In Galicia, at least in part of the Galicia Litoral, summers begin to be marked by something more than the escapes to the beach, the pilgrims, the arrival of Fodechinchos tourists and (unfortunately) forest fires. On its coasts They usually sneak spontaneous ones that attract more and more looks, both for their spectacular and ‘encounters’ that occasionally leave with the small boats that navigate near the estuaries: the orcs.
The summer of 2025 is not an exception.
And for now he has already left some discovery amazing.
What happened? That in recent days the Galician coast has had peculiar protagonists: orcs. It is nothing new. A few years ago We talked to you Already of their incursions in part of the coast of Spain and Portugal and how sometimes they leave the occasional scare when they run into sailboats or small boats. That does not mean that your presence continues to generate expectation, both among the media (even The Times has echoed of sightings) as among the authorities. In fact they have already forced to mobilize Maritime rescue and the Civil Guard.
Where did they see? The Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA) includes a tool on-line which allows to follow the latest interactions between ships and orcs. His map shows sightings in the surroundings of the Gulf of Cádiz, the Portuguese coast, part of the Cantabrian and especially on the Galician coast. On Saturday Maritime Rescue confirmed the existence of three different groups in the Galician Atlantic Strip and The regional press has confirmed the presence of specimens in The Baixas Ríasalthough Gtoa has also registered interactions further north.
Why is it news? For several reasons. The main one, its ‘encounters’ with sailboats. On Saturday maritime rescue already asked the navigators of the region that extreme surveillance on the Galician Atlantic coast and warned that a sailboat had to be towed to the port and another escorted precisely by the presence of orcs. The Pontevedra Civil Account too He spoke A week ago in X of incidents In Costa da Vela, north of the Cíes Islands, with several sailboats involved, and how one of them ended with damage to the helm shovel.
Europa Press assures that as a precaution a regatta and maritime rescue was suspended in charge of these days of remember To the navigators a series of basic guidelines in case of these animals, such as not approaching the bands of the boat or navigating to the coast in search of shallow waters. The normal thing is that the incidents (when there are) do not go beyond blows wave loss of the helm, although there are cases of sailboats that They have ended up anxiety.
But … why do they act like this? The phenomenon It is not exclusive of Galicia and has given rise to multiple theories that explain the behavior of these cetaceans. Some point to food scarcity, the possibility that ORCAS consider vessels as competition or even an unexpected effect of pandemic and the break of nautical activities, resumed in recent years.
Last year a working group of the International Whaling Commission He raised An explanation Much simpler … and curious: the orcas that ram ships are mostly specimens Young and boring They do it as a game, a fun that would not seek to cause intentional damage to the sailboats or the crews that are on board. “It is more playful than intentional,” summarize Alex Cerbino, from the CBI. If true could be a “temporary” behavior, as already Others have been seen.
What exactly do Galicia? That is the other surprise they have left this summer in Galicia. Experts have long known that these animals move chasing the Atlantic red tuna, their favorite delicacy. In fact, the search for food is what explains summer migrations from the Strait of Gibraltar to the north, which in autumn look for deep waters and already in winter return to the narrow area, where they remain until spring, Remember Gtoawhich clarifies in any case that migrations of the Iberian orcs can be “diffuse” and it is not strange that they do not travel in block.
Now experts have found out more than helps to understand the incursions of these cetaceans in the Galician estuaries. A recent investigation of the Institute for the Study of Mulas Vigo lighthouse either The voice of Galicia He has concluded that the Iberian Orcs arrive in Rías such as Aruouso in search of something more than atlantic red tuna. They also do it to capture other of their stars dishes, cephalopods.
What are you looking for? The same as many Galicians and tourists in summer: in addition to squid, the great food of the gray calderones, the orcs look for a good ration of octopus. “They love it!” assures to Lighthouse Bruno Díaz López, director of the BDRI and Doctor of Ecology. “Thanks to the sightings made in recent years and during the weekend in the Ría de Aruous we have resolved a recurring enigma: the orcs penetrate the estuaries to feed on octopus.”
Experts have appreciated “series of long and repeated vertical dives, direction changes, controlled promotions and brief ventilation pauses” that, in their opinion, correspond to the hunting methods used by the cephalopod predators. BDRI experts have even seen Orcas pull nasas for octopuses. In case there were doubts, they have also managed to “visually document specimens emerging with octopus in the mouth.” “This finding explains the repeated entrance of Orcas in the Ría de Arousa in the last three years,” they claim.
Is it important? Yes. Although the orcs go behind the tuna, the finding gives us new information about their incursions in Galicia. “Beyond their main prey in the open sea, the orcs take advantage of coastal trophic opportunities linked to octopus in specific periods,” concludes The director of the BDRI, who remembers that the phenomenon does not fit only with the most recent observations, but also with the documentary records. “It agrees with historical testimonies of Aguiño fishermen who described similar incursions in past centuries and would explain the entrance of Orcas in Aruous the last three years, consecutively.”
Images | Civil Guard (X), National Parks (X) and Mike Doherty (UNSPLASH)
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