The orca season 2024 ...

Text: Brigitte, photos: firmm

... was rather disappointing in terms of the number of sightings. However, some encounters were very remarkable and intense. We saw the largest of all dolphins 10 times. Five times in July and five times in August. The first two times in July we even encountered them on a two-hour trip.

We saw the largest of all dolphins 10 times. Five times in July and five times in August.

The first two times in July we even encountered them on a two-hour trip.

I was lucky enough to be on one of them on the 15th of July. I had never seen the animals so close before. They came up to the boat and examined the underside curiously. I was standing at the railing at the back of the Spirit and had an orca directly beneath me. It swam alongside the boat, disappeared back under the stern where the rudder is, and continued its inspection. I briefly imagined how the crews of the sailing boats must feel when one or more of these dolphins tamper with the rudder of their boat. I, on the other hand, was able to watch them calmly and with fascination, as they do nothing to our boat. When the orca reappeared on my side, it looked up at me. I could see the eye and sense its gaze. This moment was simply marvellous.

What was special about the 2024 season?

This year we saw two different groups whose behaviour differed significantly. The behaviour of the school from Barbate was unusual and new to us. In the past, juvenile orcas have sometimes had fun in the bubbling water behind the boat, but the fact that they carefully inspect the stern of the boat and stay so close for so long is remarkable.
The usual school around our Matriarch and Camorro, two animals that are part of our adoption program and whom we have known for a very long time, usually like to keep their distance. We met them 5 times in July and August.

In contrast, the group that usually spends time off Barbate and likes to interact with sailing boats is much ‘cheekier’. We saw this school 6 times, of which once, on the 30^th of July, both groups were travelling together.

These animals come closer and on two days they even nudged the boat with their heads. The first time was still gentler. One guest said after the trip: ‘My children didn't even want to come up (note: they were in the lower room with the underwater windows) because the orcas were right in front of the windows and knocked against them.’ The second time it was a bit stronger, and the impacts were also clearly noticeable on top of the boat.
This school is also more insistent with the fishermen. The fishermen therefore get the fish on board more quickly and don't leave them hanging on the side. We once saw a fisherman rapidly pull the motor out of the water when the animals approached.

The Iberian orcas ...

... are a subpopulation that still consists of around 35-40 animals. The IUCN lists them as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the Red List of Threatened Species. This is why they are protected. Sea Shepherd France, together with WeWhale, has therefore made it their mission this year to watch over these animals by patrolling the Strait of Gibraltar and intervening if they are threatened or attacked. We have seen their boat out at sea several times.

This concludes the 2024 orca season and we look forward to many encounters with the other species off the coast of Tarifa.