The incident took place last Saturday around 25 nautical miles south of Lisbon near the Portuguese coast. Arnt Remy Åvik-Langstrand, 48, and Glenn Benelex Larsen, 42, initially observed a group of dolphins from on board their "Levante". "But then we saw larger fins approaching from the other side. It was only a few seconds before our boat was rammed for the first time," Larsen told the Norwegian news portal VG. At that moment, they realised that they were being attacked by a group of orcas.
"The boat was thrown 90 degrees by the animals shortly afterwards. That's when we decided to make an emergency call," Larsen is quoted as saying by VG. He estimates the largest specimen in the group to be around five to six metres long. "But the orcas didn't just ram our boat. They also started biting the rudder."
Previous orca attacks with serious consequences:
A freighter passing nearby initially rushed to the sailors' aid, but its crew did not have to intervene. The ship merely remained in the vicinity until the coastguard arrived at the now unmanoeuvrable "Levante". They brought the two Norwegians and their ship to the harbour of Sesimbra, west of Setubal.
Over 800 orca encounters within four years
According to the latest report by the organisation GT Orca Atlántica (GTOA), there were a total of 824 documented encounters between killer whales and yachts between 2020 and the end of August 2024, namely in the Strait of Gibraltar, the western Mediterranean, off the coast of Portugal, the north coast of Spain and the west coast of France. Reports of orcas actively attacking sailing boats - scientists and animal rights activists speak neutrally of interactions in this context - had not been reported before 2020.
In around 20 per cent of cases, the affected boats were severely damaged and some even sank. In most cases, the crews had to call for help in order to be rescued.
The animals' behaviour is still a mystery to scientists
So far, there is still a lack of reliable information as to why the orca population living off the Iberian coast targets sailing boats. Attempts to explain this range from curiosity and playfulness to acts of revenge. However, most serious researchers assume that the orcas are at least not acting with aggressive intent.
"I think people attribute a little too much human thinking to them," says orca expert Martin Biuw to the news portal VG. Instead, Biuw believes that orcas are social animals that play a lot. "Perhaps they practise something in this way by training to attack larger prey or something similar. But that's really just speculation," he adds.
More on the topic:
Orcas, which are often almost ten metres long and sometimes weigh over six tonnes, are the largest species in the dolphin family. They can be found in many sea areas around the world. They are predators that hunt in groups. Their diet includes tuna, herring, seals, penguins and seabirds, but they also attack sharks, dolphins and other whales.
For Åvik-Langstrand and Larsen, the planned journey home to Norway with their "Levante" is now a distant prospect for the time being. First they have to record the damage to the ship and then have it repaired. Larsen is grateful for the help he received from the Portuguese authorities and is glad that he and his co-sailor survived the accident unscathed. He told VG: "Fortunately, the whole thing turned out well for us."
