A tourist yacht carrying five people sank off the coast of Fonte da Telha beach in Portugal on Saturday after being rammed by a pod of orcas. Footage captured by the sailing company Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge shows the whales repeatedly striking the vessel, causing it to tilt and eventually sink.
Witnesses watched in shock as the dramatic encounter unfolded, with one hearing exclaim, “Oh my God.” All five crew members were rescued by nearby boats shortly before the yacht went down.
🇵🇹 Orca attacks sailing boat, causing it to sink off Portugal's coast. Orcas ‘broke the rudder of the sailboat, opening a hole below the waterline, allowing water to enter.’ Sailors did not require medical assistance. pic.twitter.com/vovijsYk3j
— Engaging Topics (@EngagingTopics) September 16, 2025
The Portuguese maritime authorities say they received an alert around 12:30 pm about an interaction with orcas. Crews from the lifeguard station of Cascais and the Captaincy of the Port of Lisbon were dispatched immediately. Upon arrival, it was found that all aboard were physically well. None required medical attention.
Later the same day, there was a second encounter with the same pod off the Bay of Cascais. In that instance, another vessel with four people aboard was involved, but those individuals were unharmed and removed safely.
According to witness reports, there may have been four orcas involved in the first attack, although some reports attribute the damage primarily to one of the whales, which struck the rudder.
Since May 2020, there have been hundreds of recorded incidents of orcas ramming vessels in the area around the Iberian Peninsula. The causes remain unclear, but marine researchers and maritime authorities are investigating possible explanations — including increasing human-sea traffic, shifts in food supply, or changes in orca behaviour.
A small group of orcas is ramming into sailboats in waters off the Iberian Peninsula, sinking three since last summer and disrupting dozens of others.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 24, 2023
“It’s a reminder of where we are in the food chain and the natural world,” one skipper said.https://t.co/FWwTyfmIps pic.twitter.com/EvozYwzxXI
The sinking has prompted calls for more safety protocols, including better tracking of orca pods, warnings for recreational boats in known orca areas, and public education about how to respond when whales approach. Some suggest that vessel design (such as rudder and hull structure) might be examined to reduce vulnerability.
As of now, the identities of the orcas involved are not known; researchers may study the incident to determine whether these whales are part of known local pods. Meanwhile, the public is being urged to report orca sightings and interaction incidents to help map out patterns and aid in prevention.
