Killer whales launch ‘orchestrated’ attacks on sailing boats

[Training Wheels]

Originally Posted by Captain Puget

Orcas have very highly deleloped sonar and hearing. I suspect the boats in question were playing rap with over amped bass [emoji6]

You’d be wrong. They were running a generator on deck!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

It's interesting that the article only references encounters with sailboats. Are there no motocruisers around? Are sailboats easier to catch? More vulnerable? Or is there something about sailboats that are somehow more annoying to these animals?


Fascinating...

Slow and easy to catch, and have large / soft / vulnerable rudders, power boats usually have smallish rudders, often solid metal and very close to a spinning prop.
We are easy prey.
Let’s just hope they don’t start tossing dinghies around like a beach ball

[MicHughV]

I heard a theory once that the color of your particular bottom paint may provoke these animals ....can't remember which color was deemed to be the worst...

interestingly, I have always used "red" bottom paint...for me...this is a "safe" color.....it does not resemble any type of fish...fact....fiction...sailors lore....who knows....???...but red it has always been and always will be...

[Elie]

As far as a Know, this is not new, far from it. Many boats have been attacked and sunk in south atlantic may years ago. A 65 ft racing boat was ramed on its side and brocken in the '70, and a wooden sailing boat was also ramed and sunk for some reason by a pod of orcas. At one time an hypothese was put forward trying to explain these attacks: The black anti fouling paint was deemed similar to wales color that are eaten by orcas. The difference here, is that the new attacks do not ram the 'belly' of boats, but merely the rudder. To me its a sign of intelligence in form of a warning. Maybe deserved?.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I think it interesting that some immediately suppose they are “attacking” and are angry, starving etc.
I’d bet you have a couple of mischievous teen agers and sailboats are an easy mark is all....

The Orca in the video looked pretty small and not an adult, aka, it looked like a "teenager."

Later,
Dan

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Slow and easy to catch, and have large / soft / vulnerable rudders, power boats usually have smallish rudders, often solid metal and very close to a spinning prop.
We are easy prey.
Let’s just hope they don’t start tossing dinghies around like a beach ball

True...

Makes sense what you say. But I also wonder if there is something else. Could it be that sailboats under motor are more annoying? I think all the incidents mentioned in the article say the boats were motor-sailing.

Maybe the whales are just disappointed that the sailors aren't really sailors. Maybe they're just like the typical homo CF-sapiens crowd who critisize sailboats who are motoring all the time .

[Montanan]

FYI: The boat in the film JAWS was named Orca.

Okay, so who had Killer Whales on their 2020 Bingo Card?

[Yellowjacket]

Originally Posted by Telesail

I understand the desire to do good. However, given that the majority of the fish consumed by humans have never seen the ocean, let alone “the wild”, I am not sure that this is the answer.

I don't think one can deny that humans have caused a precipitous decline of fish in the ocean, and increase is pollution. It's also a mistake to underestimate the intelligence of Orca. There is a reason for this new behavior, and the response needs to be thoughtful.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

If my boat were being attacked, and I was fearing for my safety, I would wish to have some sort of harpoon aboard. If it came down to Them or Me, I would try to make it Them.

You can't walk through the forrest then complain when the tiger bites you. It's the tiger's natural habitat and somewhere you have no business being. It's the same at sea.

A harpoon is likely to stop a whale as much as getting a splinter is likely to stop you.

Also, is 'attack' the right word? for all anyone knows the Orcas were just playing with the boats for shits and giggles. If an animal bites or hurts a human, humans automatically think 'attack' since they can't seem to comprehend the behaviour of the animal.

[Siberian Sea]

I’m a commercial fisherman but I suppose if I was an Orca I would be doing this too. Guess were lucky they can’t get up on land. So from COVID-19 to propose attacks nature has a plan

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket

...It's also a mistake to underestimate the intelligence of Orca. There is a reason for this new behavior, and the response needs to be thoughtful.

It's the high capacity for sharing learned behavior that should be quite concerning.

In a worst-case scenario, these ~local pods may ultimately teach other pods to behave similarly...with the behavior spreading. If this were to occur, the end-game is a lot orcas being purposefully killed. I don't mean to advocate for a cull here, but if "less orcas killed" is the goal as humans continue to expand their own behavior (which unfortunately isn't going to meaningfully change), it needs to be recognized that the thoughtful response might be ugly. Importantly, the experts who will advise on this will either be the majority of whale-loving at all costs scientists or pro-fishery goons...I'm not holding my breath for middle-ground experts to be given the microphone.

And speaking of tigers, there are more tigers in captivity in the US alone than in the wild in the rest of the world. Such is a cautionary tale of the history of not being able to find a healthy balance of humans and predatory animals in the wild.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Snore

Guys these animals are smarter than many boaters!

Turning off the engine is not the solution. Look at the reports. They turned two boats 180. The orcas did not want the boat to proceed in that direction. Was the vessel heading towards a pod, or injured animal?

It would be interesting to hear an interview of these sailors by a competent marine biologist.

These are intelligent animals, we need to understand why an intelligent animal is attacking- both the animal and us know the attacks are not done for food.

They may be more intelligent than us. That wouldn't be hard.

[Dave_S]

If the trailing edge of a rudder is too blunt it will cause noise. I wonder if this guy doesn't like the sound ?

It seems to fit.

[S/V Adeline]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

You can't walk through the forrest then complain when the tiger bites you. It's the tiger's natural habitat and somewhere you have no business being. It's the same at sea.

A harpoon is likely to stop a whale as much as getting a splinter is likely to stop you.

Also, is 'attack' the right word? for all anyone knows the Orcas were just playing with the boats for shits and giggles. If an animal bites or hurts a human, humans automatically think 'attack' since they can't seem to comprehend the behaviour of the animal.

So, 1,000 miles offshore, i should allow myself and my family to possibly be killed to save a whale's feelings or let it *play*.
Not the right answer
Harpoons have killed many whales much larger than orcas, and sinking 1,000 miles offshore has killed many humans. Anything goes when survival is at stake.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by S/V Adeline

So, 1,000 miles offshore, i should allow myself and my family to possibly be killed to save a whale's feelings or let it *play*.
Not the right answer
Harpoons have killed many whales much larger than orcas, and sinking 1,000 miles offshore has killed many humans. Anything goes when survival is at stake.

I was saying you can't complain. It's your own fault for being in its habitat. Same, if my boat get hit or hits a whale. Sure, I won't be happy but I can't really complain about the whale as I've got no really business being in it's habitat.