A frightening day on the water ended with a yacht sinking off the coast of Spain after orcas damaged its rudder, leaving two people stranded as their boat slowly disappeared beneath the waves.
The sailboat, named Idem, ran into trouble shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday near Estaca de Bares, the northernmost point of Spain’s Iberian Peninsula, in the northwestern province of A Coruña.
The two people aboard reported that orcas had struck the vessel and destroyed its rudder, leaving them unable to steer. The damaged yacht then began taking on water roughly 1.3 miles from shore.
A nearby private motorboat rushed to help and rescued both sailors. An effort was reportedly made to tow Idem back toward land, but the yacht continued sinking and could not be saved.
The rescued pair were later transferred to the Spanish Coast Guard vessel Salvamar Shaula and taken safely to the port of Cariño. Neither person was injured.
A Coast Guard helicopter, Helimer 401, was sent to circle the area and look for possible fuel leaks or other signs of pollution from the sunken vessel.
The terrifying encounter was not an isolated incident.
Spanish maritime authorities said Idem was one of four sailboats that reported interactions with orcas in the same area on Thursday. In each case, the animals appeared to focus their attention on the boats’ rudders.
One of the other yachts suffered only minor rudder damage and was able to continue sailing toward Viveiro without assistance.
Another sailboat, Glatisant, was left drifting in the Viveiro estuary after its rudder became unusable. The Coast Guard vessel Salvamar Alioth reached the yacht and escorted it safely into port.
A fourth boat, Kador, encountered the orcas at around 2:30 p.m. while carrying one sailor and three cats.
Rescue vessel Salvamar Shaula was dispatched, but Kador’s crew eventually managed to reach Viveiro without being towed. The sailor and all three cats were reported safe.
All four emergencies were coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Finisterre, with assistance from regional emergency officials, the Spanish Civil Guard, coast guard crews and local civil protection teams.
The latest sinking adds to a growing number of dramatic encounters between orcas and sailboats around Spain and Portugal.
Since 2020, Iberian orcas have repeatedly approached boats, pushed against their hulls and damaged their rudders. Sailboats appear to be targeted most frequently, although researchers caution that the behavior should not automatically be described as deliberate aggression toward humans.
Experts still do not know exactly why the animals are doing it. Some researchers believe the orcas may be playing, imitating one another or reacting to a past negative encounter with a boat. Others have suggested the powerful marine mammals may simply be fascinated by moving rudders.
Whatever the reason, the encounters can have dangerous consequences once a boat loses its steering or begins taking on water.
In October 2025, a family of five, including three children ages 8, 10 and 12, had to abandon their yacht after orcas damaged it off Portugal. The family climbed into a life raft before being rescued and airlifted to safety.
Another yacht carrying five people, including a British citizen, sank near Fonte da Telha Beach south of Lisbon in September 2025 after being repeatedly struck. Everyone aboard escaped safely.
Although the animals have damaged and sunk several boats, there have been no confirmed reports of Iberian orcas intentionally injuring the people aboard during these encounters.
For the two sailors rescued near Estaca de Bares, Thursday’s ordeal ended safely. Their yacht, however, was lost to the sea after becoming the fourth boat to encounter the orcas in just a matter of hours.
