Incidents off North West Spain
Orcas have sunk a yacht off Spain’s north-west coast after ramming another three in the same area last week.
Two people on board the pleasure craft Idem were rescued after the rudder on the vessel was destroyed and the boat began to sink.
The incident involving orca occurred around 5pm on the afternoon of July 23, 2026, just over a mile off Estaca de Bares, the northernmost cape of the Iberian Peninsula located in the Galician province of La Coruna.
The following day the 45 foot Swedish yacht Val, suffered a smashed rudder when the boat was approx. 20kms off the NW of Punta Caleira, a lighthouse near the fishing town of Celeiro.
According to Salvamento Marítimo, the Spanish state organisation for maritime rescue and safety, two further incidents were recorded on the same day near Estaca de Bares. The coordinates of the incidents are at orcas.pt, a website that serves as a central information platform for orca sightings and interactions off the Iberian coast and was founded by the Portuguese IT expert Rui Alves.
In an interview with yacht.de, Rui Alves said he was in close contact with scientists from Portugal and Spain, the authorities, the Portuguese and Spanish navies and sailors and was gathering all the latest information on the marine mammals. Visit orcas.pt for his recommendations.
The series of issues with orca began on Monday (21 July) off the Asturian coast – according to news reported by yacht.de. There, two yachts required assistance from the sea rescue service following encounters with the animals. This meant that, within the space of a few days, several encounters were concentrated on a relatively narrow stretch of coastline between Asturias and Cape Ortegal.
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Related News:
- New Orca Attack Cripples Yacht off Galician coast in north-west Spain (SurinEnglish)
- Orcas sink yacht off north-west Spain after targeting three other boats in same area (SurinEnglish)
- Orcas attack several sailing boats off the Spanish Coast (yacht.de)
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