spain, ripping off half the rudder and forcing the crew to check for leaks
Gage Butler from California captured the attack with footage of the whales swimming beneath the boat
Butler and the Seika Racing sailing crew had just finished a regatta and were moving the boat from San Vicente to another marina when the orcas appeared.
Video shared on Instagram shows the animals appearing next to the ship as crew members watch from above.
The whales swam repeatedly under the stern, where the rudder controls the direction of the boat.
Butler estimated the encounter lasted about eight minutes and involved three or four killer whales.
Although the animals were powerful enough to break the rudder, Butler believed they may have been young whales treating the ship like a toy.
“These orcas looked smaller than the ones I saw at SeaWorld, so I’m pretty sure they were juveniles just playing with the boat, eventually breaking the rudder,” he wrote in the Instagram post.
The sailor described the experience as both frightening and extraordinary.
‘Luckily everyone was safe and there was no major damage to the boat. This was a truly unique experience.’
Butler said everyone escaped unscathed and the boat suffered no major damage other than the loss of about half of the rudder
Orcas have repeatedly rammed sailboats through the waters around the Iberian Peninsula since the unusual behavior was first recorded in 2020.
Most of the encounters took place near the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow body of water that separates southern Spain from North Africa.
The animals usually approach the stern before biting or hitting the rudder, sometimes causing ships to lose their ability to steer.
Several boats have sunk after being badly damaged during encounters with the whales.
In 2024, a group rammed and sank a 45-foot yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, marking at least the fifth reported sinking linked to the behavior at that time.
Despite their name, killer whales rarely pose a direct threat to people in the wild.
No fatal attack by a wild orca on a human has ever been documented, and the whales involved in the Iberian incidents appear to have targeted boats rather than their occupants.
Scientists remain divided over why the behavior started and why it continues to spread among animals.
One widely discussed theory involves a female killer whale nicknamed White Gladis, who may have previously been injured in a collision or encounter with a boat.
According to that theory, after the traumatic experience, the whale began targeting ships before other members of the group copied its actions.
However, investigators have not confirmed that the attacks were motivated by revenge.
Another explanation suggests that the interactions are a form of play that developed into a temporary social trend among the highly intelligent animals.
Young killer whales may have learned that rudders move, resist pressure and eventually break, encouraging them to return to other ships.
A 2024 report suggested that this behavior could eventually disappear, in the same way that other short-lived habits have faded among whale populations.
However, the authors cautioned that the animals remain difficult to predict.
“Eventually this behavior may disappear, like fads in other populations, but it may also reappear at some point in the future,” they wrote.
“These are intelligent, socially complex, innovative wild animals and science cannot predict their behavior with certainty.”
