Interactions with boats

It is undeniable that this population of orcas has been in the media lately, due to a strange and unique in the world fashion, that some juvenile specimens have adopted by interacting with boats, coming to break or deform the rudder, in the case of sailboats, and leaving it without steering and needing towing to a port for repair.

​

This behaviour started in 2020 with the first interaction resulting in damage to the vessel.  

From then until today, every late spring, summer, and autumn, hundreds of interactions have occurred, with varying outcome and intensity.

Today they are 14 individuals, those who engage in this type of behaviour.
The main vessels affected are sailboats, catamarans and very occasionally, tuna fishing boats, inflatable boats and zodiacs, (the latter are never damaged, and targeting the boats, knowing that they are empty)
 

Why do ineractions occur?

Do they practice hunting whales or tuna with the boat, teaching their young to hold the rudder as if it were the fin of their prey?

No.
These orcas do not prey on whales, in addition, the orcas that do (in other parts of the world) attack them and try to drown them, instead of holding their flippers. It would not be the same technique.
They hunt tuna chasing it until it collapses, not holding them by the fins.

Do they want to attack humans or eat us?

No.
Orcas have no interest in humans, in fact they have come to interact with empty boats, focusing on the boat and its moving parts.

What would happen if I fell into the water?

We are not on the orca menu, and there are no intentional attacks on humans recorded in the wild.
In fact, these same orcas that interact, they have had divers next to them taking pictures and they barely reacted.
One of the interacting orcas was entangled years ago and a team of people who entered the water close to her, were holding her in order to release her. There was never a bad gesture from the side of the orca.

Do they do it for revenge after being injured?

Before 2020, when the interactions began, and the injuries were discovered, there was already a record of these same killer whales insistently approaching.
So it wouldn't be their initial reason at least.
If this is the case, they would avoid the boats not to suffer further damage.

Furthermore, if it was a defensive response, this behaviour would be entirely perpetrated by adults, in order to protect themselves and their young ones from a possible threat, but it is not the case.

There are only 2 adults interacting and they are not the first who started these reactions.

They are fed from sighting boats and now they beg for food?

It’s not just an outright lie, but it is also an illegal act.
The orcas always approached sighting boats on their own to investigate. In addition, they already obtain food from the tuna boats, but not because they are fed, but because they take the tuna from the fishing line (very much against the will of the fishermen).

Does prohibiting orca sightings in the Strait of Gibraltar solve anything?

They do not direct their interactions to any vessel of these purposes, the interactions are focused on private boats.
Prohibiting their sighting will not prevent them from approaching sailboats in any area of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Do all the orcas in the population do it?

No, only 14 out of ~50 orcas that make up the population.

Then?
It is still a mystery, the answer may be very complex, or very simple.
More data is needed to understand what motivates them to interact with some vessels but not others, and what exactly they get out of it.