Family of five rescued Orcas sink sailing yacht off Portugal's coast
Mysterious incidents involving orcas are on the increase off the coast of Portugal this year. A couple and their three children experience a real drama, but the family escapes with a scare.
12.10.2025, 16:11
12.10.2025, 16:13
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- Another orca attack has occurred off the coast of Portugal.
- Several orcas have caused a French sailing boat with a family of five on board to sink.
- The French-Portuguese couple and their three daughters, aged eight, ten and twelve, were unharmed and were rescued.
- According to the Portuguese Maritime Safety Authority, 61 reports of orca encounters have already been issued off the country's coasts this year.
Orcas have caused a French sailing boat with a family of five on board to sink off the coast of Portugal. The incident occurred around 45 nautical miles (almost 84 kilometers) off the coast of Peniche, as the newspaper "Correio da Manhã" and other Portuguese media reported, citing the authorities.
Although the eleven-meter-long yacht "Ti`fare" sank, the occupants - a French-Portuguese couple and their three daughters aged eight, ten and twelve - escaped with a scare and remained unharmed, they said.
The family, who according to "Correio da Manhã" had started their journey on 29 September in the French city of Lorient, were able to send a distress call by radio to the sea rescue center in Lisbon and board a life raft. A fishing boat took her on board, after which she was taken to the Montijo military base by an air force helicopter and later transferred to a hospital.
Leak in the hull of the yacht
The drama involving the French family happened on Friday evening, but only became known at the weekend. The animals, also known as killer whales, reportedly caused a leak in the hull of the boat, which filled with water after the damage and quickly sank.
In recent years, incidents involving orcas in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar have caused a stir. This year, however, reports from Portugal are increasing. Most recently, orcas caused a sailing yacht to sink off the Caparica coast not far from Lisbon just a month ago, on September 13.
According to the Portuguese Maritime Surveillance Authority, 61 reports of orca encounters have already been issued off the country's coasts this year. Most experts do not believe that the highly intelligent animals from the dolphin family are deliberately aggressive. They therefore reject the term "attacks" and speak of "interactions" or encounters. However, the causes of the conspicuous behavior, which has only been increasingly recorded since 2020, are still being investigated.
