Killer whales are teaching each other to sink boats, experts have claimed after a group of orcas attacked a British couple on holiday.
Scientists said they believe that back in 2020 an orca began acting out against a boat in retaliation after a ‘critical moment of agony’. But now other whales are mimicking this dangerous behaviour.
This week Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell, from Cambridge, were enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco when they spotted a pod of orcas.
Some of the mammals then started bumping the boat – an attack which continued for an hour, the pair claimed.
Also faced with high winds and big swells, the able crew managed to navigate to calmer waters – and to safety.
Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell, from Cambridge, were enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco when their boat was attacked by a pod of orcas
![The orcas let up the chase after an hour but the steering on the boat failed so they headed back to shore](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/20/14/71086837-12105861-The_orcas_let_up_the_chase_after_an_hour_but_the_steering_on_the-a-75_1684590677230.jpg)
The orcas let up the chase after an hour but the steering on the boat failed so they headed back to shore
Business consultant Janet, 58, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw them – it’s extremely rare. We were sitting ducks.
‘We were amazingly calm but underneath we were thinking, ‘Oh my god’.
‘Because everyone was calm it felt okay, but we were petrified, it wasn’t until afterwards that we talked about being very scared.
‘We got our valuables and our passports and talked about getting the life raft ready.
‘It really didn’t help that conditions were bad before the orcas. The boat was moving around a lot – it was hard to distinguish one cause from the others.
‘The captain was very calm and orderly, which got everyone through.’
Photographer Stephen, also 58, said: ‘We all remained calm because we were aware that if any of us got anxious it would be infectious.
‘We were able to do that because the skipper was so calm.
![Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell, from Cambridge, were enjoying a sailing course off the coast of Morocco when they spotted a pod of orcas](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/20/14/71086843-12105861-Janet_Morris_and_Stephen_Bidwell_from_Cambridge_were_enjoying_a_-a-77_1684590698016.jpg)
An Orca encroaches upon the sailing boat during the hour long attack
![At least six of the deadly mammals started bumping the boat - an attack which continued for an hour](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/20/14/71086839-12105861-At_least_six_of_the_deadly_mammals_started_bumping_the_boat_an_a-a-76_1684590682307.jpg)
At least six of the deadly mammals started bumping the boat – an attack which continued for an hour
‘Orcas enjoy the thrill of the chase, so ideally we’d have kept still, but that wasn’t possible because of the winds.’
Since May 2020, there has been a significant increase in reports of violent interactions with orcas off the Iberian coast, according to research published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.
The attacks appear to be more focused on sailing boats and whales follow a pattern, with the mammals approaching fast from the stern and then attacking the rudder.
Researchers believe this behaviour could be taught to young orcas.
Co-author of the study and biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal Alfredo López Fernandez told Live Science: ‘The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don’t know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behaviour based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day.’
Janet and Stephen, who are qualified to charter and captain sailing boats, were on day two of a week-long course to clock up sailing miles when the orcas hit, on Tuesday May 2, just seven miles from Tangier.
The couple were taking a nap in preparation for their night-watch duty when they felt banging on the hull and heard crew members shout, ‘Orcas! Orcas!’ – so they rushed to deck.
![An Orca encroaches upon the sailing boat during the hour long attack](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/20/14/71086957-12105861-An_Orca_encroaches_upon_the_sailing_boat_during_the_hour_long_at-a-78_1684590703288.jpg)
An Orca encroaches upon the sailing boat during the hour long attack
At some point during the attack the crew saw the orcas – thought to number at least six – chasing pieces of debris that looked like sponge in the water.
The orcas let up the chase after an hour but the steering on the boat failed so they headed back to shore.
Back in port they realised that the debris were pieces from the rudder of the sailing yacht, a 46-foot Bavaria.
The couple will get another opportunity to do the course, Janet said.
She added: ‘We were on the course to get experience, and we’ll know what to do if this happens again.’
The Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Europe and Africa, has been referred to previously as ‘orca alley’ due to the large number of whales. There have been previous reports of the whales attacking boats in the area.
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