Whale attacks

ATTACKS by pods of killer whales on boats sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar are becoming increasingly frequent.

This tension between killer whales and boats is creating a danger for crew members, as another attack was reported last weekend.

According to a news source on Sunday, May 11, two victims of the most re­ cent attack, were sailing off the coast of Cadiz, when they were surprised by a pod of killer whales.

The two sailors named Pablo and Alfredo were in the waters off the town of Barbate in Cadiz when the whales started swimming around the boat and smashed into the hull several times.

This resulted in them breaking the rudder of the boat before they finally left.

The presence of killer whales on the Andalucian coast is quite common, as they visit the area at the beginning of the year.

But for the past four years, their visits have become an increasingly uncomfortable reality in the area.

Their arrival in the area also coincides with the almadraba season, which is the local name for fish traps used to catch bluefin tuna off the coast of Cadiz for thousands of years.