In October 22 there was a fleet of boats that was attacked between Troia and Sines. There are some more situations like this one. There is no change of behavior of orcas in case that the boats are in a fleet. For the orcas it is just a rudder, in case of a fleet, it means more rudders.

Boats that follow the North side of the Strait have a low risk of accidents. MITECO published a map showing the areas where the orcas are in permanence, and you should avoid them. This map are in orcas.pt

• Passage Gibraltar – Canarias

Follow the coast between Gibraltar and Cadiz, after you go 20 / 30 Nm West and after SSW to Canarias.

• Passage Gibraltar – Madeira

Follow the same route as before. You can also follow the 20-meter bathymetric until Cabo de Sao Vicente and, from there, set the route to Madeira.

• Passage Gibraltar - Azores

Follow the same route until the Cabo Sao Vicente.

Some remarks about these routes:

- Cross always in a way that you stay as little time as possible between the 20 meters and 500 meters. Remember that orcas swim between 20 m and 350 m.

Avoid areas where the depth varies greatly. These areas are usually called Canyons, and orcas love them. We have some near Cabo de Sao Vicente, Lisbon

If you feel better crossing these areas using your motor, it will be easy for you to react to any event.

An area with fewer incidents of orcas doesn’t mean that it is an area with less risk. There are many reasons for that, like having fewer boats.

In Tangier / Cab Spartel, there is a very active group of orcas, and some boats sank there. This area has lots of tuna; it is like a kitchen to the orcas. Crossing this area to enter the strait is like playing the lotto.

Some of the factors apart of the orcas that make this area an area with a high risk for sailing are:

- It is not possible to sail following the bathymetric of 20 meters

- there are many nets and fishing boats without any signalization

- Rescue service is very difficult, and towing, too, and it can be very expansive

- To repair a boat in Tangier will also not be easy, not be cheap.

To prevent damage to your steering, minimize autopilot use in orca areas. If orcas are close or near your rudder/propeller, disengage the autopilot. Prioritize safety and seek expert advice.

While there's no solid evidence suggesting catamarans are any more or less likely to encounter orcas than monohulls, it's important to understand that orca interactions with boats can happen with both types of vessels.

We have reports of interactions with both monohulls and catamarans, including those with propellers ahead of the rudder.

The Iberian Orcas' swim profile is between 20- and 350 meters deep.  

It is confirmed that sailors following the bathymetric of 20 m or less could pass without any incident.

Remember that sailing in shallow waters may involve other risks, and the skipper must be aware of them.

This information is the result of research and can be seen in a video on the Orcas.pt YouTube channel.

The link to this video is https://youtu.be/neb40BXuUWU?si=5YNnUeGm9CFPovkb

Orcas are interested in a boat rudder, especially when they are not busy.

When you spot an orca, turn on the motor and leave the area as fast as possible.

The orcas will follow you for 1 to 2 Nm, and then they will stop following your boat to return to the leading group.

This procedure is the same in case of an attack on your rudder. In that case, turn on the motor and leave the area. Inform the MRCC about the sighting, giving them the position. Inform also other sailors around you using VHF 16

For more information on this procedure, see the following video on the orcas.pt YouTube channel. The link to the video is https://youtu.be/4gCTptOsklQ?si=1oxuIkvYzR42mEZ2

The emergency procedure is the same whether the reason for the emergency is an orca accident or not. In case of emergency, use VHF 16 to communicate with MRCC or with the boats around you. The procedure should be clear and known by the skipper and crew of every sailing boat.

The “Search and Rescue Service” (SAR) coordinated by MRCC will do its best to save the crew. The boat will not be a priority.

The tow of a boat is the responsibility of the skipper and of the owner.

In the Portuguese Coast, the skipper must contract a tow service if he wants the boat towed to a port. In cases where the boat represents a danger to navigation, the MRCC can decide to tow the boat.

In the Spanish Coast, usually, the towing is usually done in most of the cases by “Salvamiento Maritimo” or other company.

The towing of a boat has costs that must be paid to the skipper/ owner of the boat, and I recommend you contact your insurance to know well what to do in this situation, what is covered by your insurance or not.

Yes, orcas attack our rudders also during the night.

During the nighttime, we have fewer boats and, therefore, fewer attacks.

I don’t recommend sailing during the night in orcas’ waters.

The main risks are:

- Orcas cannot be seen.

- Crew are tired

- Decisions are more difficult

- Towing and rescue are more difficult. Remember here that to organize a rescue, a tow during the night is much more difficult.

Try to plan your route to be during day light.

Anti-predation ‘pingers’ are illegal in Portugal and Spain and are now confirmed to be ineffective.

Tests were done with pingers in orcas areas, and it was demonstrated that pingers are not useful. Instead of keeping the orcas away, they tell the orcas where the boat is.

During the tests done with the orcas, they play with the pingers, touching them with the nose.

Many boats suffered an accident with orcas when they were using pingers. Others had dolphins around them.

Statement of some sailors using pingers:

• We tried this also… the orcas didn’t seem bothered and still hit us pretty hard with boats close to us in deeper water not using them

• 2 months ago I used this system on a 100’ sailing yacht, there was a 70’ sailing yacht 1nm in front of us and a 45’ sailing catamaran 2nm behind us not using them.

  We were the only vessel attacked.
  

If you buy a pinger, it will be, in my opinion, a loss of money; invest that money in another thing like an emergency rudder, for example.

A video showing tests with pingers and orcas can be seen on the YouTube channel of orcas.pt .

The link to that video is https://youtu.be/3UMlxUS3veQ?si=6oqxnlV9pavlJ4mb

This platform has as main objective to help the sailors to minimize the risks of accidents with the orcas. Visit the website, follow the facebook groups, watch the youtube channel and be a member of orcas.pt. All this will help you to have acess to information that helps sailors to reduce the risks of sailing in orcas waters.

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Finding information in the Orcas Locations group is easy with these hashtags: #ntr (nothing to report/smooth sailing) #orcas (orca sightings / attacks) Simply search the group using these hashtags to quickly locate reports of safe passages and active orca locations. This helps all members share and access vital information.