Ocean Race Nightmare: Terrifying Encounters with Killer Whales

During the 2023 Ocean Race, a group of orcas, also known as killer whales, attacked a Dutch yacht, which was part of the competition. The yacht was sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar when three orcas surrounded it, first circling the boat and then ramming into it. The orcas started hitting the rudders, and some of the crew banged on the ship’s hull to try to scare them away while the whales started biting the boat’s rudders. The skipper of the Dutch yacht, Jelmer van Beek, described the incident as “a scary moment”. No one was injured, but the encounter was described as dangerous and puzzling. The Ocean Race is a six-month yacht race that covers 32,000 nautical miles and goes through nine international cities.

The competition started from Alicante, Spain, in January and will finish at the end of June in Genova, Italy. There has reportedly been a recent increase in orca sightings in the area, and this is not the first time that orcas have attacked boats during the race.