“No one knows why the animals attack”

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Last Thursday Orcas rammed the Swiss sailing boat “Champagne” owned by Werner Schaufelberger (72). “We had a sick feeling,” says the skipper to Blick. The attack caused holes, the sailboat capsized and finally sank.

“There were two smaller and one larger orca. The two little ones shake the rudder in the back. The big one kept running and rammed the ship with full force,” Schaufelberger described the attack.

Such attacks are on the rise. As of 2020, more than 100 killer whale attacks on sailboats have been recorded. “The orca has changed its behavior,” says Christoph Winterhalter (62), chairman of the HOZ (High Seas Center International Switzerland).

During the attack on Schaufelberger’s yacht, Winterhalter was in the back office of the HOZ, which is manned 24 hours a day and provides advice in emergencies. He was in contact with Schaufelberger during the attack.

According to Winterhalter, the attacks always follow the same pattern: the rudder is always damaged. But “Champagne” is only the third yacht to capsize as a result of the attack.

Why the animals suddenly attack boats is unclear. “We are all in the dark, no one knows why the animals have been attacking since 2020,” Winterhalter tells Blick. But there are theories that seem plausible to him.

Mother killer whale taught cubs to attack

“Onboard technology has evolved over the past thirty years. Sonar, radar, radios, smartphones, tablets – that can make orcas nervous’, says the experienced seafarer.

Orcas belong to the dolphin family, making them one of the most intelligent animals in the world. They have an excellent communication system. And that can be disturbed by the radio or other high-frequency noise.

The animals also learn from each other. According to skipper Schaufelberger, the mother animal showed the two young animals how to attack the rudder or keel last Thursday. Then the two little ones imitated her. “It has nothing to do with a gimmick,” Winterhalter is sure. “The killer whales are demonstrating their strength and showing their strength against the boats.”

In nearly every one of the hundred attacks, the rudder was bent, torn off, or otherwise damaged. According to Winterhalter, this is because only the keel and rudder are visible from below. For the killer whales, the belt is an easy target.

Bad experience with people

“The truth is that the killer whales had a situation with people they didn’t like,” says marine biologist Eva Chiara Carpinelli to “Welt”. She collects the data of the attacks on the coast of Gibraltar. “That the animals have had bad experiences with humans seems a credible hypothesis,” agrees Winterhalter. “We do not understand the animals and can misbehave in such situations,” says the expert.

However, there is hardly any danger to humans. There is only one documented case of an orca attack in 1972. Surfer Hans Kretschmer was attacked but survived. Winterhalter advises sailors in the affected regions to find out what to do in the event of an attack. “Turn off the engine immediately, but don’t annoy the animals, stay calm, turn off the lights,” recommends Winterhalter. He believes that the number of attacks will continue to increase in the near future.

“Actually, we are offering a trip from Tenerife via Gibraltar to Palma to collect international nautical miles for the Swiss offshore licence,” says Winterhalter. But that’s too hot for him now. “Until the cause of the orca attacks is clarified, I will no longer offer this route on previously proven courses,” the president said. Because: “Safety first.”

Source: Blick