Overview

• On July 21 a French sailboat two miles north of Deba suffered rudder destruction and a hull breach, and on July 22 the María incurred minor rudder damage eight miles north of Cabo Villano.
• No crew members were harmed and the French vessel was towed to Getaria by Salvamento Marítimo while the María sailed independently to Getxo.
• The Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible now urges mariners to maintain course toward shallower waters, avoid stressing cetaceans and report all orca interactions to the nearest Salvage Coordination Center.
• Servicio Marítimo de la Guardia Civil de Bizkaia agents confirmed a group of six orcas approximately ten miles off Cabo Matxitxako, underscoring their presence in Cantabrian waters.
• Orca Atlántica researchers are examining the causes behind the Iberian orcas’ split into Gibraltar and Cantabrian groups and their recent movement along the Basque coast.