A French family of five was safely rescued after a pod of Orcas attacked and sank their 36-foot yacht off the coast of Portugal last week.

The incident occurred roughly 55 nautical miles off the coast of Peniche, a coastal city north of Lisbon and some 350 nautical miles north of the Strait of Gibraltar, when the Orcas rammed the hull several times causing it to flood.

A couple and their three children, aged 8, 10, and 12, onboard the vessel were forced to abandon ship.

After activating their distress beacon, the family was able to enter a life raft and await rescue. A nearby fishing boat called the Silmar responded to the emergency call and took the family aboard before authorities arrived.

A statement from the Portuguese Air Force corroborated the rescue and included dramatic video footage of an Air Force EH-101 Merlin helicopter deploying rescue personnel onto the deck of the Silmar.

According to the statement, the rescue operation began around 8:45 pm local time and the family was safely rescued by 11 pm with all five airlifted to shore without injury, although it's unknown how long the family was in the life raft awaiting rescue. A Navy frigate, the D. Francisco de Almeida, and a lifeboat from the Peniche Port Authority were also deployed as part of the coordinated rescue. The family was taken to Montijo Air Base, and from there to a local hospital for evaluation.

A spokesperson for the Portuguese Air Force confirmed the cause of the sinking, stating: “(t)he sailboat, carrying a couple and three children, was attacked by a group of orcas, who damaged the boat leading it into the water. Following the incident, the five people abandoned the boat using a life raft, being later picked up by a fishing vessel that was nearby."

The incident is yet another in a growing list of interactions between Orcas and sailing yachts in the region, although interactions along the Portuguese coast are less common than in Spain and Morocco to the south. Most incidents have occurred directly within the Strait of Gibraltar which separates Spain and Morocco, although incidents have been reported as far north as France, over 800 nautical miles north of the Strait.

The problem has gotten so bad authorities have warned boaters the Orcas should be considered a permanent risk in the Strait. Their behavior has been consistently studied by scientists, with the leading theory being that a particular pod of whales has learned to interact with the boats as a 'game' they find entertaining, not as a direct show of aggression. In nearly all instances, the whales 'bump' the rudder or daggerboard, often resulting in rudder damage, although in some instances a has caused a sinking of the vessel. Scientists don't believe the interactions are meant to be aggressive, but rather as a learned behavior older Orcas have passed on to younger offspring.

According to Portugal’s Maritime Authority, 61 alerts about Orca activity have been issued so far this year — up from 45 in 2024. Experts with the Cruising Association, a team of scientists and researchers tracking the phenomenon, say encounters have become increasingly common in the Bay of Biscay, which indicates a potential northern area of operation for the whales. The Bay of Biscay is north of Spain and west of France, some 900-1000 nautical miles from the Strait of Gibraltar where the incidents first began.