Attacked by an Orca near A Coruna

[cherod]

It seems that only sailing boats are being targeted so my guess is that one must have been hit by a keel at some point (Open 60?) and they are taking it out on anything that resembles it. The other feint possibility is they don't like the sonar, I don't think that many sailing boats have their depth sounder on a separate circuit to the rest of their navigation equipment. If these reports continue then I will probably turn it off if I pass by and hand steer until we are passed. The problem is I guess that these things move around. We are going to need a chart showing attack locations.

apparently not , as of a greenpeace report, " attacks " are also on fishing boats who are reportedly killing the whales .. ( maybe it is some Moby Dick syndrome which they have developed )

 

[Sandyman]

Wonder if this is the same pod that was seen swimming with humans off Portimao a few weeks ago ?

 

[[163233]]

They were just talking about the Halcyon "attack" on TRE a few minutes ago, they're famous at last!

 

[Sybarite]

Scary shit, glad your ok! Is there any truth in red antifoul puts them off? An old wives I expect.

I read that red antifoul attracts unwelcome interest from sperm whales because with red they see squid.

 

[Clancy Moped]

I read that red antifoul attracts unwelcome interest from sperm whales because with red they see squid.

I was told about it from an Amel owner preparing for an Atlantic crossing....

 

[E39mad]

There are pictures on Facebook under the Sailing section of a boat that was attacked by an orca. It broke the rudder and the quadrant. Looked like quite an old yacht design wise and was dark blue below the waterline. The owner who I think is a Swede says there are now 15 recent attacks between Gib and Biscay.

 

[FlyingGoose]

There are pictures on Facebook under the Sailing section of a boat that was attacked by an orca. It broke the rudder and the quadrant. Looked like quite an old yacht design wise and was dark blue below the waterline. The owner who I think is a Swede says there are now 15 recent attacks between Gib and Biscay.

Apart from the halcyon report I would be sceptical of other reports without evidence or damage shown , the word attack is used all to easily in the human vocabulary, I remember getting shouted at by a women who seen my dogs out in a field and then a deer jumped out in front of me , the dogs were to busy sniffing around and missed it , the deer just stood there looking at me and I whistled and shouted to move it on before the woofers seen it ,
Got this angry women screaming at me telling me I was getting my dogs to attack the deer , which wandered off
Our cars were parked next to each other and she then decided to tell me my dogs are not allowed to chase wild deer and she was going to call the police(in scotland there is no law and not that I wanted them to go for it)
I could not hear to good so walked towards her car quite normal and she shouted I was going to attack her and she had her phone out .
Anyways the moral is shouting ATTACK can be used far to loosely to an honest encounter

 

[Irish Rover]

Apart from the halcyon report I would be sceptical of other reports without evidence or damage shown , the word attack is used all to easily in the human vocabulary, I remember getting shouted at by a women who seen my dogs out in a field and then a deer jumped out in front of me , the dogs were to busy sniffing around and missed it , the deer just stood there looking at me and I whistled and shouted to move it on before the woofers seen it ,
Got this angry women screaming at me telling me I was getting my dogs to attack the deer , which wandered off
Our cars were parked next to each other and she then decided to tell me my dogs are not allowed to chase wild deer and she was going to call the police(in scotland there is no law and not that I wanted them to go for it)
I could not hear to good so walked towards her car quite normal and she shouted I was going to attack her and she had her phone out .
Anyways the moral is shouting ATTACK can be used far to loosely to an honest encounter

Do you not think you've made your point by now. Please give it a rest.

 

[FlyingGoose]

Do you not think you've made your point by now. Please give it a rest.

I do believe it's a public forum for members and I was adding a simple point , I think your response is rude and unnecessary
In your own words please give it a rest on insulting my posts , be a better person and respond with a counter post that can have a debate rather than
Intimidating other posters

 

[cherod]

Do you not think you've made your point by now. Please give it a rest.

Do you refer to the 24 posts on “ attack “ ,, or the 2 or 3 questioning the reports ?

 

[greeny]

Wonder if this is the same pod that was seen swimming with humans off Portimao a few weeks ago ?

Any reference or link to that ? - I'd like to read it out of interest as I live there.

 

[E39mad]

Apart from the halcyon report I would be sceptical of other reports without evidence or damage shown , the word attack is used all to easily in the human vocabulary, I remember getting shouted at by a women who seen my dogs out in a field and then a deer jumped out in front of me , the dogs were to busy sniffing around and missed it , the deer just stood there looking at me and I whistled and shouted to move it on before the woofers seen it ,
Got this angry women screaming at me telling me I was getting my dogs to attack the deer , which wandered off
Our cars were parked next to each other and she then decided to tell me my dogs are not allowed to chase wild deer and she was going to call the police(in scotland there is no law and not that I wanted them to go for it)
I could not hear to good so walked towards her car quite normal and she shouted I was going to attack her and she had her phone out .
Anyways the moral is shouting ATTACK can be used far to loosely to an honest encounter

So actual pictures of the damage with the boat lifted and video of orcas ramming the boat placed on social media is sceptical. You're credibility on these threads has just taken a hammering imho

 

[FlyingGoose]

Thanks for your input , I was not looking for credibility, iknow my subject matter and very confident in discussing it we are trying to determine why and what happened , this is called science, and sometimes we just can nor get the answers , but one thinks how a forum of non experts have decided exactly what has happened and are ready to publish it in the next scientific journal on these creatures
Statements of attack help no one truly understand what has happened here , and the more we study the outcomes using scientific protocols that have been proven we will get the answers
Rather than the usual trial by forums and newspapers combined with eye witness reports that can not be verified

 

[Irish Rover]

I do believe it's a public forum for members and I was adding a simple point , I think your response is rude and unnecessary
In your own words please give it a rest on insulting my posts , be a better person and respond with a counter post that can have a debate rather than
Intimidating other posters

Seriously. You're INTIMIDATED by my post asking you politely to stop spoiling these threads with your constant repetition but you object to posters using the word attack to describe orcas damaging and disabling yachts.

 

[rotrax]

FG - several boats have been damaged by what appears to be the same pod of Orca. Evidence of bitemarks on said boats.

Sailors on these boats have used the word 'attacked'.

They were there, you were not.

I suppose you would have suggested to the 400 plus victims of the Panar man eating Leopard that they were wrong too and it was just playing.

Like you I believe this to be unusual behavior.

Unlike you, I believe, for whatever reason, this pod IS targeting boats and causing damage.

A commonly used word for this in the English language is an attack.

Even in scientific language.

You say you know your subject.

Well, consider that the parameters of your subject - a natural and developing one - are constantly changing and that a scientist MUST be able to change as the subject observed changes its behavior.

Otherwise you may look stupid.

 

[E39mad]

Thanks for your input , I was not looking for credibility, iknow my subject matter and very confident in discussing it we are trying to determine why and what happened , this is called science, and sometimes we just can nor get the answers , but one thinks how a forum of non experts have decided exactly what has happened and are ready to publish it in the next scientific journal on these creatures
Statements of attack help no one truly understand what has happened here , and the more we study the outcomes using scientific protocols that have been proven we will get the answers
Rather than the usual trial by forums and newspapers combined with eye witness reports that can not be verified

Oh dear - well why would someone post the video and pictures of a damaged boat on social media if they had not been rammed by an orca (the facts of which can quite easily be seen in the video) - sounds like you are denying (being sceptical) that this actually took place which is where I don't understand your stance.

 

[laika]

Rather than the usual trial by forums and newspapers combined with eye witness reports that can not be verified

I suspect you haven't read the second Guardian article which I provided a link for. It's free of the normal absurd boating story journo errors, seems rather well written and has credible expert input. Describing the multiple accounts, including verified damage and expert comment as not being "verified" seems to be pushing a point a little obsessively, especially when you may not have reviewed the data which is available.

 

[FlyingGoose]

I truly think you are all missing the point , I did not ever say the boats were not damaged nor did I say the accounts did not happen , my issue is with the word attack , I am not calling anyone a fiber
I was trying to relay that science plays a central role in marine mammal conservation .
At a minimum if defines and characterises problems . Ideally , it also provides the knowledge needed to address and solve these problems . In one sense there can never be too much scientific understanding . Since all natural systems are dynamic
And no wild population is truly stationary except in theory. There will always be a need to verify and refine even the best predictions
And that is what science is about , therefore the word attack has not been proven

ECOLOGY ...The branch of biology that deals with the relations with organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings
Me ..honours degree in zoology ,Masters in marine mammal orcinus orca
A decade of study of marine mammals all over the world
My Wife.. First class honours degree, PHD fresh water ecology .. cited by others for her work and a published ecologist

I'm done now I am no expert on orca attacks but understand these creatures for many a year and ecology is at the fore front of my house , i understand peoples negative responses to me you live in fear of the unknown or believe what you need to hear a human trait
But only science will truly get to understand what is going on and to jump to conclusions so quickly seems strange for such a distinguished forum
Love to all

 

[Buck Turgidson]

and only humility will truly get people to pay you any heed.

"therefore the word attack has not been proven"

attack: verb ............act harmfully or destructively on

 

[RichardS]

Seriously. You're INTIMIDATED by my post asking you politely to stop spoiling these threads with your constant repetition but you object to posters using the word attack to describe orcas damaging and disabling yachts.

Personally, I do not believe that using the phrase "Give it a rest" is polite. If your intention is to be polite, perhaps you could delete the provocative phrase?

FG has given good reasons why he believes that the word "attack" is not appropriate in this context. If you do not wish to hear his rationale, perhaps you should refrain from reading his posts.

Richard