Orca Interactions: Conflicting advice and mixed outcomes highlights need for better reporting
- Updated by Ann MacKellar
- 11 Mar 2026
The Cruising Association has updated its Orca Interaction Comments Library, which collates first-hand reports from skippers describing the deterrent actions they took when encountering orca attacks and the outcomes that followed.
The latest update includes further reports of conflicting success and failure stories when the same deterrent measures were used. These reports underline the continued complexity and unpredictability of orca interactions.
In particular, the CA has analysed available evidence in the reports relating to the differing advice from the Portuguese and Spanish authorities.
In early studies, Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA) aanalysed the reports submitted to them and found marginally less damage among yachts that stopped compared with those that did not (51% vs 55%). A slightly more noticeable difference was observed in cases involving extensive damage where 24% of vessels that stopped sustained extensive damage compared with 31% that continued moving. The full GTOA article can be read here.
More recently, official guidance has diverged on what to do in the event of an interaction. Portuguese authorities advise skippers to 'play dead' or reverse if conditions permit. Whereas the Spanish authorities advise motoring away as fast as possible towards shallower water. The CA understands this is based upon a tested theory that orca are unlikely to pursue a yacht for more than 2km, as they typically hunt within a defined area, and that the force of any impact on the rudder is likely to be lower when the yacht is moving.
Below are examples extracted from the Orca Interaction Comments Library illustrating both successful and unsuccessful outcomes using each approach.
For example, you will read that Sailor A reported success by increasing speed and moving away as soon as orca were sighted, with orca inspecting the yacht but not making contact. Whereas Sailor B, whose boat sank, had the opposite experience and indicated that in future he will stop the boat and 'play dead'.
Sailor C says that keeping out of sight and stopping the boat proved effective, but sailor D suffered catastrophic damage following repeated hits for almost an hour while the boat remained stopped in the water, leading to the boat sinking.
These contrasting accounts reinforce the importance of reviewing the available evidence and understanding that no single approach has been shown to guarantee success. The CA will continue to update the Orca Interaction Comments Library as further reports are received.
Sailor A (CA report Inter 195)
Was the boat damaged and in need of repair: No
Comments: We were approx 40nm north of Bilbao crossing Biscay from La Rochelle in +1000m depth. Spotted what we thought were dolphins in the distance. As they got closer they started to circle the boat. This is when I saw they were orca. (2 females) They then approached us at rapid speed, swimming under the stern and emerging either side of the rudder before circling again. They did not make contact. We accelerated away but no further measures were needed.
Orca behaviour: 2 females circled the boat before swimming under the stern and circling again.
Sailor B – From a magazine article - (the boat sank)
Comments: When motoring away I got up to 8 knots for about 15 minutes and they continued to hit the rudder; I tried reverse for about 10 minutes both in a straight line and circle. They continued to attack rudder for the duration of the attack even once steering was broken. They hit the rudder when reversing I did not try to reverse once rudder was disabled. Structural damage was after rudder was broken they seemed to be hitting keel and midships, it felt like they gave up on keel and went to push boat and slam boat sideways. He goes on to say that in hindsight he would have stopped the boat immediately and turned everything off as soon as the orca encounter began.
Sailor C (CA report Inter 206)
Was the boat damaged and in need of repair: No
Comments: After feeling a nudge or bump on the port hull/stern, we downed sail and switched off engine. We avoided obvious sounds and movements, remaining out of sight.
Once the boat had come to a calm stop and we were drifting (within 5/10 min), their interest waned and no further contacts were made 90 minutes after the last sighting/last hearing them, we restarted the engines and motored away without incident.
Orca behaviour: Swimming near to/bumping the stern/hull, initially on the side of the running engine. Swimming under the vessel at a depth of about 10m, forward to aft then circling around, although once we had stopped moving they generally stayed between 20 and 100m away. We heard them in the vicinity for another 30 min or so.
Was the boat damaged and in need of repair: Yes, extensive - major works required (the boat sank)
Comments: We followed the recommended protocol [which recommends yachts should stop], the interaction continued but we couldn't manoeuvre much because one of the killer whales was constantly clinging to the rudder. After almost an hour a leak opened up behind the boat and we sank.
Orca behaviour: The killer whales circled around the boat and hit the rudder. They took turns grabbing the rudder blade in their mouths and shaking it.
These examples represent a small selection of the reports received. Please take time to read the Orca Interaction Comments Library before heading out into an affected area and consider what action you might take in similar circumstances. Examine both the successes and failures experienced when motoring away or ‘playing dead’, and the use of deterrents such as noise, sand and other measures such as trailing chains over the stern - noting that some skippers used a combination of measures.
Having done so, please become part of the solution by supporting the CA’s ongoing work to identify best practice to avoid or deter interactions.
While a range of helpful resources is available to sailors, the Cruising Association provides the only publicly accessible resource where data and comments are collated and skippers' first-hand accounts are categorised by different deterrent measure.
The CA also publishes and regularly update:
- a monthly table detailing the sea areas affected by attacks since the outset of the problem, to assist with passage planning to reduce the risk of an encounter with orcas.
- reports from passages through the areas of orca interaction activity when no incident occurred and provide a comparative analysis of interaction and uneventful passage reports in order to help identify any emerging patterns
However, in 2025 there were 133 recorded interactions, yet the CA received only 19 corresponding reports, significantly fewer than in previous years. If the CA is to identify patterns, draw meaningful conclusions and provide guidance to skippers in the light of differing scientific and governmental advice, then we need more reports.
The CA will continue to update our website as further information becomes available, and we appeal to all skippers sailing within and through the affected area to submit both interaction and uneventful passage reports. The report forms take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
All resources, including report at: www.theca.org.uk/orcas
