We Have Video of Another Orca Boat Attack, as One Bites the Rudder Right Off a Yacht

In 1820, the Nantucket whaleship Essex was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale while hunting in the middle of the Pacific. The furthest point from land on the globe, as it turned out. The survivors took to the open ocean in lifeboats. And the few who survived did so in large part through cannibalism. The story inspired Herman Melville's Moby Dick. It is the subject of Nathaniel Philbrick's history book In the Heart of the Sea, and the Ron Howard film of the same name. 

The incident has gotten so much attention not because we love stories of dudes eating other dudes, but because it was so unusual. In fact, the Essex is the only known incident of a whale sinking a ship in the thousands of years humankind has been sailing the seas. The only one. 

Yet the way things are going, it won't be the last. 

In case you haven't been paying attention, we are in the early stages of a whale uprising. Led by orcas. With one orca in particular, whose human name is White Gladis, seemingly running the show. She is to the orcas what Caesar was to The Planet of the Apes:

White Gladis and her minions have been going after boats off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, which is comprised of Portugal and Spain. And now these sneak attacks are spreading right to the mouth of the Mediterranean: 

Source - This is the terrifying moment an orca whale circles a high-end yacht before savagely tearing off its rudder - leaving the boat's crew adrift off the coast of Gibraltar.

The vessel, a 48-foot catamaran, was attacked during a delivery voyage, with footage showing the whale biting off part of the boat which is crucial for steering.

Czech skipper Daniel Kriz, 61, said: 'My first reaction was: "Please! Not again". … They are very powerful and smart. '

The captain said he was among the first to have his boat attacked in the bizarre phenomenon back in 2020, when eight orcas surrounded him and pushed the boat for around an hour.

They broke off his rudder then, leaving his boat needing to be towed. Now, he says, the orca attacks have become even more sophisticated. 

'The first time we could hear them communicating under the boat. This time they were quiet and didn't take them that long to destroy both rudders.

'Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing."

Oh, OK. No big deal. Just one of the smartest creatures on the planet, with the biggest brains ever to exist in any living being, are getting smarter. Their learning curve is going up at an alarming rate. At least when it comes to coordinating ambushes us stupid, puny-brained monkeys up on the surface don't see coming.

Now they're learning how to launch these surprise offensives without even talking to each other. While Gladis is probably teaching them how to do sign language with their flippers, like she's the Third Base Coach of the sea. They're going in stealthier than SEAL Team 6 busting into the compound at Abbottabad. All you feel is a few bumps and seconds later, they're doing an exfil with your rudder in their teeth. laughing at you while you're adrift in the middle of nowhere.

And the truly scary thing is, they don't even have to be this clever. This is their neighborhood. They control this turf. They can destroy your 48-foot catamaran like it's a pool noodle, and there's not a damned thing Captain Kriz or anyone else can do about it. Unless pleasure boats are armed with harpoons with explosive tips, which I doubt. Though I highly recommend giving the fact they've declared war on us. 

So far, this appears to be limited to this species of whale and this part of the European coastline. But it's only a matter of time. All whales are highly adaptive creatures. And soon enough the others will see how well this is working out for killer whales and follow their lead. Then it'll be the dolphins and porpoises, seals and sea lions. Before you know it, we'll be living in a fucking Aquaman movie, but with no amphibious superhero to fight our battles for us.

I just don't think we have the will to do anything about it. Humans feel super guilty about hunting them almost to extinction and outlawed killing them. Now it's like they sense our weakness and while they have an opening, they're going to exploit it. Unless we wake up to the very real threat we're facing and start fighting back, it'll be too late to stop it. In fact, it might already be too late, given how exponentially fast his bloodthirsty sea mammals are learning how vulnerable we are. Soon our ships and boats will be blanketing the ocean floor like so many seashells. And when that day comes, prepare to bend the knee to your new queen, White Gladis I. Be afraid. Be very afraid.