Reuters —The crew of the Ocean Race’s Team JAJO endured several heart-stopping minutes on their approach to the Strait of Gibraltar on Thursday when their boat came under attack from a pod of orcas.
“This was a scary moment,” Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek said.
Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.
Authorities have noted a steady increase in interactions between orcas and vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar and Portugal, with more than 20 incidents in May alone.
Earlier this week, an orca repeatedly rammed into a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland, in the first such incident in northern waters.
Persons:
JAJO, Jelmer van Beek, “, Trifork
Organizations:
Reuters, Ocean, Authorities
Locations:
Gibraltar, Portugal, orcas, Strait, North