Five people have been rescued, three of them children, after their yacht sank following an interaction with Orca off the coast of Portugal, near Peniche, according to local news reports.

Published 2 days ago, updated 4 hours ago

Source:  La Voz de Galicia

Rescued by a Nearby Fishing Boat

The French sailboat Tifare, with 5 crew members on board (3 of them children), was sailing approximately 45 miles (~90 km) southwest of Peniche, southern Portugal, when they encountered a group of orca who dealt several blows to the boat, which caused it to sink.

After transmitting a distress call, the MRCC mobilized several means of maritime search and rescue to carry out an immediate response.

A frigate, Francisco de Almeida, as well as a boat from the Peniche Maritime Rescue post and the Portuguese Air Force helicopter EH-101, headed for the site. However, it was a fishing boat that operated in the area, the Silmar – 22 meters long and based in Peniche – which picked up the crew.

When the fishing boat arrived on the scene, they found the two adults and the three children already in the liferaft – which they had entered when their yacht began taking on water.

The adults and children were collected from their life raft by the crew of the fishing boat.

On board the French sailboat Tifare was a woman of Portuguese nationality, a French adult and three children. They encountered the orca at approx. 19.30 hours. As a result of the onslaughts, a waterway ended up opening in the hull of the sailboat and the occupants had to leave the boat and enter the liferaft, from where they were picked up by a fishing boat. Unfortunately, the Tifare, went down.

Evacuated by helicopter

Later that night, the Portuguese Air Force, EH-101 helicopter evacuated the adults and children from the fishing boat and moved them to the Montijo air base, where they received medical assistance. They were then taken to a hospital.

Information about the incident was posted on Facebook by the Portuguese Marinha, which coordinated the rescue operation through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Center (MRCC Lisboa).

According to the technicians of Atlantic Orca – who study this species of orca and investigate this disruptive and exclusive behaviour of the specimens of the Strait – it is about 15 cetaceans of the fifty that make up the population who interact with the boats. The usual behaviour is to ram the rudder, often causing damage that leaves the sailboat adrift, without major problems. However, there have been at least six cases in which the vessel has sunk.  The Tiafe sinking is the seventh.

Footnote:

Subsequently, on 12 October 2025, two sailboats (one French and one Croatian) suffered damage from orca in Galician waters (NW Spain) – about 9 miles from Cape Vilán. Both boats had to be towed by the Salvamento Maritimo for repairs. Read the news here.

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Related News:

• Spain, Galicia: Orca Take Advantage of Coastal Octopus and Enter Rias
• Spanish Authorities Advise Yachts to Avoid High Risk Areas in Gulf of Cadiz.  (Noonsite May 2025)

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Related Information

• Spain, Cape Trafalgar: Report on Orca Interaction and Damage (May 2025)
• See Noonsite’s Orca and Yachts page for a history of Orca behaviour around the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula since 2020 and many useful links.
• Read the Cruising Association’s Orca Project Update
• View latest incidents at Orcas.pt

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This content was translated using Google Translate and edited by Noonsite.

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