June 14, 2024, 7:58 am | Read time: 12 minutes

A group of orcas has been attacking sailing yachts off the coasts of Morocco, Spain and Portugal since 2020. The sailing yacht rudders are sometimes severely damaged, causing the boats to occasionally sink into the ocean. Now there has been yet another incident in Spanish waters, resulting in the sinking of a sailing yacht “Alborán Cognac”. PETBOOK spoke to author and skipper Thomas Käsbohrer about the unusual behavior of the orcas, which he explores in his book.

Orcas sink 49-foot-long sailing yacht

This fate also recently befell the 49-foot sailing yacht “Alborán Cognac”. According to several Spanish media outlets, on Sunday morning, May 12th, 2024, around 26 kilometers off Cape Spartel at the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, muffled blows against the hull were initially heard by the crew. Once water entered the boat, the sailors made a distress call.

The scenario is very similar to that of almost exactly one year ago. Back then, at the beginning of May, the sailing yacht “Alboran Champagne” was attacked by orcas off the Spanish coast near Barbate, as reported by the website Segelreporter. A large-scale rescue operation was launched on the night of May 5, 2023, to save the crew of four.

These reports of orca attacks against boats raise many questions, which PETBOOK gets to the bottom of in an interview with author Thomas Käsbohrer.

Skipper Thomas Käsbohrer investigates the mysterious behavior of orcas

PETBOOK: Mr. Käsbohrer, in your book entitled “The Orcas’ Enigma”, you investigate a group of orcas off the Iberian Peninsula that exhibit atypical behavior. How did you find out about this?
Thomas Käsbohrer: I am a sailor. I was on my boat in Dublin last year when I struck up a conversation with another sailor. He was on his way back from Gibraltar to Ireland one morning when he had the feeling that he was about to run aground on a rock. But it wasn’t a rock, it was an orca who was looking at him. Then the animal disappeared. This incident was the first indication to me that something had changed. I gathered from the story that the orca may have deliberately swam close to the boat. After this conversation, I delved into the subject, researched the entire route to Gibraltar, and learned of other encounters.

What makes the orcas’ behavior so unique, and how do they interact with boats or sailing yachts?
First of all, it is unusual that the orcas no longer avoid proximity to boats, but instead sometimes seek them out. In doing so, they give up their safe distance, which increases the risk of injury to them. They know that they can be hit by a propeller if they go close to the boat. On the other hand, orcas naturally know us as coastal dwellers and cooperate with us, especially when fishing. Now orcas approach the boats, and not only that, they turn them in circles with their heads, they hit them with their heads, they ram them at full speed, and they damage the rudders.

What is also unusual is the very targeted approach to a certain type of boat. 80 percent of all damage, and we estimate at least 500 damaged rudders in two years, affects sailing yachts between 8 and 13 meters in length. This type of boat has a freestanding rudder of the same design. The animals thus seem to know exactly what they are doing and selectively choose their targets.

‘Suddenly a black shadow appeared’

You yourself encountered a killer whale near the Strait of Gibraltar while on your boat in the summer of 2022.
That’s right. That day, the Spanish Navy was practicing in the water behind me. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared 300 meters away from my boat and came towards me with really impressive leaps and crazy speed in the water. I was fascinated. I had previously encountered other marine mammals, dolphins, and this was a very unusual way of approaching. The animal came as close as 30 or 40 meters from me with determination and then suddenly took a dive towards the Spanish navy, which was behind me. I joked to myself, ‘He’s in the mood for something a bit heartier than my plastic rudder today. Today he’d rather bite into a steel one. I got away unscathed.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about orcas while working on your book?
What surprised me the most is that orcas are extremely intelligent predators. They are even higher than great white sharks in the predator hierarchy and are so-called apex predators. Orcas are highly specialized and can communicate with each other extremely effectively. Unlike the great white shark, an orca does not snap at everything it can get. There is a huge difference. They specialize in one prey animal. The orcas’ strategies make them highly successful predators, but their specialization in targeting only one particular prey can also be a disadvantage. Researchers have found that orcas’ loyalty to prey means that they are more likely to starve when their food sources decrease than to look for other prey. So although the animals are very intelligent, they cannot help themselves in the event of a food shortage. The populations then get into real trouble, and the shortage drives them into starvation.

‘Orcas are intelligent predators, they change their behavior and strategies’

You compare the behavior of orcas with that of other larger mammals. You also talk about dogs, specifically Labradors and German shepherds, but also wolves. Where do you see the similarities?
At one point, I got stuck talking to whale conservationists. It helped me to think outside the box when I spoke to dog trainers and wolf researchers. It’s basically very similar. Orcas are intelligent predators, they change their behavior and strategies to get to their target. They always develop something new and then try it out, and in this respect, they are similar to us humans. No one sets a limit for orcas, and no one sets a limit for us humans either. We humans are therefore also very similar to orcas, we are also predators, and nobody puts a stop to us either. The reason for the orcas’ behavior: they do it because they can – the behavior makes them happy.

Do you see a comparison between the orcas’ behavior and that of a dog or even a game?
There are many things within the behavior that orcas exhibit around boats. It’s play, it’s aggression, it’s training, fitness training, it’s socializing, but it’s also training coordination with other animals, along the lines of: ‘Let’s grab a yacht together and see who’s stronger and who can do more with it. It’s a mixture of many different things, and a lot of things play into the explanation of the behavior.

Also interesting: What can I do if my dog shows aggressive behavior?

‘A certain type of person interprets the orcas’ behavior as play, others as an attempt to destroy the boats’

In your opinion, is the behavior of the animals sometimes misunderstood by eyewitnesses who are not experts? For example, witnesses describe orcas looking out of the water, as watching the victim, while you quote experts who simply want to recognize this behavior as curiosity.
These are not misunderstandings, we all have our own glasses on our noses through which we see things. In my interviews, I noticed that a certain type of person, whether sailor or scientist, was always quick to interpret the behavior as a game. What I realized was that these are all people who deal with larger animals, be it a large dog or a horse. I thought about why the orcas would demolish something, like the rudder, if they were just playing.

I heard about relevant experiences from people with horse experience. For example, a horse kicking down a fence without being aggressive. Or a horse seemingly pushing itself violently against a hedge, but acting out of fear. A notable example is the experience of a pit bull owner who, when encountering orcas, spoke to them and made them noticeably calmer through his way of communicating, as video recordings clearly show. Other people without this experience tend to see the attacks as an attempt to destroy the boat. We are probably somewhere between two perceptions of the same behavior. The truth likely lies somewhere in between these two perspectives.

The sentiment towards orcas remains neutral for now, but the pressure is mounting

In mid-March this year, another boat was damaged by orcas – even during the months when Spanish authorities say the waters should be safer from orcas. Would you still say that the mood is neutral?
It’s difficult to say in general terms. Some coastal residents are now worried. It’s quite a large area where the orcas approach the boats. The hotspots lie between the Moroccan coast and up to A Coruña in Spain. This means that the entire west coast is affected, including Portugal. Coastal residents, who also earn their living on the water, see the situation differently and more urgently. These people wonder whether something has to happen to them before action is taken. In my opinion, the pressure on the Spanish authorities has increased significantly in the last year.

‘Humans do not fit into the orcas’ pattern of prey’

So far, there has been no known incident of an orca attacking a human. Based on your personal experience or conversations with other skippers and scientists, did you get the impression that the orcas’ behavior was directed at the people on board the boats?
No, not really. The attacks are directed against the rudder, so these incidents can also be clearly classified as attacks on rudders. It’s about destruction, not just about exploring something. When the orcas tamper with the oars, they do so with the aim of destruction. So far, humans have not been a target, simply because they do not fit into the orcas’ prey pattern. These orcas from the Orca Iberica population off Gibraltar hunt tuna. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that you should not approach these large animals unnecessarily and should keep your distance from them.

In 50 percent of incidents involving orcas, those affected also observed young animals. Is this new behavior innate to orcas from birth?
Not in the cradle, because orcas take a relatively long time to grow up. Each orca mother has only one baby at a time, which she feeds until it is eleven or twelve years old. However, they are trained to behave in this way as part of their hunting training. During encounters with the orcas, some skippers have had the impression that shallower movements were among the attacks on the rudders and that somewhat smaller animals were also taking part.

Also interesting: Video proves for the first time how orcas hunt and eat great white sharks

‘Even an experienced marine biologist was shocked by the animals’ behavior’

You write in your book that over 90 percent of the sailing yachts that visit the orcas’ habitat between Brest in northern Brittany and Gibraltar every year do not see any of the animals. Only rarely do the orcas approach boats, with damage occurring in around two to three percent of interactions with them. Is this a real problem? In the meantime, an estimated 500 boats have been damaged in two and a half years. That’s a significant number of boats where the oars have been demolished, although it’s only two to three percent overall. Anyone who goes out on a boat cannot rule out the possibility of something happening. Even an experienced marine biologist from New Zealand, who has experience with orcas, was completely irritated and shocked by the animals’ behavior. She reported that the orcas formed a planned approach.

Do you have the impression that the orcas’ sometimes destructive contact with sailing yachts could have a negative impact on their protection in the future?
If something is decided by the Spanish environmental protection authorities, the state stands firmly behind it. It feels a bit different to here. I have the impression that animal protection is enforced in Spain. They are also trying to do something about the orcas and don’t just want to understand the orcas’ behavior, they also want to prevent damage. The Spanish are also making progress in this respect, and there are many different approaches. Because I think if things continue like this and the animals damage another 300 to 400 yachts, the fun will stop.

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Orca attacks may rise again this year

The living conditions of the Iberian orcas, which are already under protection, are continuing to deteriorate. How do you assess the future development of the orcas’ behavior?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of attacks were to increase again this year. Until now, the period between mid-December and February has always been attack-free. The British Cruising Association had even advised its members to circumnavigate the Iberian Peninsula between December and February, instead of between spring and fall. This year, however, has been different. There were up to 20 attacks in the Strait of Gibraltar and the animals really ‘went for it’ during these months.

I therefore think that the behavior will increase this year. But perhaps the behavior will die down next year or the year after. Because in the end, it doesn’t do the animals any good apart from them having fun. They can neither reproduce better nor find food more easily. There is also no locational advantage. It may be that it is passed on to other orca families and thus lasts a little longer, but in the long term, it will disappear. I can’t say when that will be. However, I also heard from a German sailor who reported that an orca had interacted with his rudder off the shores of Norway. I am still working on this incident and only just found out about the sailor’s contact. That would extend the area of orca interactions, which actually ends at Brest in France, by quite a bit …