Overview

• Two sailors aboard the French yacht Azurea were rescued “safe and sound” by the Spanish coastguard after a pod of orcas repeatedly struck their vessel two nautical miles off Deba.
• Officials said such rudder-targeting incidents are uncommon this far north, underscoring a northward spread of the specialised Iberian orca pod beyond the Strait of Gibraltar.
• Spain and UK agencies have reinforced protocols advising mariners to cut engines, lower sails, disable autopilot and echo sounders, avoid known hotspots and operate in shallow waters when orcas approach.
• Researchers estimate about 15 of the pod’s 50 whales carry out the stern-to-rudder ramming behaviour, which appears to be socially transmitted though its motivations remain unclear.
• The Atlantic Orca Working Group has logged over 700 orca-boat interactions around the Iberian Peninsula since 2020, and safety measures have cut incidents in the Strait of Gibraltar by around 90 percent.