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The orcas attacking the yacht<\/p>\n
A yacht sank off the coast near Lisbon after an attack by orcas, while a second vessel was immobilised in a similar attack, leaving both crews needing to be rescued. <\/p>\n
The yacht went down on Saturday afternoon after suffering damage to its rudder and hull. Video showed orcas striking the boat before it foundered off Caparica.<\/p>\n
Jo\u00e3o Filipe, a skipper leading a dolphin-watching tour nearby, diverted to assist. \u201cI saw the sailboat moving erratically. Then I realised it was being attacked by an orca,\u201d he told the Not\u00edcias ao Minuto newspaper.<\/p>\n
He said the strike lasted only minutes but proved fatal to the vessel. \u201cTwo or three knocks \u2026 enough to break the hull in the rudder area,\u201d he said. \u201cWe tried to refloat it, but the damage was too great and it slowly sank because too much water was entering \u2026 everything took a little more than an hour \u2014 about five minutes of interaction, then the time for water entering and the boat sinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Filipe described how rescuers and crew attempted to bail water, shift weight and tow the yacht before transferring its four people aboard to safety as it sank. The newspaper Expresso said the Caparica sailboat belonged to the Lisbon-based Nautic Squad club.<\/p>\n
The National Maritime Authority said a second sailboat, with five people aboard, was struck nearby, about five nautical miles off Fonte da Telha. Its rudder was broken, leaving it without steering, but it remained afloat and was towed to the port of Oeiras. \u201cIn both cases, it was found that the crew members were physically well, with no need for medical assistance,\u201d the authority told the broadcaster SIC Not\u00edcias.<\/p>\n
Orca-boat encounters<\/a> have increased in Iberian waters since 2020, often leaving yachts disabled after losing steering. While sinkings remain rare, the Caparica incident \u2014 captured on video and widely circulated in Portuguese media \u2014 underscored the growing risks.<\/p>\n The orcas attacking the yacht<\/p>\n<\/p>\n