<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2023/05/26/orcas-damage-british-sailing-boat-in-attack-in-strait-of-gibraltar/" target="_blank">Pictured - the damaged sailing boat in latest orca attack.</a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/environment/" target="_blank">Orcas </a>chased a yacht during bad weather off the coast of Morocco, sparking fears among British tourists on board that they would have to abandon the boat. The orcas – also known as <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/05/09/watch-two-orcas-circle-dugong-in-abu-dhabi/" target="_blank">killer whales </a>– began bumping the 20-metre boat during a pursuit that lasted for an hour. Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell, both experienced sailors, said they thought of using the life raft to escape. “I couldn't believe it when I saw them. It's extremely rare. We were sitting ducks," Ms Morris said. "We were amazingly calm but underneath we were thinking, ‘Oh my God.' “It wasn't until afterwards that we talked about being very scared. “We got our valuables and our passports and talked about getting the life raft ready. "It really didn't help that conditions were bad before the orcas. The boat was moving around a lot.” Mr Bidwell and Ms Morris said that at one point during the incident the yacht's steering failed, but they were able to make it back to port. The crew said the orcas were probably chasing parts of the boat's rudder. They said the orcas began to chase the boat when it was 11km from Tangier in the Strait of Gibraltar. The couple were napping, but were woken by the banging on the hull and shouts from crew members. “The captain was very calm and orderly, which got everyone through,” Ms Morris said. Mr Bidwell said “we were aware that if any of us got anxious, it would be infectious". “We were able to do that because the skipper was so calm. Orcas enjoy the thrill of the chase, so ideally we'd have kept still. But that wasn't possible because of the winds," he said. There have been more than 100 incidents involving orcas and boats in the Strait since 2020. This month, orcas were seen off the UAE coast. The pair of orcas, more commonly associated with colder waters, circled a dugong off Abu Dhabi before swimming north to Jebel Ali in Dubai. They continued their journey to Umm Al Quwain, where scientists lost track of them. Environmental experts told <i>The National</i> there had been an increase in orca sightings off the coast of the Emirates in recent years due to an abundance of marine life in the area.
