orca destroying yachts

Why are killer whales going ‘Moby-Dick’ on yachts lately? Experts doubt it’s revenge

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The attacks started suddenly and inexplicably in the spring of 2020 — pods of endangered killer whales began ramming yachts and fishing boats in European waters, pushing some off course and imperiling others.

Since then, there have been more than 500 reports of orca encounters off the Iberian Peninsula, the most recent occurring Thursday when a trio of whales rubbed against and bumped a racing sloop in the Strait of Gibraltar.

In most cases, the financial and structural damage has ranged from minimal to moderate: Boats have been spun and pushed, and rudders have been smashed and destroyed. Three vessels have been so badly mauled, they’ve sunk.

As the encounters continue, shaky video captured by thrilled and fearful seafarers has ignited a global internet sensation, while experts have struggled to explain the behavior and its timing. The seemingly militant whales have also won over a legion of adoring fans — many transfixed by the notion that the mammals are targeting rich people and exacting revenge for all the wrongs humanity has waged on their species and their ocean home.

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Others wonder if the unusually large pods of multi-ton cetaceans now appearing off the coasts of San Francisco , Monterey and Nantucket, Mass., may soon follow suit.

Despite such rampant speculation on social media, most killer whale scientists have offered a very different interpretation. The Moby-Dick “revenge” narrative for the behavior is highly unlikely, they say.

“That just doesn’t sit right with me,” said Deborah Giles, an orca researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle and director of Wild Orca, a Washington-based conservation research organization.

She noted that despite the long history of orcas being hunted by whalers — and more recently marine parks — these top ocean predators have typically demonstrated a lack of aggression toward humans. There are no verified instances of orcas killing humans in the wild. The only deaths have occurred in marine parks and aquariums, where animals taken from the wild and forced to perform for humans in small tanks have attacked their trainers.

“So, I just don’t really see it as an agonistic activity; I just don’t see it going down like that,” said Giles, who has studied killer whales in the Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound and the Salish Sea for nearly 20 years.

Instead, she thinks the animals are engaging with boats because the vessels are “either making an interesting vibration or sound, or maybe it’s the way the water moves past the keels that is intriguing to these animals.”

The scientific literature is rife with anecdotes and research showing high cognition, playfulness and sociality in the species known as Orcinus orca — and examples of what appear to be the cultural transmission of new behaviors, either via teaching or observation.

In 1987, a female orca in the Pacific waters off North America was spotted sporting a dead salmon on her head. Within weeks, individuals in two other pods also began wearing fish hats. The trend lasted a few months and fizzled out within a year.

In South Africa, the killing of white sharks appears to be growing in popularity among a resident group of killer whales in the waters near Cape Town; Giles has watched a local trend of “phocoenacide” — porpoise killing — grow among a group of whales off the San Juan Islands.

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In both cases, the behavior does not appear to be for the purpose of feeding, Giles said. The orcas do not eat the dead animals. For instance, in the case of the porpoises, the killer whales played with them — bandying them about, sometimes surfing with them, other times carrying them on the orcas’ pectoral fins — until the porpoises drowned, at which point they were abandoned, she said.

“Fads” are not unique to orcas. Other animals, including primates and other cetaceans, have also been observed to adopt new behaviors, which then spread through a social group.

Susan Perry, a biological anthropologist at UCLA, has studied a population of capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, where she has observed and demonstrated the cultural transmission of novel behaviors, including “eye poking” — in which one monkey slips its finger “knuckle deep” between the eyelid and the bottom of another monkey’s eyeball.

But the idea that the whales’ behavior is a response to trauma has gripped many — including the researchers who most closely study this population and first documented the behavior.

In a paper published last year , a team of Portuguese and Spanish researchers suggested the behavior seen in the Strait of Gibraltar orcas could have been triggered by a variety of causes, including trauma.

Alfredo López Fernandez, a killer whale researcher with GT Orca Atlántica, a Portuguese conservation research organization, said it is impossible to know how it started, or which whale or whales may have initially instigated the attacks.

He listed several adult females as the possible original perpetrators — which then taught or showed others how to participate.

There is White Gladis, which seems to be present in most of the attacks; Gladis Negra, which was observed to have injuries in 2020, possibly from a ship strike; and Gray Gladis, which in 2018 witnessed another whale get trapped in fishing gear.

Gladis is a name given to all orcas in the pod that interact with boats; it comes from Orca gladiator, an early nickname given to these boat-jouncing killer whales.

“All of this has to make us reflect on the fact that human activities, even in an indirect way, are the origin of this behavior,” he said.

For Cal Currier’s part, he thinks the whales are entertaining themselves.

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On June 8, as the 17-year-old Palo Alto High School senior sailed through the strait with his father, James, 55, and brother, West, 19, their 30-foot sailboat was accosted and spun in circles.

The rudder was battered, and the trio had to be towed to shore in Spain. “They were playing,” Currier said.

He said that when they pulled in, they were told roughly 30 other boats were ahead of them in line for repairs; half were damaged by the killer whales. He said there were no bite marks on the rudder, and he did not sense aggression from the whales.

For Giles, the Washington killer whale researcher, her biggest concern is that the longer the whales continue this behavior, the more likely it is they’ll get injured or suffer retribution at the hands of humans.

She’s hoping authorities in the region will consider non-traumatic hazing techniques — such as instructing boats to play or make sounds that irritate the whales — to get them to stop. She said studies have shown orcas don’t like the calls of pilot whales and will generally swim away if they hear them. Loud banging sounds, such as hitting a large, metal oikomi pipe underwater, can also be effective.

“Anything that might irritate them, make them lose their interest or swim away,” Giles said.

Currier said he wasn’t too rattled by the whole experience — unlike his dad and brother, who were “scared for their lives.”

The trio have since sold the boat and intend to spend the rest of the vacation on dry land.

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Watch CBS News

Killer whales are ramming into boats and damaging them. The reason remains a mystery.

By Caitlin O'Kane

May 25, 2023 / 2:27 PM EDT / CBS News

Reports of killer whales appearing to try and capsize boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal have raised questions about the giant sea creatures and the motive behind their erratic actions. The behavior is unusual, and began in 2020, says Andrew W. Trites, professor and director of Marine Mammal Research at the University of British Columbia. 

In the past two years, these incidents have more than tripled according to data released by GTOA , a group that researches orcas in the region.

"Nobody knows why this is happening," Trites told CBS News. "My idea, or what anyone would give you, is informed speculation. It is a total mystery, unprecedented." 

Trites said there is no doubt whales are damaging boats and terrifying the people on board, but the reason is a mystery. He said, however, there must be something positively reinforcing this behavior and the benefits for the whales outweigh the cost. 

Only a small group of killer whales, also called orcas, is showing the behavior of ramming into boats, including yachts and sailboats, and it appears the action is spreading through their population. Trites said in 2011, there were only about 39 whales in the small group.

The whales are seen near Spain and Portugal, often in the summer, and dozens of people have reportedly witnessed this behavior. 

Last week, a group of killer whales broke the rudder and pierced the hull of a sailboat in the area. The crew of four onboard needed to call authorities for help and we were rescued,  Reuters reports . Their boat was towed back to the port for repairs. Earlier this month, three orcas impacted a sailing yacht. The boat was so flooded after the incident that it could not be towed back. 

This is just one of about 20 instances  recorded in the area this month by GTOA , a group that researches orcas in the region. The Spanish Transport Ministry has advised boaters should leave the area if they observe a change in an orca's direction or speed and should report any interactions, according to Reuters.

GTOA says 52 interactions were recorded between the Strait of Gibraltar and Galicia in northern Spain between July and November 2020. The following year saw 197 interactions and in 2022, there were 207 interactions. The incidents primarily affect sailboats, GTOA says. 

A study on the disruptive behavior of killer whales was published in 2022. Alfredo López Fernandez, co-author of the study,  told Live Science  said most of the interactions have been harmless, but at least three ships have sunk since the behavior started in 2020.

López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, who also works at GTOA, told Live Science the origin of this behavior is unknown. And while there are some reports speculating orcas are teaching each other, he says the behavior may just be spreading to young orcas because they are imitating older orcas. 

Trites doesn't think the incidents are attacks, and while some speculate the whales may be "retaliating," he doesn't believe that theory. "I read that something triggered one of the adult females and she is exacting revenge and teaching the others to do that too by ramming vessels and trying to intentionally sink them," he said. "To ram a vessel makes as much sense as me running full speed into a brick wall. You're going to get injured." 

He said he doesn't believe this idea, or the theory that whales are mad that there are too many boats in the ocean. His theory? "I think it's just playful behavior that's gotten way out of hand," he said. 

Trites said whales do not eat humans and there are no reports of them attacking any humans. However, this behavior change in the whales is dangerous and could result in a boater being killed.  

He said the behavior reminds him of a whale named Luca, spotted off the coast of Vancouver, who separated from his pod and began to follow boats. "He later learned to grab onto the rudders to break them off to disable the boats, to push boats around," Trites said. "In his case, he was seeking social interactions. And he learned he could prolong the interactions by disabling the boats. And then they would have to stay with him." 

Trites said killer whales are social, tactile animals. Some like to rub their bodies together while swimming together or ride the wake of boats and feel the sensation of the water pushing them. "I know of many cases where killer whales will come in and almost put their nose up to a propeller of the boat and feel the wash of the water go over them. It'd be like being in a jacuzzi," he said. 

Trites said some of the reports from Spain and Portugal are consistent with this behavior – whales putting their noses up to the back of the boat. 

"It's a bit hard to know what to make of the accounts because if a researcher who understands killer whale behavior was on board, they may describe it in a different way," he said, adding that while some boaters may feel attacked, a researcher might characterize it as a whale simply rubbing against a boat.

"The positive in here could be from roughhousing with something else – they certainly rough house among themselves – tactile, touching – we know killer whales rake their teeth over the body of another whale – all of this could be behaviors they are turning toward some boat and finding they are getting pleasure out of doing that." 

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Revenge of the killer whales? Recent boat attacks might be driven by trauma

Scott Neuman

Killer whales are pictured during a storm in the fjord of Skjervoy in 2021 off the coast of northern Norway. Researchers say orcas are stepping up "attacks" on yachts along Europe's Iberian coast. Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Killer whales are pictured during a storm in the fjord of Skjervoy in 2021 off the coast of northern Norway. Researchers say orcas are stepping up "attacks" on yachts along Europe's Iberian coast.

Scientists and sailors say orcas, also known as killer whales, are stepping up "attacks" on yachts along Europe's Iberian coast, with one skipper who's been pursued by the marine mammals on two separate occasions suggesting that their tactics are becoming more stealthy.

Delivery skipper Dan Kriz, who had to be towed into port after orcas destroyed the rudder on a boat he was on in 2020, had an almost identical experience in April.

"My first reaction was, 'Please! Not again,'" Kriz told Newsweek .

Unlike last time, the orcas made a stealthier approach without the characteristic squeaks they normally use to communicate, he says. They made quick work of the two rudders on the catamaran Kriz was delivering. "Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing. They didn't touch anything else," he said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Catamaran Guru (@catamaranguru)

Most marine scientists have characterized hundreds of encounters between boats and orcas that have sunk at least three vessels and damaged dozens of others over the years as a "fad," implying that the animals will eventually lose interest and resort to more typical behavior.

Killer whales are 'attacking' sailboats near Europe's coast. Scientists don't know why

But if that's the case, there are few signs this behavior is going out of style anytime soon. According to a June 2022 study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science , orcas have stepped up the frequency of their interactions with sailing vessels in and around the Strait of Gibraltar, the busy waterway that links the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

Some researchers think it's merely playful behavior

As NPR first reported last August, many scientists who study orca behavior believe these incidents — in which often one or more of the marine mammals knock off large chunks of a sailboat's rudder — are not meant as attacks, but merely represent playful behavior.

One hypothesis put forward by Renaud de Stephanis, president and coordinator at CIRCE Conservación Information and Research, a research group based in Spain, is that orcas like the feel of a boat's rudder.

"What we think is that they're asking to have the propeller in the face," de Stephanis told NPR last year. "So, when they encounter a sailboat that isn't running its engine, they get kind of frustrated and that's why they break the rudder."

A picture taken on May 31 shows the rudder of a vessel damaged by killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) while sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar and taken for repairs at the Pecci Shipyards in Barbate, near Cadiz, southern Spain. Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A picture taken on May 31 shows the rudder of a vessel damaged by killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) while sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar and taken for repairs at the Pecci Shipyards in Barbate, near Cadiz, southern Spain.

In another recent encounter, Werner Schaufelberger told the German publication Yacht that his vessel, Champagne, was approached by "two smaller and one larger orca" off Gibraltar.

"The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side," he said.

The Spanish coast guard rescued Schaufelberger and his crew, towing Champagne to the Spanish port of Barbate, but the vessel sank before reaching safety.

The encounters could be a response to past trauma

Since 2020, there have been more than 500 encounters between yachts and orcas in the area, according to one of the study's co-authors, Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal and a representative of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica , or Atlantic Orca Working Group.

López Fernandez believes that a female known as White Gladis, who leads the group of around 40 animals, may have had a traumatizing encounter with a boat or a fishing net. In an act of revenge, she is teaching her pod-mates how to carry out revenge attacks with her encouragement, researchers believe.

A worker cleans Champagne, a vessel that sank after an attack by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar and was taken for repairs at the Pecci Shipyards in Barbate, near Cadiz, southern Spain, on May 31. Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A worker cleans Champagne, a vessel that sank after an attack by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar and was taken for repairs at the Pecci Shipyards in Barbate, near Cadiz, southern Spain, on May 31.

"The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behavior based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day," López Fernandez told Live Science .

It's an intriguing possibility, says Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute .

"I definitely think orcas are capable of complex emotions like revenge," she says. "I don't think we can completely rule it out."

However, Shields is not ready to sign on to the "revenge" hypothesis just yet. She says that despite humans having "given a lot of opportunities for orcas to respond to us in an aggressive manner," there are no other examples of them doing so.

Deborah Giles, the science and research director at Wild Orca, a conservation group based in Washington state, is also skeptical of the hypothesis. She points out that killer whale populations in waters off Washington "were highly targeted" in the past as a source for aquariums. She says seal bombs, small charges that fishers throw into the water in an effort to scare sea lions away from their nets, were dropped in their path while helicopters and boats herded them into coves.

"The pod never attacked boats after that," she says. "It just doesn't ring true to me."

Shields says it's important to remember that whatever the motive is for the behavior of the orcas off the Iberian coast, it isn't being transmitted to pods in other parts of the world.

"We've had folks here in Washington [asking] 'is it safe to go out in the water here with these orcas?'" she says. "While this is kind of an ongoing situation in that specific place, I don't think there's any reason to think it's going to start spreading to other populations of orcas."

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Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior

In a image from video provided by The Ocean Race, an orca moves along a rudder of the Team JAJO entry in The Ocean Race on Thursday, June 22, 2023, as the boat approached the Strait of Gibraltar. A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race, the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of sometimes-aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas. No one was injured. (The Ocean Race via AP)

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A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race as it approached the Strait of Gibraltar, the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of sometimes-aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas.

The 15-minute run-in with at least three of the giant mammals forced the crew competing in The Ocean Race on Thursday to drop its sails and raise a clatter in an attempt to scare the approaching orcas off. No one was injured, but Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek said in a video posted on The Ocean Race website that it was “a scary moment.”

“Twenty minutes ago, we got hit by some orcas,” he said in the video. “Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.”

Team JAJO was approaching the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea on a leg from the Netherlands to Italy when at least three orcas approached the VO65 class sloop. Video taken by the crew showed one of the killer whales appeared to be nuzzling the rudder; another video showed one of them running its nose into the hull.

Scientists have noted increasing reports of orcas, which average from 16-21 feet (5-6½ meters) and weigh more than 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms), bumping or damaging boats off the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula in the past four years.

The behavior defies easy explanation. A team of marine life researchers who study killer whales off Spain and Portugal has identified 15 individual orcas involved in the encounters — 13 of them young, supporting the hypothesis that they are playing. The fact that two are adults could support the competing and more sensational theory that they are responding to some traumatic event with a boat.

The sailors were warned of the hazard.

“We knew that there was a possibility of an orca attack this leg,” Team JAJO on-board reporter Brend Schuil said. “So we had already spoken about what to do if the situation would occur.”

Schuil said there was a call for all hands on deck and the sails were dropped to slow the boat from a racing speed of 12 knots. The crew made noises to scare the orcas off, but not before it had fallen from second to fourth on the leg from The Hague to Genoa, where it is expected to arrive this weekend.

“They seemed more aggressive/playful when we were sailing at speed. Once we slowed down they also started to be less aggressive in their attacks,” he said. “Everyone is OK on board and the animals are also OK.”

The Ocean Race involves two classes of sailboats at sea for weeks at a time, with the IMOCA 60 boats competing in a six-month, 32,000-nautical mile (37,000-mile, 59,000-km) circumnavigation of the globe. Boats have already contended with a giant seaweed flotilla , catastrophic equipment failure, and a collision that knocked the leader out of the decisive seventh leg.

Although the race course navigates around exclusion zones to protect known marine habitats, there have been previous encounters with whales in The Ocean Race and other high-speed regattas.

However, they usually involve the boats crashing into the animals, and not the other way around.

One of the boats in the around-the-world portion of this year’s Ocean Race triggered its hazard alarm after hitting what they suspected was a whale off the coast of Newfoundland in May; two crew members were injured in the collision. At the beginning of the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay, a whale was reported in the bay and organizers were prepared to delay a race if it wandered onto the course. In 2022, the start of SailGP’s $1 million, winner-take-all Season 2 championship race on the same area of San Francisco Bay was delayed when a whale was spotted on the course.

In 2005, the first South African yacht to challenge for the America’s Cup hit a whale with its 12-foot keel during training near Cape Town, stopping the 75-foot sloop dead in the water, injuring two crewmembers and snapping off both steering wheels.

AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson contributed to this story.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Daily briefing: Why orcas are attacking boats in Spain

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Why orcas are attacking boats in Spain

Orcas ( Orcinus orca ) have sunk three boats off the Iberian coast of Europe , and the behaviour seems to be spreading. Biologists first noted the trend in 2020. They suspect that it is a defensive behaviour, which originated with a female orca nicknamed White Gladis after it experienced an unknown trauma. Iberian orcas are critically endangered, and only 39 were recorded in the last census, in 2011.

LiveScience | 6 min read

Reference: Marine Mammal Science paper

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01754-y

Today I’m thinking of poet Amanda Gorman, who dazzled at the last US presidential inauguration with her poem ‘ The Hill We Climb ’. She has also written about climate change in the inspirational ‘Earthrise’ , which was named for the iconic photo taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders. “Being able to communicate, not just the science and the facts,” said Gorman in 2019 , “but also the artistry and the humanity — it gets to people in a way that I think is unique, to try to get people not to feel scared but to feel prepared to become agents of change.”

Thank you to readers as you continue to send me your favourite science-related poems. Your e-mails are always welcome at [email protected] .

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Katrina Krämer

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Boats off Spain's coast are seeing more killer whales touch, push and even turn vessels

Orcas may be teaching fellow killer whales to ambush boats, with some incidents that have resulted in sinking, according to various recent headlines.

Tales of orca ambushes have started gaining more traction online as reported incidents off the Iberian coast jumped from 52 in 2020 to more than 200 last year, Orca research group GTOA found , though no human injuries or deaths have been reported. 

Experts first documented juvenile Iberian killer whales  — a "unique subpopulation of killer whales that lives in the northeast Atlantic," — touching, pushing, and even turning vessels, including some fishing and inflatable boats, in 2020, GTOA said. Experts think the rest of the population could be mimicking the behavior. 

In May, orcas, also known as killer whales, had attacked and sunk a third boat this year off the coasts of Portugal and Spain, according to Live Science’s Sascha Pare .

Dan Kriz told Newsweek that he first observed the same unusual behavior in 2020, which left him him forced to tow his ship to the nearest marina. 

Kriz said his crew was confronted by a pod of eight orcas who pierced the rudder, pushing the boat around for about an hour, while they were delivering a yacht through the Strait of Gibraltar off the coast of Spain. 

It happened to Kriz again in April this year near the Canary Islands, but the orcas seemed to be more stealthy in their approach, he said. Kriz shared the video on instagram earlier this week.

"My first reaction was, 'Please! Not again,'" Kriz told Newsweek.

The orcas seemingly knew how to prevent the boat from traveling any farther, Kriz added, and only took around 15 minutes to “quietly” destroy both rudders. Kriz said they could hear the orcas communicating under the boat in 2020.

When the crew got away to head for Spain's coast, one large orca chased them to “finish the job” and remove a tiny piece of fiberglass that was leftover from the initial confrontation and then left.  

 "There is not much one can do. They are very powerful and smart."

In a separate nearby incident reported by the German publication Yacht , skipper Werner Schaufelberger described an attack with three orcas, according to Live Science.

"The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side," Schaufelberger said.

More: In a first, detailed video captures orcas hunting great white sharks in South Africa

Why are orcas attacking boats? 

Andrew Trites, professor and director of Marine Mammal Research at the University of British Columbia, told CBS News that there are two main theories about why this is happening, but for now it remains to be an “unprecedented” mystery. Trites said something is positively reinforcing the behavior among the highly intelligent species.

Iberian orcas are the only species of whale that have been known to attack boats in this region, Trites added.

The first main theory is that orcas are engaging in a type of whale "play" or "sport,” Trites said . The second theory is that orcas’ years of dealing with traumatic boating injuries have resulted in a "negative experience.”

Whale expert Anne Gordon told USA Today that these are isolated incidents.

"Yes, their job is to be predators in the ocean, but in normal circumstances there is absolutely zero threat to humans in a boat," Gordon said.

“I think it gets taken as aggression because it’s causing damage, but I don’t think we can say that the motivation is aggressive necessarily,” Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Washington based nonprofit research organization Orca Behavior Institute, told NBC News late last month.

Experts have recently gathered in an effort to address "urgent need for specific actions based on  international coordination between  administrations, mariners and scientists  to prevent future damage to  people, orcas and vessels," GTOA said.

Why orcas keep sinking boats

Scientists have some theories why killer whales have seriously damaged boats about a dozen times this year off the coast of spain and portugal.

In the early morning Thursday, killer whales smashed into a sailboat off the southern coast of Spain, puncturing its hull and damaging its rudder. Spanish authorities raced to save the sinking vessel, according to Reuters , but it was in such disrepair it had to be towed ashore.

It wasn’t the first attack by an orca, or killer whale, off the coast of Spain and Portugal this year. And it may not be the last time one chews a rudder or crashes into a hull. Normally, killer whales aren’t considered dangerous to humans. But pods of killer whales have done serious damage to boats in the region about a dozen times already this year, according to the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica, or GTOA, a research group studying the region’s killer whales, part of a rise in attacks first observed in 2020.

Stories and videos of the attacks widely shared on social media have turned the orca into a meme. After the marine mammals struck some fancy yachts, some observers are calling the strikes concentrated around the Strait of Gibraltar, where the whales congregate in the spring and summer, an act of anti-capitalist solidarity from “orca comrades” and “orca saboteurs.” For others, the series of strikes is eerily similar to a scene in James Cameron’s latest “Avatar” movie , “The Way of the Water.”

So what is happening? The scientists studying the whales themselves aren’t entirely sure, either. But they have two leading ideas:

Theory No. 1: The orcas are playing around

Closely related to bottlenose dolphins, orcas are highly intelligent and curious marine mammals. Using a series of underwater pulses and whistles, the whales communicate with such sophistication that pods form their own dialects and parents teach their young hunting methods that are passed along for generations.

After learning a new behavior, juvenile orcas often keep repeating it ad nauseam. (In that way, they are a lot like human youngsters.) Playing around is just a part of learning how to be an apex predator.

That matches the pattern of attacks whale scientists have witnessed this year, according to Alfredo López Fernandez, a researcher at the University of Aveiro in Portugal working with GTOA.

In this case, the behavior is “self-induced,” López Fernandez said, and not caused directly by some outside (i.e., human) provocation. “Which means that they invent something new and repeat it,” he added.

But there’s another potential motivation that sounds straight out of “Moby Dick.”

Theory No. 2: The orcas want vengeance

Orcas off the Iberian Coast like to follow fishing vessels to snag bluefin tuna before fishermen can reel them in, putting the aquatic mammals at risk of being struck or entangled. Scientists have seen killer whales in those waters with fishing lines hanging from their bodies.

So it is possible, López Fernandez said, an orca had a bad run-in with a boat in the past, and is now teaching other killer whales how to attack vessels as well. The team suspects a female adult named White Gladis may be the one doing so.

López Fernandez emphasized we don’t have enough information to know the real reason behind the attacks yet. Even assuming the second theory is true, “we don’t know what that triggering stimulus could have been,” he said.

With only 39 orcas counted in 2011, the Iberian orca subpopulation is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The impact that entanglements and boat strikes are having on all sorts of whales and dolphins around the world underscores that humans are a bigger threat to them than they are to us.

“All this has to make us reflect on the fact that human activities, even in an indirect way, are at the origin of this behavior,” López Fernandez said.

Infamous boat-sinking orcas spotted hundreds of miles from where they should be, baffling scientists

Orcas that attack and sink boats in southwestern Europe have been spotted circling a vessel in Spain, hundreds of miles from where they should currently be. And scientists can't explain why.

Orcas that have been terrorizing boats in southwest Europe since 2020 were recently spotted circling a vessel in Spain for the first time this year. The close encounter, which took place hundreds of miles from where the cetaceans should currently be, hints that this group is switching up its tactics — and scientists have no idea why.

The Iberian subpopulation of orcas ( Orcinus orca ) is a small group of around 40 individuals that lives off the coast of Spain and Portugal, as well as in the Strait of Gibraltar — a narrow body of water between southern Spain and North Africa that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. 

Since 2020, individuals from this group have been approaching and occasionally attacking boats , sometimes causing serious damage to the vessels and even sinking them. The most recent sinking occurred on Oct. 31, 2023 , but the orcas have sent at least three other boats to the bottom of the sea . However, no humans have been injured or killed.  

Related: Orcas are learning terrifying new behaviors. Are they getting smarter?  

On April 10, three of these orcas were spotted persistently swimming near a large yacht off the coast of Malpica in Galicia, northern Spain, local news site Diario de Pontevedra reported . The trio did not attack the vessel, but local conservation group Orca Ibérica GTOA, which has been closely monitoring the Iberian subpopulation, warned boaters to "take caution when passing through" the area.

The encounter was surprising as the orcas don't normally venture this far north until mid to late summer, Spanish science news site gCiencia reported . 

"Theoretically, they are in the Strait [of Gibraltar] in the spring and should reach the north [of Spain] at the end of the summer," Alfredo López Fernandez , a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal and representative of the Atlantic Orca Working Group, told gCiencia in the translated article. "There is an absolute lack of knowledge" about why this is happening, he added. 

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Other orcas have also been spotted further east along the Spanish coastline toward Biscay and further south in Portuguese waters over the last few weeks, gCiencia reported. The orcas normally only enter these areas to follow tuna, their preferred prey. It is unclear if the tuna have arrived early this year.

So far, the orcas have not attacked any boats. But López Fernandez believes this could start within the next few months. However, he says it is hard to predict when and where these encounters will occur.

Scientists still don't know exactly why these attacks started. Some researchers believe that the first attacks may have been perpetrated by a lone female named "White Gladis," who may have been pregnant when she started harassing the boats . But regardless of how it started, the behavior quickly spread among the group. 

So far, at least 16 different individuals have attacked boats. Eyewitnesses also claim to have seen orcas teaching other individuals how to attack boats, with an emphasis on attacking vessels' rudders to immobilize them.

There is also a suggestion that the behavior may have spread outside the population after a boat in Scotland was attacked by a different group in June 2023. However, it is impossible to prove this attack was connected to the others.

— 11 ways orcas show their terrifying intelligence

— How often do orcas attack humans?

— How orcas gained their 'killer' reputation

As the number of attacks has increased, boat owners have started using firecrackers and even guns to scare off the orcas, gCiencia reported. However, scientists like López Fernandez have urged for restraint because the subpopulation is "in danger of extinction."

"We want to transmit real and truthful information," López Fernandez said. "We're not going to hide that the orcas can touch the boats and sometimes break something, but we also have to be aware that what we have in front of us is not a monster."

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior, evolution and paleontology. His feature on the upcoming solar maximum was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Awards for Excellence in 2023. 

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Orcas sank three boats off the coast of Portugal, but don't call them 'killer' just yet

Three recent incidents of orcas seemingly attacking and sinking boats off the southwestern tip of Europe are drawing intense scrutiny over whether the animals deliberately swarmed the vessels and if they are learning the aggressive behavior from one another.

Encounters between orcas, or killer whales, and boats have been increasing since 2020, though no human injuries or deaths have been reported. In most cases, the whales have not sunk the boats.

The string of incidents since 2020 prompted one scientist in Portugal to say the attacks may indicate that the whales are intending to cause damage to sailing vessels. Others, however, are more skeptical, saying that while the behavior may be coordinated, it’s not necessarily coordinated aggression.

“I think it gets taken as aggression because it’s causing damage, but I don’t think we can say that the motivation is aggressive necessarily,” said Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington state.

At least 15 interactions between orcas and boats off the Iberian coast were reported in 2020, according to a study published last June in the journal Marine Mammal Science .

In November 2020, Portugal’s National Maritime Authority issued a statement alerting sailors about “curious behavior” among juvenile killer whales. The statement said the whales may be attracted to rudders and propellers and may try to approach boats.

The subsequent sinkings have caused more alarm.

The most recent encounter occurred on May 4 off the coast of Spain. Three orcas struck the rudder and side of a sailing yacht, causing it to eventually sink, as was reported earlier this month in a German publication called Yacht .

One theory put forward by Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, suggested that the aggression started from a female orca that was perhaps struck by a boat — a traumatic experience that caused her to start ramming sailing vessels. López Fernandez, who co-authored the June 2022 study published in Marine Mammal Science, told Live Science that other orcas may have then picked up that behavior through social learning, which whales have been known to exhibit.

But Shields said orcas have not historically been known to be aggressive toward humans, even when they were being hunted and placed in captivity.

“They’ve certainly had reason to engage in that kind of behavior,” she said. “There are places where they are shot at by fishermen, they’ve watched family members be taken from their groups into captivity in the ‘60s and ‘70s. And if something was going to motivate direct aggression, I would think something like that would have done it.”

Shields added that there are no clear instances of killer whales exhibiting what could be thought of as revenge behavior against humans.

She said the recent attacks on boats are likely more consistent with what’s known as “fad” behavior, which describes novel but temporary conduct from one whale that can be mimicked by others.

“It’s kind of a new behavior or game that one whale seems to come up with, and it seems to spread throughout the population — sometimes for a matter of weeks or months, or in some cases years — but then in a lot of cases it just goes away,” she said.

In the Pacific Northwest, for instance, Shields and her colleagues have observed fad behavior among Southern Resident killer whales who started carrying dead salmon around on their heads for a time before the behavior suddenly stopped.

Shields said the behavior of orcas off the Iberian coast may also be temporary.

“This feels like the same type of thing, where one whale played with a rudder and said: ‘Hey, this is a fun game. Do you want to try it?’ And it’s the current fad for that population of orcas,” she said.

While Shields did not dismiss the trauma response theory out of hand, she said it would be difficult to confirm without more direct evidence.

“We know their brains are wired to have really complex emotions, and so I think they could be capable of something like anger or revenge,” she said. “But again, it’s just not something that we’ve seen any examples of, and we’ve given them plenty of opportunities throughout the world to want to take revenge on us for various things. And they just choose not to.”

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

Orcas Won't Stop Attacking Boats. They Officially Have Our Attention.

Another killer whale has attacked a yacht in Spain, prompting some to wonder if orcas are teaching their young to ram boats.

• For the past 18 months, orcas have been attacking boats and yachts in the Mediterranean Sea near the Strait of Gibraltar.
• A new report of an orca boat attack in the North Sea near Scotland is a surprising development.
• It's possible that the orcas are displaying “cultural evolution” and other pods are learning behaviors from one another

Now, the majestic orca ( Orcinus orca ) is under scrutiny for the same kind of behavior, as boats in the Mediterranean near the Strait of Gibraltar—and surprisingly, off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea—appear to be specifically targeting boats. Although this behavior was well-known in the Iberian orca population, it’s a shocking development that orcas seemingly unaffiliated with the Mediterranean pod are exhibiting similar behaviors.

“I’d be reluctant to say it cannot be learned from [the southern population],” Conor Ryan, a scientist who’s studied orca pods off the Scottish coast, told The Guardian . “It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities.”

Despite being known as “killer whales,” orcas are actually members of the dolphin family and are highly sociable, using complex vocalizations to communicate with one another. The learn matrilineally, meaning “grandmother” orcas (which can live for 80 years or more) become matriarchs of their pods and pass on vital hunting skills.

With three boats sunk and upwards of 100 others damaged in Iberia, scientists think that this behavior may come from one such “grandmother” orca named White Gladis . The thought is that she may have survived a traumatic event earlier in life involving a boat, and has since taught her pod how to attack them. It’s also possible that these attacks are timed with Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ) migrations , and the orcas perceive boats as competition for food.

Of course, humans are not necessarily innocent victims in these orca hit-and-runs, as boats cause noise pollution and other hazards for the creatures and other marine life. But, regardless, how exactly did an orca in the North Sea learn this seemingly isolated behavior from 2,000 miles away? Some scientists think that highly mobile pods could be capable of teaching these boat-destroying tricks to individuals in other pods.

So, will orcas always be on the hunt for boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes? Well, not necessarily. As seemingly easy as it was for the orcas to pick up this hunting trick, it’s possible that this “cultural evolution” will disappear just as rapidly. Similars shifts have happened before. For example, the website Salon reports that, a few years back, bottlenose dolphins were carrying sea sponges on their noses of the coast of Australia . But as quickly as this “fad” appeared, it became scarce, and soon disappeared entirely.

Scientists don’t know how long this particular “cultural evolution” will stick around. But considering our bang-up job protecting the planet, it almost feels like there’s a measure of justified cosmic karma at play here.

Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough. 

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May 24, 2023

Why Has a Group of Orcas Suddenly Started Attacking Boats?

Killer whales in a group near Spain and Portugal may be teaching one another to mess with small boats. They sank their third vessel earlier this month

By Stephanie Pappas

A group of three orcas, also known as killer whales, are seen swimming in the Strait of Gibraltar. Individuals in the critically endangered subpopulation have been attacking boats off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Malcolm Schuyl/Alamy Stock Photo

A trio of orcas attacked a boat in the Strait of Gibraltar earlier this month, damaging it so badly that it sank soon afterward.

The May 4 incident was the third time killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) have sunk a vessel off the coasts of Portugal and Spain in the past three years. The subpopulation of orcas in this region began harassing boats, most often by biting at their rudder, in 2020. Almost 20 percent of these attacks caused enough damage to disable the vessels, says Alfredo López, an orca researcher at the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA), which monitors the Iberian killer whale population. “It is a rare behavior that has only been detected in this part of the world,” he says.

Researchers aren’t sure why the orcas are going after the watercraft. There are two hypotheses, according to López. One is that the killer whales have invented a new fad, something that subpopulations of these members of the dolphin family are known to do. Much as in humans, orca fads are often spearheaded by juveniles, López says. Alternatively, the attacks may be a response to a bad past experience involving a boat.

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The first known incident occurred in May 2020 in the Strait of Gibraltar, an area with heavy boat traffic. Since then GTOA has recorded 505 cases of orcas reacting to boats. Sometimes they simply approached the vessels, and only a fraction of cases involved physical contact, López says. In a study published in June 2022 in Marine Mammal Science , he and his colleagues cataloged 49 instances of orca-boat contact in 2020 alone. The vast majority of the attacks were on sailboats or catamarans, with a handful involving fishing boats and motorboats. The average length of the vessels was 12 meters (39 feet). For comparison, a full-grown orca can be 9.2 meters (30 feet) long.

The researchers found that the orcas preferentially attack the boats’ rudder, sometimes scraping the hull with their teeth. Such attacks often snap the rudder, leaving the boat unable to navigate. In three cases, the animals damaged a boat so badly that it sank: In July 2022 they sank a sailboat with five people onboard. In November 2022 they caused a sailboat carrying four to go down. And finally, in this month’s attack, the Swiss sailing yacht Champagne had to be abandoned, and the vessel sank while it was towed to shore. In all cases, the people onboard were rescued safely.

In 2020 researchers observed nine different individual killer whales attacking boats; it’s unclear if others have since joined in. The attacks tended to come from two separate groups: a trio of juveniles occasionally joined by a fourth and a mixed-aged group consisting of an adult female named White Gladis, two of her young offspring and two of her sisters. Because White Gladis was the only adult involved in the initial incidents, the researchers speculate that she may have become entangled in a fishing line at some point, giving her a bad association with boats. Other adult orcas in the region have injuries consistent with boat collisions or entanglement, López says. “All this has to make us reflect on the fact that human activities, even in an indirect way, are at the origin of this behavior,” he says.

The safe rescue of everyone involved, however, suggests to Deborah Giles that these orcas don’t have malevolent motivations against humans. Giles, science and research director of the Washington State–based nonprofit conservation organization Wild Orca, points out that humans relentlessly harassed killer whales off the coasts of Washington and Oregon in the 1960s and 1970s, capturing young orcas and taking them away for display at marine parks. “These are animals that, every single one of them, had been captured at one point or another—most whales multiple times. And these are whales that saw their babies being taken away from them and put on trucks and driven away, never to be seen again,” Giles says. “And yet these whales never attacked boats, never attacked humans.”

Though it’s possible that the orcas around the Iberian Peninsula could be reacting to a bad experience with a boat, Giles says, it’s pure speculation to attribute that motivation to the animals. The behavior does seem to be learned, she says, but could simply be a fad without much rhyme or reason—to the human mind, anyway. Famously, some members of the Southern Resident orcas that cruise Washington’s Puget Sound each summer and fall spent the summer of 1987 wearing dead salmon on their head. There was no apparent reason for salmon hats to come in vogue in orca circles, but the behavior spread and persisted for a few months before disappearing again. “We’re not going to know what’s happening with this population,” Giles says, referring to the Iberian orcas.

The Iberian orca attacks typically last less than 30 minutes, but they can sometimes go on for up to two hours, according to the 2022 study. In the case of the Champagne, two juvenile killer whales went after the rudder while an adult repeatedly rammed the boat, crew members told the German magazine Yacht . The attack lasted 90 minutes.

The Iberian orca subpopulation is considered critically endangered, with only 39 animals the last time a full census was conducted in 2011. A 2014 study found that this subpopulation follows the migration of their key prey , Atlantic bluefin tuna—a route that puts them in close contact with human fishing, military activities and recreational boating. Maritime authorities recommend that boaters in the area slow down and try to stay away from orcas, López says, but there is no guaranteed way to avoid the animals. He and his colleagues fear the boat attacks will come back and bite the orcas, either because boaters will lash out or because the attacks are dangerous to the animals themselves. “They run a great risk of getting hurt,” López says.

Orcas sunk another boat and sailors are resorting to some very weird and wild ways to save their yachts

• Orcas have been ramming, damaging, and sometimes sinking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar.
• From fog horns to bottles of urine, sailors are trying some wild ways to save their yachts.
• Some techniques are more successful than others.

Late last month, orcas sank another yacht . The "Grazie Mamma II" was sailing off the coast of Spain and Morocco when a pod of orcas zoomed up and started attacking its steering fin for 45 minutes, Insider reported. 

The crew was safe, but the boat sank once it reached port. This latest sinking adds to the hundreds of incidents of orcas interacting with, damaging , and sometimes sinking boats  over the last three years.

Most incidents are from one pod of orcas that swim in the Strait of Gibraltar , where cruisers have reported trying numerous weird and surprising methods to prevent orcas from damaging their boats.

The Cruising Association , which collects these reports, and scientists studying this pod have found that some strategies are more successful than others. It's also worth noting the CA cautions on its site that some methods may be distressing or harmful to the marine mammals and should be avoided.

1. Playing dead

Many experts recommend stopping your boat , turning off the engine, and dropping sails. 

Some anecdotes report that "playing dead" can make the interactions last longer. Alfredo López, a team member of the Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica , an organization that's been studying this pod of orcas, told Insider in an email that the best thing you can do is stay quiet. That's the GTOA's official recommendation. 

This, like many other techniques, has mixed results, though. 

Of the 231 boats that reported physical contact with an orca, scientists found that 63% of boats that were lightly damaged didn't follow the silent protocol, according to a report from the Orca Behavior Institute in June. But for severely damaged boats, the results were nearly split down the middle. 

2. Driving away fast

In June, the Spanish government published advice that included driving away from the animals as fast and safely as possible "until the orcas lose interest."

The recommendation is based on one scientist's interactions with the mammals, but López said that this method is dangerous and illegal, because it contradicts laws meant to protect the animals. 

López also said this method could be futile, because orcas are pretty speedy. They can swim as fast as 30 miles per hour , so boats would have to move swiftly to outrun them.

3. Creating a sandstorm Throwing sand in the water is considered mostly harmless to the orcas, but may not be the best way to deter them, either. Lisa Schaetzle/Getty Images

Based on a few reports to the CA , sailors have found success with throwing sand behind the boat as orcas approach. The CA noted that it can't yet corroborate these accounts. 

"I deployed sand when heard them around the stern but this had a temporary effect only. They returned almost immediately after the sand dispersed in water," one person reported to the CA. 

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López said if this works, it does so by clouding the water, interfering with the orcas' echolocation. Though the GTOA doesn't officially recommend this technique, López said it should be harmless to the whales. 

4. Reversing the boat

Unless it's an emergency, it may be illegal to make sudden changes in speed or direction when orcas are near, according to GTOA . This could harm the animals. 

But if you move the boat slowly, and without sharp turns, so as to avoid hurting the whales, the GTOA may recommend this method, López said. 

Orcas can't swim backward, "so if you start going backward, it's harder for them to approach the boat from behind and get to the rudder," John Burbeck, a member of the CA, told The Washington Post .

Yet this maneuver has been met with mixed results. In February, the CA said that 29 skippers tried the technique, and just over half, 16, found it a successful way to avoid an orca interaction.

5. Making noise

Some boaters have used loud noise to try and scare the orcas away. The same person who reported throwing sand said, "the sound of the fog horn was the most effective to make them go away." 

Cruisers have also reported using firecrackers or banged on their boats. While firecrackers seemed to work, it's illegal and may harm the orcas and their hearing, The Washington Post reported. 

The same is true for underwater "pingers" that send out acoustic signals. GTOA discourages their use, and López said that sometimes, making more noise made the orcas ram the boat more. 

Some researchers are working on noise deterrents specifically for killer whales that will safely stop them from interacting with boats. 

"Adding more noise into the ocean can be harmful to living things," López told Insider earlier this year . 

6. Dumping liquids, like urine, into the water

Sailors have seemed to resort to increasingly desperate measures when orcas repeatedly ram their vessels. Trying to deter them by adding different types of liquid to the water seems particularly ineffective and potentially harmful to the mammals. 

This method directly contradicts laws enacted to protect the species and is bad for the environment, López said. 

Pouring gasoline or diesel fluid and urine into the water had no effect, according to the few sailors who tried it. One person reported that they poured four bottles of urine overboard. "Urine had ZERO effect," they wrote in the report.

Dumping a black water tank filled with a "bleach solution" seemed to provoke the orcas into ramming the boat more, according to one account. 

Regardless of your preferred technique It's unclear why orcas are ramming so many boats, but experts have said that it's probably not out of malice. Serge MELESAN / 500px / Getty Images

If orcas damage your boat, the GTOA recommends calling the authorities. Try to stay out of the water because although orcas don't generally want to eat humans , you could risk getting in the middle of their ramming. 

"I think they just think humans are some odd thing, certainly not food, and not really anything that they are bothered by," whale researcher Hanne Strager previously told Insider . 

And ultimately, no matter what you do, if the orcas are interested in your boat, you may be hardpressed to avoid them, Lori Marino,  marine mammal neuroscientist and founder and president of The Whale Sanctuary Project, told Insider in an email.

"I'm not sure there is any full-proof way to deter the orcas. They are perfectly adapted to their environment," she said. "I would caution, however, that boaters not consider any deterrence methods that could be harmful to the orcas or any other animals in the ocean." 

This story was originally published on November 9, 2023. It has been updated. 

Watch: Orcas are under threat from man-made noise pollution. These scientists are fighting to protect them.

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Efforts to free the calf, trapped for nearly 1 month in vancouver island lagoon, have been unsuccessful.

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Carol Love watches the tides at a Vancouver Island lagoon, and when the time is right, she starts to play her violin.

She plays for an audience of one, a killer whale calf that has been trapped alone in the lagoon for almost a month.

Preparations for more conventional efforts to save the whale continue, involving a large fishing net.

But Love, from Nanaimo, B.C., stands and plays on a bridge at high tide, hoping her music entices the young orca to swim through a narrow channel, under the bridge and into the open ocean to freedom — no net required.

• B.C. village rallies around effort to rescue killer whale calf

"She was curious," Love said Thursday after an afternoon recital for the female orca, named kwiisahi?is, or Brave Little Hunter, by the Ehattesaht First Nation.

"It came closer to me," she said. "It absolutely did. I'm glad I got to see her today, especially if they are going to get her out."

Love, a Canadian military veteran, said her first visit to the bridge Wednesday night didn't work, but she did see the orca calf rise to the surface in the distance.

"A lot of my violin notes sound like orcas, so hopefully she'd resonate with some of my sound and coax [herself] underneath and out to the ocean," she said. "Every high tide I'll be on this bridge playing for her."

Love isn't the only one working to free the whale from the lagoon near Zeballos, 450 kilometres northwest of Victoria, where it has been alone since its pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach at low tide and died.

A rescue team continues to prepare to catch the killer whale calf in a net and transport it to the nearby ocean.

Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John would not confirm the exact timing of the next rescue attempt in an interview on Thursday, other than to say, "it is going to happen eventually."

An attempt last Friday involved more than 50 people using boats, nets, and drones. But they were unable to corral the young orca to a shallow area of the lagoon where they planned to manoeuvre it into a sling, lift it onto a truck, then take it on a barge out to sea for a potential reunion with its pod.

• Rescuers pause efforts to free trapped orca calf

More rescue equipment has been arriving over the past few days, including a large seine netting boat from Campbell River's Homalco First Nation.

Road access to the planned rescue site at the shallow end of the Little Espinosa Inlet lagoon was blocked Thursday afternoon, with a sign saying: "Active work site, no unauthorized access permitted."

John said the Ehattesaht First Nation is committed to the whale's rescue.

"We need to save it," he said. "We're all family in our community and family matters, and family matters to the whale that we are trying to help and get her to her pod. It's very important."

Love was doing her bit by playing her violin along to a recording of her favourite song, Tennessee Whiskey  by country singer Chris Stapleton.

"Everything's been tried and you have to think outside the box," Love said.

"I'm out of my skin with joy," she said, getting "goose pimples" at the prospect of successfully luring the whale with her music. "I really would love it if it works."

With files from Nono Shen

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Dubai’s Extraordinary Flooding: Here’s What to Know

Images of a saturated desert metropolis startled the world, prompting talk of cloud seeding, climate change and designing cities for intensified weather.

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By Raymond Zhong

Scenes of flood-ravaged neighborhoods in one of the planet’s driest regions have stunned the world this week. Heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman submerged cars, clogged highways and killed at least 21 people. Flights out of Dubai’s airport, a major global hub, were severely disrupted.

The downpours weren’t a freak event — forecasters anticipated the storms several days out and issued warnings. But they were certainly unusual. Here’s what to know.

Heavy rain there is rare, but not unheard-of.

On average, the Arabian Peninsula receives a scant few inches of rain a year, although scientists have found that a sizable chunk of that precipitation falls in infrequent but severe bursts, not as periodic showers.

U.A.E. officials said the 24-hour rain total on Tuesday was the country’s largest since records there began in 1949 . But parts of the nation had experienced an earlier round of thunderstorms just last month.

Oman, with its coastline on the Arabian Sea, is also vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Past storms there have brought torrential rain, powerful winds and mudslides, causing extensive damage.

Global warming is projected to intensify downpours.

Stronger storms are a key consequence of human-caused global warming. As the atmosphere gets hotter, it can hold more moisture, which can eventually make its way down to the earth as rain or snow.

But that doesn’t mean rainfall patterns are changing in precisely the same way across every corner of the globe.

In their latest assessment of climate research , scientists convened by the United Nations found there wasn’t enough data to have firm conclusions about rainfall trends in the Arabian Peninsula and how climate change was affecting them. The researchers said, however, that if global warming were to be allowed to continue worsening in the coming decades, extreme downpours in the region would quite likely become more intense and more frequent.

The role of cloud seeding isn’t clear.

The U.A.E. has for decades worked to increase rainfall and boost water supplies by seeding clouds. Essentially, this involves shooting particles into clouds to encourage the moisture to gather into larger, heavier droplets, ones that are more likely to fall as rain or snow.

Cloud seeding and other rain-enhancement methods have been tried across the world, including in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa and the United States. Studies have found that these operations can, at best, affect precipitation modestly — enough to turn a downpour into a bigger downpour, but probably not a drizzle into a deluge.

Still, experts said pinning down how much seeding might have contributed to this week’s storms would require detailed study.

“In general, it is quite a challenge to assess the impact of seeding,” said Luca Delle Monache, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. Dr. Delle Monache has been leading efforts to use artificial intelligence to improve the U.A.E.’s rain-enhancement program.

An official with the U.A.E.’s National Center of Meteorology, Omar Al Yazeedi, told news outlets this week that the agency didn’t conduct any seeding during the latest storms. His statements didn’t make clear, however, whether that was also true in the hours or days before.

Mr. Al Yazeedi didn’t respond to emailed questions from The New York Times on Thursday, and Adel Kamal, a spokesman for the center, didn’t immediately have further comment.

Cities in dry places just aren’t designed for floods.

Wherever it happens, flooding isn’t just a matter of how much rain comes down. It’s also about what happens to all that water once it’s on the ground — most critically, in the places people live.

Cities in arid regions often aren’t designed to drain very effectively. In these areas, paved surfaces block rain from seeping into the earth below, forcing it into drainage systems that can easily become overwhelmed.

One recent study of Sharjah , the capital of the third-largest emirate in the U.A.E., found that the city’s rapid growth over the past half century had made it vulnerable to flooding at far lower levels of rain than before.

Omnia Al Desoukie contributed reporting.

Raymond Zhong reports on climate and environmental issues for The Times. More about Raymond Zhong

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RADISSON Boats - Moscow River Boat Tours

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I got a nice luxury boat. It has good restaurant inside too. Boat tour is around 1.5 hours. The... read more

I would recommend the Moscow Sightseeing River Cruise. Definitely great value for a two hour... read more

RADISSON Boats

Seriously now, how it is even possible to have a girl in the tickets issuing white building , in the Gorky Park Pier, who is exceptional RUDE and she doesn't know even a simple word of English and she seem that she doesn't care to sell any tickets to tourists ?! We left the ticket office because she couldn't answer to anything and because she was really aggressive because we don't speak Russian!!! Despite the fact that we were really kind and smiling, trying to speak to her. We found completely unacceptable the fact that they work with tourists but they demand from them to know Russian! Even though, a kind and gently mannered person will find a way to explain something. Unfortunately the specific ...lady was a savage-like one, coming from the mountains and never having met other people again. What a shame.

Dear Efstathios D! Thank you for your feedback! First of all we are so sorry about this situation! Next time we are highly recommend to purchas tickets online/ Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

Starting out for an 8:00 p.m. cruise on a poor or rather dull August 1st day, we had to wait for a later boarding at about 20:15! We were shepherded upstairs to the upper deck, which was thankfully enclosed with glass windows, with seats facing both forward and backwards or better… fore and aft facing! As we reached the top deck (about 7 steps, but steep) we walked about 6 meters and had to jog to the right, in order not to disturb a mic boom and speaker setup, denoting our impending entertainment for the evening! 2 chairs, padded, adorned with 2 very well used 6-string guitars… plus a load of other equipment, including 5' high speakers and amps, etc. My party (4 of us) including my wife, her half-sister with her husband, whom we had only known about 14 months, after belatedly finding out about each other, who were visiting us from a European country for a few days! Super people! My wife had arranged this trip at the tentative request of her half-brother-in-law. The boat was nothing special as far as comfort was concerned, but we had front seats! I was a little worried about volume from the massive speakers! No worry needed! We left, with perhaps one third full of passengers only and the 2 chairs were almost immediately occupied by 2 men, pleasant looking, both nicely dressed, who picked up the guitars and the first, Dmitry, began to narrate our passage along the Moscow River. Shortly afterwards, the narration comfortable allowed the introduction of the first song, with basic chords being played by Dmitry with Alexei playing, expert accompaniment to Dmitry's vocals. He thoroughly enjoyed his role, as did Dmitry. For 21/2 hours, we plied the river, with an ever deepening dusk, bringing forth romantic Russian songs by well-known Russian composers, making the river trip a really enjoyable experience, particularly as both my wife and I are both fans of this type of music along with our newly-found family. The engine noises could hardly be heard, the cabin was pleasantly warm, but not hot, and tea and coffee was served an hour before landing. Docking happened at about 22:20 with no rush and we alighted at the same point that we had boarded… a very enjoyable evening all told! Thank you Moscow River Tours or Art_Stolitsa!

Dear granmar! Thank you for your feedback! We will be happy to see you again. Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

It’s very bad that when we enter the boat they told us go upstairs! Then a russian guiding started to talk from the starting point! No respect to other nationalities or tourists languages! At least do something in international languages! My money went for nothing Understand nothing in this beautiful country’s History!!!!!!

Dear Mrmretta! Thank you for your feedback! It is helps us to be better. We will start our English speaking guided cruise soon. Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

Loud music. No service. Look like that they did not want to sell anything. Taste less food. Exhaust in the resturant. No safety informasjon. Cheap tour Cheap food. Crappy service. Try some other place.

Dear Tore S! Thank you for your review. It helps us become better. Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

Today we decided to do a river cruise to orientate us to Moscow. With no knowledge of Russian we purchased an audio guide. We walked 9kms in very hot weather to get to the departure point and asked several people for directions. Number one frustration is that muscovites don't get tourism or customer service and look straight thru you. We finally found the wharf and with several boats departing we got the same 'look straight through you' until finally we had to shame someone into finding our boat the Cahta Mapnr, which then departed 35 mins later then the booking agent advised. We went to the top deck which had no cover and tried to find some shade.And you guessed it the audio didn't work. The staff had no idea how to handle a disgruntled passenger and i got nowhere asking for a refund. Go back to the booking agent they said to which i replied ' how would they know i didnt get what i paid for. I have worked in tourism for most of my working life so know a bit about the industry. You have a wonderful product but you must train your operators! There was one young man,Bec, who tried valiantly to placate me and he will go far. I admit I lost my cool after being ignored by so many and frying in the hot sun and not being able to identify the magnificent buildings..

Dear Julie B! Thank you for your feedback! First of all we are so sorry about this situation! Next time we are highly recommend to purchas tickets online. Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

No tour info in English. Mostly Russians on this boat. We were the only non-Russian tourists. If you don't buy the ticket online, they charge more than double the price at the pier. (If you are looking at a tablet or computer screen you will see this info, but not on a phone screen.) As a result many customers were complaining and arguing with the ticket sellers. The boat was playing LOUD unbearably awful music. Website stated that music would be played and we were expecting Russian folk tunes with balalaikas. Instead, we got really bad rock with English lyrics. The cruise was 2+ hours and it would have been impossible to enjoy with the noise. It was so bad that we asked for our money back before the boat departed. They said they could not provide a refund because the tickets had been torn already. After we caused a minor insurrection --luckily we had a Russian friend with us -- the captain turned off the music. (He said he didn't like it either but he was required to play it.) There are numerous river tour companies in Moscow and most seem to be in the same price range. I recommend asking them if the boats have outdoor shaded places where you will not be subjected to loud music.

Dear JanetOO! Thank you for your feedback! On our website we have all information in English. Best regards, Rivertickets.ru

News from non-English countries

In Russia, armed men seized an oil field with shooting: what is happening (video)

2023-09-17T14:45:23.375Z

Highlights: In the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, armed men seized the town of oil workers, frightened people with shots up and were expelled from the barracks. The incident is explained by an "active change of control" over an asset belonging to the arrested ex-owner of the bank Yugra, Alexei Khotin. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said that they are aware of what is happening in the oil town, but their employees do not participate in the events. Earlier, in the Russian city of Elektrostal (Moscow region), during demonstration performances, soldiers began to shoot at spectators with children from machine guns with blank cartridges.

In the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, armed men seized the town of oil workers, frightened people with shots up and were expelled from the barracks. See and read the details ᐅ 1+1 news

In the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, two dozen armed men in camouflage uniforms landed from helicopters on the territory of the Dulisma oil workers' camp.

The corresponding video is published in Telegram channels.

As can be seen in the published footage, people in civilian clothes were taken out of the barracks, lined up against the wall with their hands raised behind their heads, and some were forced to lie down with their faces to the ground. During the raid, shots were fired upwards and obscene language.

The incident is explained by an "active change of control" over an asset belonging to the arrested ex-owner of the Russian bank Yugra, Alexei Khotin. He is accused of embezzlement of funds, since 98% (about 240 billion rubles) of all loans issued by the bank were used to finance the business of its owner in the field of real estate and oil production. Since April 2019, Khotin has been under house arrest.

People with weapons are called both representatives of private security firms and fighters of the SOBR unit, which is part of the Russian Guard.

However, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, in a comment to the Podyem Telegram channel, said that they are aware of what is happening in the oil town, but their employees do not participate in the events. "It was not our department that was involved in the raid," they said.

Earlier, in the Russian city of Elektrostal (Moscow region), during demonstration performances, soldiers of the Russian Guard began to shoot at spectators with children from machine guns with blank cartridges.

Source: tsn

All news articles on 2023-09-17

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The other major events of the year

• Monaco Yacht Show

Created in 1991 by French entrepreneur Maurice Cohen, the MYS displays around one hundred unique and exceptional superyachts constructed by the world’s foremost shipbuilders. Along the docks where these prestigious vessels are moored, visitors will find a host of companies, shipbrokers, and other important yachting industry stakeholders.

The MYS, the Place to Sea

The Monaco Yacht Show is globally renowned for the exceptional quality and impressive size of its superyachts. Of the hundred or so on display every year, around forty are being unveiled for the first time in their worldwide debut. The average length of the vessels is 50 metres, with some mega yachts exceeding 100 metres. In recent years, the MYS has expanded its offering to include the ultra-high end markets intrinsically linked to the exclusive world of superyachting, featuring luxury goods, cars and motorcycles, helicopters, and private jet constructors.

The Show is now an iconic event, popular with private visitors who come to discover the incredible collection of superyachts available to purchase or charter, and to meet market experts in the festive and glamorous atmosphere of the Principality of Monaco.  

Not to be missed...

At nightfall, the superyachts come alive in a different atmosphere, offering a spectacular illuminated display of a thousand lights.

To find the event in the Agenda, click  HERE .

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Your Definitive Guide to the Monaco Yacht Show 2023 

Table of contents.

• What is the Monaco Yacht Show?  
• When and Where is the Monaco Yacht Show 2023?  
• Ticketing and Passes  
• The biggest new yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023  

Events and Highlights

• Monaco Beyond the Yacht Show

Plan Your Visit to the Monaco Yacht Show

Check out highlights from the 2022 monaco yacht show in this video, map of the monaco yacht show 2023.

What is the Monaco Yacht Show?

The Monaco Yacht Show is the largest in-water display of yachts and superyachts in the world. It showcases the latest launches, innovative designs, and cutting-edge technology from the most renowned shipyards and design studios. This prestigious event attracts over 30,000 visitors who come to admire the impressive collection of yachts worth billions of euros. From classic wonders to state-of-the-art masterpieces, the Monaco Yacht Show offers a captivating experience for anyone passionate about the superyacht sphere. 

When and Where is the Monaco Yacht Show 2023?

The Monaco Yacht Show 2023 will take place from September 27th to 30th. The event is held in the picturesque Port Hercule, located in the heart of Monaco. Its stunning waterfront setting provides the perfect backdrop for showcasing the world's most luxurious yachts. The show offers three public entrances: Quai Antoine Ier, Parvis Piscine (Boulevard Albert Ier) and Quai Chicane. Additionally, there are two VIP entrances exclusively reserved for Sapphire VIP ticket holders and Discover badge holders: Quai Albert Ier (Upper Deck Lounge) and Quai Louis II. 

[to table of contents]

Ticketing and Passes

To attend the Monaco Yacht Show, you can purchase tickets in advance. There are different ticket options available, including one-day, two-day, and three-day passes. The prices start at €600 per person for a one-day pass, €1020 for two days, and €1,620 for three days. For an enhanced experience, you may consider the Sapphire VIP tickets, which offer exclusive activities and access to the show and special courtesy cars provided by the Monaco Yacht Show. However, please note that the Sapphire VIP tickets are limited and subject to approval.

[ to table of contents ]

The biggest new yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023

Among the impressive lineup, several new yachts have generated considerable buzz and are poised to captivate the discerning audience. From sleek designs to cutting-edge technology, these yachts embody elegance, innovation, and attention to detail. Let us delve into the world of the biggest new yachts to look out for at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023 :

80m Leona by Bilgin Yachts

77.7m O'REA by Golden Yachts

65.7m Alchemy by Rossinavi

60m Entourage by Amels

56.7m 57Steel by Sanlorenzo

55m Silver Star by Admiral 

53m Jewels by Turquoise Yachts

50m Anjelif by Columbus Yachts

50m Eternal by Spark Bilgin

50m Grey by Tankoa

Monaco Yacht Summit

The Monaco Yacht Summit is a must-attend event for yacht owners, charterers, and those interested in enhancing their knowledge of the superyacht industry. This informative panel discussion features industry experts and professionals sharing insights on various topics related to yachting. The summit takes place on September 26th, the day before the official start of the Monaco Yacht Show, at the prestigious Monaco Yacht Club. Attendance is by pre-qualification, so make sure to secure your spot in advance.

Monaco Yacht Show Awards

The Monaco Yacht Show Superyacht Awards is a glamorous event that celebrates excellence in yacht design and innovation. Attended by VIP guests, yachting industry leaders, and select media, the awards ceremony takes place at the iconic Monaco Yacht Club. A panel of respected yachting journalists selects the winners in categories such as the MYS/Rina Award, MYS Interior Design Award, MYS Exterior Design Award, and the MYS Finest New Superyacht Award.

Yacht Tours and Exhibitors

One of the main highlights of the Monaco Yacht Show is the opportunity to explore the magnificent yachts on display. However, please note that access to some of the most exclusive yachts and evening yacht parties is typically by invitation only. If you are in the market for a yacht, it is advisable to arrange tours in advance and check the exhibitor list for the latest offerings. The show features exhibitors from luxury products and services, nautical supplies, shipyards, yacht brokers, and more.

Car Deck and Starboard

The Car Deck is an exhibition of classic and customized vehicles, showcasing the finest machinery for automotive enthusiasts. Located on Quai Antoine 1er, car enthusiasts can indulge in the beauty and craftsmanship of these unique automobiles. On the same quay, visitors can explore the Starboard, which houses exhibitors offering products and services related to the superyacht lifestyle. From luxury destinations to high-end arts and products, the Starboard promises a world of opulence and sophistication.

Monaco: Beyond the Yacht Show

While attending the Monaco Yacht Show, take the opportunity to explore the captivating beauty of Monaco. This glamorous principality offers a wealth of attractions and experiences for visitors.

Palais Princier de Monaco

A visit to the Palais Princier de Monaco is a must. This majestic palace serves as the official residence of the ruling monarch and offers breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. Pair your visit with a trip to the nearby Saint Nicholas Cathedral, where Prince Albert's parents, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, were married.

Monaco Oceanographic Museum

Immerse yourself in the wonders of the sea at the Monaco Oceanographic Museum. Founded in 1910, this iconic museum showcases marine wildlife, biodiversity, and research. Explore interactive exhibits, including a mesmerizing jellyfish tank, and learn about the fascinating world beneath the waves. The museum's current displays include the Polar Mission, highlighting scientific exploration and the cultures of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Monaco Top Cars Collection

For automobile enthusiasts, a visit to the Monaco Top Cars Collection is a must. This five-floor museum houses over 100 automobiles from Europe and America, including iconic vehicles like the Bugatti Type 35 and Sebastien Loeb's Citroen DS3 WRC. Immerse yourself in the rich history and elegance of these classic cars, curated from Prince Rainier III's personal collection.

To ensure a seamless and unforgettable experience at the Monaco Yacht Show, here are some essential details to keep in mind:

The dress code for the Monaco Yacht Show is business casual or nautical chic. For women stepping aboard yachts, practical yet fashionable attire is recommended, such as tailored shorts. Men often opt for chinos paired with a navy blazer. Please note that the Monaco Yacht Club requires gentlemen to wear a blazer at all times.

Transportation

Getting around the Monaco Yacht Show is made convenient with complimentary water taxis, electric golf buggies, and a fleet of golf carts. These transportation options allow visitors to navigate between the different quays of Port Hercule easily. Additionally, the show offers a courtesy car service for Sapphire ticket holders and Discover badge holders, providing transportation to various destinations within Monaco.

The Monaco Yacht Show 2023 promises to be an extraordinary event, showcasing the epitome of luxury and innovation in the yachting industry. From the magnificent yachts to the exclusive parties and captivating exhibitions, the Monaco Yacht Show offers an unforgettable experience for all yacht enthusiasts. Don't miss the chance to be part of this prestigious event and immerse yourself in the world of opulence and elegance. Plan your visit, secure your tickets, and get ready to be amazed at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023!

Expert assistance

Our brokers are seasoned experts in the yachting industry, with a deep understanding of the market and a keen eye for finding the perfect vessel to suit your desires. If you're interested in booking a tour at the Monaco Yacht Show with one of our brokers, we kindly request you to fill out a short questionnaire . This will help us gather essential information about your preferences and requirements, enabling us to curate a personalized and unforgettable experience for you at the festival.

What: Monaco Yacht Show

Where: Port Hercule, Monaco

When: From 27 to 30 September, 2023

Wednesday Sept 27: 10am - 6:30pm (access by invitation only)

Thursday 28 and Friday 29 Sept: 10am - 6:30pm (open to all)

Saturday 30 Sept: 10am - 6pm (open to all)

Official website: https://www.monacoyachtshow.com/

Photos: RBC & TOURS, Prince's Palace of Monaco, Bilgin Yachts

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The Monaco Yacht Show 2023: A Round Up of the Top Stories

By Frances Flannagan

After a truly spectacular edition of the Monaco Yacht Show this year, we take a look at some of the top news stories from the event. From new launches, to concept designs, this year’s show featured a host of exciting industry updates.

The Monaco Yacht Show 2023 undoubtedly saw a range of exciting updates for the industry; we take a look at six of the top news that was unveiled during the show. We delve into the announcement of the launch of the first Amels 80, the unveiling of two concept designs from Feadship and Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design, the reveal of Benetti's 85m project and Rossinavi’s 66m diesel electric ALCHEMY, as well as taking a look at Lürssen's 97m CARINTHIA VII following her 10-month refit. 

The First Amels 80 Launched

On schedule to be delivered in 2025, the first Amels 80’s new hull and superstructure were spotted outside of her build shed. Described by Sean Bianchi, Partner and Head of New Construction at Burgess, and Naval Architect, as a yacht which will ‘stand out amongst her peers and set the benchmark for future yachts’, her launch was highly exciting news announced by the shipyard on the first morning of the yacht show.

Designed by Espen Øino, Amels 80 features a holistic and modern exterior design, in keeping with the Amels DNA. She also features sustainable materials and innovative hybrid technology, a key factor of the next-generation Amels' design. 

‘The Amels 80 is a design that will not age. Her modern strong lines will look as good in 10 years as the day she is delivered. She is a big ship, full of features, with an impressive interior volume. She is everything and more that you would expect from an 80-metre yacht. There is a sense of scale, and nothing is wasted,’ commented Espen Øino.

Her interiors are custom-built, penned by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design, with a neutral and natural palette, allowing for the owner to add their own personal style. She can accommodate up to 14 guests, who can enjoy a 200 square metres sun deck, a waterside beach club which opens on three sides and a wellness area and spa, to name a few of the fantastic amenities on board. 

Benetti’s Full-Custom Espen Øino-Designed 85m Project Announced 

PROJECT LIFE, Benetti’s new full-custom 85m, is a welcome addition to the Italian yard’s megayacht fleet. Her exteriors have also been penned by Espen Øino, who has injected Benetti’s distinctive characteristics into PROJECT LIFE’s design: the capacity to invent new lifestyles, offering varied interpretations of this concept across the decks. All spaces onboard are designed with sociability in mind, for instance, the large revolving lounge that changes its focal point depending on the time of day. 

Her interiors have been designed by Francois Zuretti, who has chosen a beautiful balance between the colours and the surrounding environment, with an expanded opening that allows natural light to enhance the spaces. 

PROJECT LIFE is built with all the available technologies to help reduce consumption, including diesel-electric propulsion and integrated hybrid solar panels that collect solar and thermal energy to power appliances onboard.

A Look Inside Lürssen’s 97m CARINTHIA VII Following Refit 

Following a 10-month refit by Lürssen at its Hamburg facilities, the results of CARINTHIA VII’s extensive refit were revealed at this year's Monaco Yacht Show, where she was presented to the charter market for the first time, represented by Fraser.  

She was designed by Tim Heywood, regarded by many as one of the world’s first true mega yachts. Kept largely hidden from industry over the last 21 years, with her interior rarely seen, her introduction to the charter market has been eagerly awaited, as has the results of her refit. 

Her new work includes redesigned exterior decks, new lounge and living areas and a new 12m/39’ pool and 90sqm air-conditioned gymnasium. Her interiors are sophisticated and elegant, with beautiful wooden flooring pervading the design and neutral beige and browns contrasted with cool-tone hues of blues and stunningly clean white stylings. She is a true masterpiece and an unmissable offering to the charter market. 

Embracing Sustainability: Feadship Debuts Project DUNES

DUNE takes a significant step towards Feadship’s goal of Net-Zero superyachts, combining features that reduce energy demand with technology that eliminates emissions and increases efficiency. Each individual element of the design assists in reducing environmental impact, for instance, shading windows to reduce cooling requirements, however, when implemented together, they slash a superyacht’s environmental impact dramatically.  

Inspired by the aesthetics of sand dunes, this vessel reflects the onboard lifestyle that today’s owners desire, with flexible, multi-purpose spaces, endless views, and a combination of sociable open-plan areas with cosy, intimate spaces. She has an asymmetrical superstructure with almost no straight lines, meaning that spaces drift into one another, furthering the notion of flow throughout the yacht, and the heavy use of glass seamlessly blends the interiors with the surroundings. 

Her design, along with all Feadship concepts, is a true joint effort between Feadship, Studio de Voogt and the yard's Knowledge and Innovation department. With a wealth of expertise and experience across all collaborators, the shipyard’s concept designs are able to be of the highest possible quality. 

AWARE, The Essence of Luxury, Presented by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design

Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design presented the 79.9m yacht concept AWARE at the Monaco Yacht Show, a ready-to-build, fully operational concept with a 1600 mm scale model. Her design combines proven technology with innovation and the use of the most precious and durable materials. At the forefront of this design is space optimisation, with an abundance of space on board, vast exterior decks and an unparalleled inside-outside connection, 

AWARE has been described as the ‘Essence of Luxury’: a logical step in yacht design in which all space is optimised to give guests on board the best possible experience. Sander Sinot, Designer at the firm commented:

‘For the design of AWARE the focus is on maximising the space on board within the yacht’s limited structure. We designed open plan layouts for the beach club, lounges and exterior decks that offer inherent flexibility and ample space while reducing the number of decks.’

With exceptional features to optimise the outside areas, including a beach club with a three-metre high ceiling, the interiors have similarly been designed to provide ultimate functionality and a spectacular inside-out experience. She is a tri-deck design with an open plan pavilion on the bridge deck, allowing for unrestricted views of the ocean on all sides. 

Rossinavi’s 66m Diesel Electric Motor Yacht ALCHEMY

Unveiled at Port Hercules was Rossinavi’s 66m M/Y ALCHEMY, a fully custom design by Vitruvius Yachts with interior and exterior styling by Enrico Gobbi. She features diesel-electric propulsion, propelled by rods to reduce the loss of energy between the engines and navigation speed. 

ALCHEMY is an elegant tri-deck design with a focus on the outdoor areas and wellness aspects of the yacht. With a spacious central corridor, the forward owner’s cabin offers a clear view of the sea, creating a sense of openness in the design alongside a strong connection to the surroundings. A special emphasis has been placed on ensuring comfort on board, in particular the minimisation of vibrations, meaning that every technical and material choice has been considered to reduce noise and vibrations. 

The atmosphere throughout this vessel is calm and elegant, with every single piece of furniture being bespoke. Enrico Gobbi commented:

‘Spa mood was the keyword for the interior design and exterior decor of this yacht; natural materials, soft colours, and essential shapes for the interiors. Soft indirect lights to 'wet' the simplicity of the forms, where the detail and construction quality had to emerge and characterize the space: 'detail makes the differences' this is the motto that we have followed more than ever in this project together with the owners.’

- - - 

The 32nd edition of the Monaco Yacht Show was as spectacular as ever, we can only begin to imagine the wonders that the 2024 event will hold. 

"The Amels 80 is a design that will not age. Her modern strong lines will look as good in 10 years as the day she is delivered." Espen Øino, Designer and Naval Architect

"The Amels 80 is a design that will not age. Her modern strong lines will look as good in 10 years as the day she is delivered."

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The Most Impressive Superyachts at the Monaco Yacht Show

Following a summer of record demand this year’s event was glitzier than ever.

By Irenie Forshaw

Each September, thousands of yacht builders, designers and owners descend on Port Hercule for the Monaco Yacht Show. It is here, in the heart of the picturesque Côte d’Azur, that boat lovers make their annual pilgrimage to catch a glimpse of the world’s newest – and most exciting – vessels. 

This year, the hotly anticipated event took place between September 28 and October 1. And, following a summer of record demand for superyachts spurred by the pandemic, the 2022 iteration was bigger and glitzier than ever.

With over 600 exhibitors showcasing 125 superyachts, there was no shortage of incredible boats on display. So, whether you’re considering taking the plunge and purchasing a yacht of your own, or you’re simply here to marvel at the latest builds, we’ve rounded up the most impressive vessels on display at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show.

[See also: Festival des Etoiles Monte-Carlo Opens at Le Louis XV]

Project TIME

Kicking off our list of the biggest reveals at the Monaco Yacht Show is Project TIME. The 282-ft explorer yacht concept is the brainchild of German shipbuilder Abeking & Rasmussen and Valentin Design.

Suited for cold and warm water expeditions, the ship has been designed to travel everywhere from Antarctica to the South Pacific Islands. Powered by a diesel-electric propulsion system, Project Time would deliver a maximum speed of 16 knots, with a cruising speed of 14 knots, and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.

Boasting a helipad platform, submarine, two lounges and even an onboard German brewery, this is no ordinary yacht. The extravagant vessel also features an extra wide owner’s duplex suite complete with two marble bathrooms and an expansive balcony.

abeking.com

Dutch shipyard Feadship unveiled its eleventh cutting-edge yacht concept at the show, Slice. Studio de Voogt was brought in for the project, with the ambitious goal of turning “the inside out and the outside in”. To this end, the design team fitted the yacht with a glass strip running from bow to stern, bathing the decks in natural light.

Unlike many yachts that are plagued by gloomy corridors and claustrophobic living spaces, the interiors onboard Slice are bright and breezy. At the heart of the yacht on the main deck is a sprawling 750-sq-ft atrium flanked by cascading circular balconies, which, according to Feadship is so much more than a lobby and instead becomes “a destination in its own right”.

In a sign of Feadship’s dedication to using the latest technology, Slice would be fitted with a propulsion system powered by four dual-fuel generators modified to run on both methanol and non-fossil diesel (hydrotreated vegetable oil), with the generated power delivered to two Azimuthing pods.

feadship.nl

Our list of the best superyachts on display at Monaco Yacht Show would not be complete without mentioning Lusine. The 196-ft vessel is Heesen’s largest ever steel Fast Displacement motor yacht and features a sleek silhouette with black thermo-bonded dark glass windows to keep out prying eyes.

Perhaps most impressive of all is the touch-and-go helipad on the sundeck which can accommodate an Airbus H-135. Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design was brought in to mastermind the lavish interiors. Lusine comfortably sleeps twelve set across six spacious staterooms, each of which has been thoughtfully adorned with bespoke furnishings and elegant sculptures. The most exclusive abode is the owner’s apartment located up on the bridge deck which has its own staircase to ensure total privacy.

heesenyachts.com

Come Together

Next up on our list is the first vessel in Amel’s new 60 Limited Edition Series. Designed by Espen Oeino International and built in the Netherlands, Come Together was delivered to her owner this Spring for an estimated €69.5m (approx. $68.6m).

The gleaming new superyacht spans 196 ft and features a teak deck, steel hull and aluminum superstructure. Winch Design is responsible for the laid-back yet elegant interiors that are reminiscent of a relaxed family home in shades of walnut and bronze.

Come Together has been fitted with a hybrid propulsion system for smooth, quiet cruising and features an expansive sun deck and 157-ft swim platform.

espenoeino.com , winchdesign.com

Winch Design and Heesen also unveiled XV67 at the Monaco Yacht Show – a brand new explorer yacht concept that builds on their XVenture design concept from four years ago.

The 187-ft vessel has been given a refreshed layout and updated with the latest technology. While the robust steel hull remains, she is 32 ft longer than her predecessor and the tenders have been moved to the open aft deck freeing up space for even larger guest cabins and an expansive three-story master stateroom.

As seems to be becoming commonplace onboard the newest superyachts, VX67 boasts a helipad (that functions as an al fresco cinema when not in use) and has space to store a personal submarine on deck.

heesenyachts.com , winchdesign.com

Meyer took the Monaco Yacht Show as an opportunity to share the very first renderings of its sustainable One50 concept. The vessel – which was first unveiled a year ago at the 2021 show – is powered electrically by 25,000 kilowatts enabling her to reach a maximum speed of 23 knots.

After a year long wait to see what One50 could like, the renderings certainly don’t disappoint. Wellness is at the heart of the design; the 492-ft yacht features a retractable swimming pool, massage parlour, sauna and hammam. Other highlights include the top deck which is reserved entirely for the owner’s use and boasts an enormous suite complete with a private terrace.

Four Seasons Yacht

Last but by no means least on our roundup of the most impressive vessels unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show is Four Seasons’ first branded yacht . Slated to set sail at the end of 2025, no expense has been spared by the luxury hotel group, with each suite costing a cool $4.2m to build.

The gigantic vessel will be 679 ft long and 88.6 ft wide with 14 decks and a total of 95 rooms and suites. While the initial launch is just one yacht, the order includes the option to add two further ships in the future – amounting to an eyewatering $1.1bn.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will build the Four Seasons yacht in Trieste before Tillberg Design of Sweden and London-based Martin Brudnizki are brought in to put their stamp on the interiors. As you would expect from the luxury hotel brand, the yacht will feature an array of facilities including gourmet restaurants, bars, and a full-service spa.

fourseasons.com

[See also: The Biggest Superyachts in the World]

Irenie Forshaw

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Everything You Need To Know About The Monaco Yacht Show 2023

• October 2, 2023

Over the past three days, the biggest names in international luxury yachting  came together to witness the breathtaking sight of some of the world’s largest and most expensive superyachts gathered in one port. The Monaco Yacht Show took place between September 27 and 30 and attracted a staggering 30,000 visitors to the small country on the French Mediterranean coast. It was surely the most glamorous event in the cruising enthusiasts calendar.

Now in its 32nd edition, this prestigious superyacht show attracts prospective buyers, designers, builders, suppliers, brokers and superyacht enthusiasts from across place in the world. 

New Arrivals

This year’s impressive superyacht lineup – yachts over 80 feet (24 meters) in length – includes the 43-metre electric catamaran “This Is It,” built by Tecnomar – the Italian Ocean Yacht Group, and the superyacht catamaran “The world’s largest sailboat,” Art Explorer – a museum. The boat – capable of holding up to 2,000 people per day – was built at the Italian shipyard Perini Navi. So, being here at the yacht show is quite unique.

A New Found Focus On Sustainability

Another superyacht launched this year is the 52-metre Baglietto T52, the first in the Italian shipyard Baglietto’s T52 series to feature hybrid propulsion, along with the 49.9-metre “No Stress Two,” Rossinavi’s first hybrid boat. Delivered earlier this year, the 60-metre “Entourage,” the second superyacht in yacht manufacturer Amels’ 60 series, is also on display for the first time. Dutch shipbuilder Heesen will display four yachts, Amare II, Aurelia, My Loyalty, and VanTom, at the event, while German shipbuilder Lürssen’s line-up includes the 97-metre “Carinthia VII,” the largest yacht revealed, and “Lady,” which is 91 meters long. “Lara” is for sale for £243.1 million.

Market State

According to the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show Market Report published by SuperYacht Times, there were 5,695 superyachts over 30 meters in length in operation as of mid-August. However, after record sales in 2021, the market is showing signs of slowing down. The report went on to say that new yacht sales were down 34% in early September, while used yacht sales were down about 25%. “While the numbers will improve, market performance will certainly lag 2022, which was a much slower year following the exceptional market peak in 2021,” the report noted.

Meanwhile, data from superyacht market source BOATPro indicates that the brokerage market sees the total value of superyachts sold increase by 20% in 2022, while aggregate asking prices of yachts sold by brokers also decreased. Pizzardini attributed the decline in sales to the “carpe diem mentality” some customers seem to have about having fun on cruise ships during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Tags: boats , monaco , super yacht , yacht show

Ricky Franklin

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Monaco Yacht Show 2024

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Port Hercule, Monte Carlo, Monaco

25 - 28 Sep 2024

By Katie Scott

One of the world's most prestigious yacht events is set to return to glistening Port Hercule, for another premium edition of the Monaco Yacht Show.

The epitome of premium indulgence, the Monaco Yacht Show is scheduled to run from 25-28 September and is the place to be if you are looking for some of the very best luxury charters or superyachts for sale.

Sporting a layout designed to provide a seamless and effortless transition around the show, on arrival you can expect to be allocated one of three badges, giving you the access you need to view the most relevant exhibits for your requirements.

Incredible yacht charters at the Monaco Yacht Show

The Monaco Yacht Show never falls short on presentation and the 2024 edition looks to be no different. All the yachts on show throughout the beautiful Port Hercule are the very best on the market, with many luxury yacht charters measuring up at 50 meters upwards.

Many of the biggest names in the industry like Sunseeker, Lurssen and Benetti are regular exhibitors at the show, with many brokers also on hand to tell you all about captivating Monaco yacht charters and other indulgent voyages to be enjoyed around the Mediterranean.

Making the most of Monaco

Once you've seen your chosen selection out of the 600 exhibitors at the Monaco Yacht Show, there's still plenty more to see and do with an electrifying social scene.

World-renowned for the high-speed Monaco Grand Prix and the associated high-profile parties, the social scene around Monte Carlo never sleeps. Offering an abundance of glamourous soirees, cocktail parties and, of course, luxury superyacht gatherings, there's enough to keep you entertained until the early hours.

If you're looking to visit the Monaco Yacht Show during your next Mediterranean charter contact your preferred yacht charter broker to start planning your idyllic escape.

Find out more about during the Monaco Yacht Show

Monaco Yacht Show 2024 Location

Port Hercules, Monaco 6 Quai Antoine 1er. Monaco 98011

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Monaco yacht show 2023 with tww: three debuts and a fantastic rebuild on show.

We’re proud to announce that we’ll be presenting four yachts at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show 2023. All four were delivered in 2023 and are available for charter &/sale with TWW Yachts.

Our team will be at the show across all four days, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to schedule a viewing.

55m Admiral SILVER STAR

Our event flagship, SILVER STAR, will be presented in collaboration with The Italian Sea Group. SILVER STAR represents the second unit from the world-acclaimed Admiral S-Force 55 series, which is arguably one of the most successful charter yachts in the world.

The sub-500 GT superyacht offers accommodation for as many as 12 guests, and it features a genuinely bespoke interior by fashion magnate Giorgio Armani. SILVER STAR will be positioned on the ADmiral stand, and we can’t recommend viewing her enough.

SILVER STAR is the only brand-new 55-metre sub-500 GT yacht in her class on the market with immediate delivery.

SILVER STAR is for sale & for charter.

50m Benetti ALUNYA

We’re proud to represent the world debut of the B.Now 50m Oasis Deck series with her builder, Benetti. ALUNYA is hull six from the B.Now 50m series yet the second to feature the sought-after patented Oasis Deck. The redesigned stern provides guests with a very generous 36 square-metre beach club and outdoor living area, making her the ideal yacht for those who love spending time in and near the water.

Accommodation is for as many as 12, and ALUNYA is conservative when cruising and has a range that exceeds typical usage for charter.

ALUNYA will be berthed directly opposite Benetti’s stand.

50.4 Feadship EMERALD

EMERALD was redelivered in February of this year, following a major 16-month rebuild at Balk Shipyard, which included a 1.8-metre stern extension and a modernised interior by UK-based design studio Design Unlimited. Her classic 1990s exterior styling by De Voogt Naval Architects has remained intact, but everything else has been overthrown

The sub-500 GT superyacht is characterised by an Orion Green hull and offers accommodation for up to 14 guests. Untypical on yachts of this size, she features two VIP suites on the main deck and a further four guest staterooms on the lower deck. She can also host 12 crew.

EMERALD joined our charter fleet post-delivery and has proven to be incredibly popular. Her family-focused arrangement, generous al fresco social areas and modern interior packaged in a classic 1990s Feadship platform are a big hit. You’ll find EMERALD berthed on T-central.

EMERALD is for charter.

49.9m Tankoa GREY

Despite being hull five in the Tankoa S501 series, GREY is a stand-alone superyacht. Her commissioning owner worked tirelessly with designers Francesco Paszkowski and Giorgio Cassetta to create something extraordinary – and their efforts were well placed.

GREY was designed from the outside in, with great emphasis paid to alfresco living – and she has an abundance of it. Her Jacuzzi on the sundeck and lounge areas across her three cascading aft decks are an oasis, yet they’ll be hard-pressed to steal the attention of guests who’ll undoubtedly spend more time in the bow lounge. Arguably the most desired bow on a sub-500 GT superyacht, Tankoa built a phenomenal space complete with a large plunge pool and screening area.

GREY is available for purchase, and interested viewers can see first-hand how she’s a true passion project. Not to mention her charter potential if they’d ever like to make an enterprise of her. She can be found berthed at the Tankoa stand.

For any further information please contact [email protected] and any media related enquiries contact Vikki Daras on [email protected] .

New Photography for the 47m ISA AQUAMARINA

We are pleased to present a complete selection of new photographs of the stunning AQUAMARINA. She remains in Dubai where she is available for inspection at short notice.

TWW Yachts at the Palm Beach International Boat Show 2024

With more than 800 luxury boats and accessories on display with a market value exceeding $1.2 billion, the Palm Beach International Boat Show is a

Lady M joins the charter fleet

This impressive sailing yacht is available for charter this summer in the West Med, Croatia, Montenegro and the Ionian Islands.

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The exceptional superyacht event: immerse yourself in a world of grandeur and elegance. Discover the finest collection of superyachts of the year within the idyllic setting of the Port Hercule in Monaco, an iconic location in the Mediterranean and the world's number one yachting destination. Benefit from expert advice and high-end bespoke ...

The Monaco Yacht Show is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Informa PLC About us Investor relations Talent. Ce site est exploité par une ou plusieurs entreprises appartenant à Informa PLC et tous les droits d'auteur leur appartiennent. Le siège social d'Informa PLC est situé au 5 Howick Place, Londres SW1P 1WG.

Obtenez vos billets officiels pour le Monaco Yacht Show et réservez votre place dans l'industrie du yachting. Une expérience incontournable vous attend ! Le Monaco Yacht Show fait partie de la division Informa Markets d'Informa PLC. Informa PLC A propos Investor relations Talent.

TICKETING. Tickets for the Monaco Yacht Show 2024 are not yet available. Mark your calendars for the 33rd edition, taking place from September 25th to 28th, 2024. To be the first to know when tickets are released, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media.

Discover the world of superyachts at the Monaco Yacht Show, the annual international event that showcases the latest launches, trends and experiences in the yachting industry. Book your tickets now for the 2023 edition and explore the afloat and quayside exhibitions.

The Monaco Yacht Show is globally renowned for the exceptional quality and impressive size of its superyachts. Of the hundred or so on display every year, around forty are being unveiled for the first time in their worldwide debut. The average length of the vessels is 50 metres, with some mega yachts exceeding 100 metres. ...

25-29 September 2024 : Yachting's flagship event! An iconic event combining exclusivity, excellence and innovation, the Monaco Yacht Show has established itself and maintained its position over the years as the international meeting for the superyacht sector. A rigorous selection of exhibitors ensures a top quality show, with 500 major ...

Running from 28 September to 1 October, the Monaco Yacht Show 2022 will be attracting a fleet of superyachts and thousands of attendees to the Côte d'Azur for the 31st edition of the prestigious boat show. For four days, Port Hercules will be a hive of activity as thousands of prospective clients and industry players descend on the French ...

The Monaco Yacht Show Superyacht Awards is a glamorous event that celebrates excellence in yacht design and innovation. Attended by VIP guests, yachting industry leaders, and select media, the awards ceremony takes place at the iconic Monaco Yacht Club. A panel of respected yachting journalists selects the winners in categories such as the MYS ...

The average yacht exhibited at the Monaco Yacht Show is 164 feet (50 meters) in length. That's large enough to accommodate 10 guests on board with a crew of up to 9, depending on the hull shape and layout of the yacht. Emma Coady is a freelance writer and marine journalist who creates content for many household names in the boating industry ...

The official YouTube channel of the Monaco Yacht Show.

Interviews. With an average vessel length of 54m, the Monaco Yacht Show is the most renowned and elite celebration of large superyachts in the yachting calendar. In an exclusive new video produced by Superyachts.com, we give viewers a glimpse of the exceptional lineup they can expect to see grace the dockside of Port Hercules this year.

27th - 30th September. TICKETS. Enquire. Set in the iconic Port Hercules in the principality of Monaco, the Monaco Yacht Show represents the pinnacle of luxury. Each year, the MYS curates the exhibition of 125+ extraordinary one-off superyachts built by the world's most respected shipyards and welcomes leaders from the yachting industry.

The Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) is an annual trade show in Monaco, organised by the British events and publishing company, Informa. It was launched in 1991 as a broker-oriented event focused on superyachts over 20 m (66 ft) in length. It is held in Port Hercules, and is Europe's biggest in-water display of large yachts.. In addition to the estimated 125 yachts on display, over 580 exhibitors ...

The Monaco Yacht Show 2023 undoubtedly saw a range of exciting updates for the industry; we take a look at six of the top news that was unveiled during the show. We delve into the announcement of the launch of the first Amels 80, the unveiling of two concept designs from Feadship and Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design, the reveal of Benetti's ...

Lusine. The yacht features a sleek silhouette with black thermos-bonded dark glass windows to keep out prying eyes / ©Heesen. Our list of the best superyachts on display at Monaco Yacht Show would not be complete without mentioning Lusine. The 196-ft vessel is Heesen's largest ever steel Fast Displacement motor yacht and features a sleek ...

Italian shipyard Rossinavi will unveil diesel-electric motor yacht Alchemy, a collaboration with London-based design studio Vitruvius, at the four-day event. Rossinavi. There were 5,695 ...

After the cancellation of the 2020 edition, Monaco Yacht Show 2021 came back with a splash. The event may not have experienced record attendance but with 100 superyachts on show, worth a total of ...

Market State. According to the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show Market Report published by SuperYacht Times, there were 5,695 superyachts over 30 meters in length in operation as of mid-August. However, after record sales in 2021, the market is showing signs of slowing down. The report went on to say that new yacht sales were down 34% in early September ...

Monaco Yacht Show, Monaco. 40,124 likes · 19 talking about this · 17,773 were here. Monaco Yacht Show - Official Page

The Monaco Yacht Show never falls short on presentation and the 2024 edition looks to be no different. All the yachts on show throughout the beautiful Port Hercule are the very best on the market, with many luxury yacht charters measuring up at 50 meters upwards.. Many of the biggest names in the industry like Sunseeker, Lurssen and Benetti are regular exhibitors at the show, with many brokers ...

We're proud to announce that we'll be presenting four yachts at this year's Monaco Yacht Show 2023. All four were delivered in 2023 and are available for charter &/sale with TWW Yachts. Our team will be at the show across all four days, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to schedule … Continue reading "Monaco Yacht Show 2023 with TWW: Three debuts and a fantastic ...