Why Are Orcas Ramming Boats? The Iberian Orca Encounters

What is happening off Spain and Portugal?

The first reports came from the Strait of Gibraltar in May 2020. By late summer of the same year, sailors were reporting similar encounters off Portugal and Galicia in northwestern Spain. Researchers of the Atlantic Orca Working Group, set up by Spanish and Portuguese scientists in 2020, logged about 500 interactions between 2020 and 2023, and they have continued every year since.

The pattern is strikingly consistent. The orcas usually approach a sailing yacht from behind and focus on the rudder, pushing it with their heads, biting it or ramming it until it breaks or the boat turns in circles. Boats involved have averaged about 12 m (40 ft) long and were sailing at around 6 knots (11 km/h, 7 mph), a speed orcas can easily match. Most encounters last less than half an hour, though some go on for up to two hours. Many boats escape with little damage, but many others lose or crack their rudder and have to be towed to port.

Which orcas are involved?

The encounters involve the Iberian orcas, a small, isolated population that lives in the Strait of Gibraltar and along the Atlantic coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. A census in 2011 counted just 39 whales in five pods, and the Strait of Gibraltar subpopulation has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2019.

These orcas specialize in Atlantic bluefin tuna, which they follow on its seasonal migration. They are usually in the Strait in spring and early summer, then move north along the coasts of Portugal and Galicia before heading to deeper water in autumn. That is why boat encounters follow the same calendar and route.

Only a minority of the population takes part. A study published in 2022 identified nine individuals that made direct contact with boats, several of them juveniles, and by 2023 the number had grown to about 15. Spanish researchers gave each of them the name Gladis, so the best known are White Gladis (Gladis Blanca), an adult female, and young whales such as Gladis Gris and Gladis Negra.

Have orcas sunk boats?

Yes, but rarely. The first sinkings happened in 2022, and further yachts went down in 2023, 2024 and 2025, including the Swiss yacht Champagne near Barbate in 2023 and the Bonhomie William in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2024. In total, fewer than ten boats have sunk out of hundreds of encounters. In every case the crew was rescued, and no person has been injured by the orcas.

Researchers point out that a group of orcas, each weighing several tonnes, could do far more damage if wrecking boats were the goal. The whales concentrate on the rudder and usually leave once the boat stops moving or is no longer interesting.

Why are orcas doing it?

No one knows for sure, and scientists have offered several explanations, which are not mutually exclusive.

• Play and curiosity. Many of the orcas involved are young, and young orcas are famously playful. A rudder that moves and resists when pushed may simply be an exciting object.
• A social fad. Orcas copy one another, and passing trends have been seen before. In 1987, Southern Resident orcas in the Pacific Northwest took up carrying dead salmon on their heads for a few months. The rudder habit may be a longer-lasting fashion that spread among young Iberian orcas.
• A response to a bad experience. Some researchers suggest that one orca, possibly White Gladis, had a painful encounter with a boat or fishing gear and began targeting rudders, and that others learned from her.
• Disturbance and competition. The Iberian orcas share busy waters with ferries, fishing boats and yachts, and some take tuna from fishing lines. Noise and contact with people may play a part.

The popular story that the orcas are “taking revenge” on humans is not supported by evidence. It turns a puzzling animal behavior into a human motive, and scientists worry that such stories could encourage people to harm an endangered population.

Is the behavior spreading?

So far, rudder strikes remain a habit of the Iberian orcas. In June 2023, a yacht crossing the North Sea between Shetland and Norway was struck repeatedly by an orca, raising fears that the behavior had jumped to other populations, but there is no clear evidence of a link. The orcas of Norway, Iceland and the Pacific Northwest, which meet huge numbers of boats, have not taken up the habit.

What do authorities advise?

Spanish and Portuguese authorities post warnings and maps of recent orca sightings, and in 2020 and 2021 Spain briefly banned small sailing boats from stretches of coast where encounters were frequent. Sailors are asked to check warnings before setting out, avoid areas where orcas have recently been reported, and report every encounter to researchers. Specific advice on what to do during an encounter has changed over the years as scientists learn more, so crews should follow current guidance from the local maritime authority.

The orcas are legally protected, and harming or harassing them is illegal. Anyone in danger at sea should call the coastguard immediately on 112, the emergency number in Spain, Portugal and the rest of the EU.

What it means for the orcas

With only a few dozen animals, the Iberian population is fragile. Its survival depends on healthy bluefin tuna stocks, quieter waters and the goodwill of the people who share the coast with it. Learning why these orcas strike rudders could help both sailors and whales. For more on the species, see our orca profile, Are orcas dangerous to humans? and How do orca pods work?