Thursday August 1st to Sunday August 4th, Orca look-out and Muros

 We left Cabo de Cruz via the quayside fuel station, which at Euro1.40 per litre, was popular with cars and boats alike.   We aimed to leave the Ria de Amoura and head north to Ria de Muros.

Pinger to deter Orcas

We’ve been watching out for Orcas, commonly mis-named “killer whales”, whilst actually the largest member of the oceanic Dolphin family, and recognisable by their black and white patterned bodies. 


The males grow to 8 tons, and during the last five years there have been many reports of Orcas attacking boats around the Iberian peninsula.

The typical annual pattern is they start in the spring near the straits of Gibraltar and migrate north with the blue-fin Tuna.  They frequently attack the rudders of vessels around our size, have disabled several boats, and have sunk two already this year.  No fatalities so far.



There is much speculation about why they behave this way, and a lot of advice, some helpful, on how best to stay safe.  Advice includes stop the boat and turn off all engines and depth-sounders, or the exact opposite of keep going and throw firecrackers into the water as a deterrent. 



We carry a “pinger” , a submersible device that emits a loud noise, and a quantity of sand, which, when thrown into the water, it is claimed, interferes with the Orca’s ultrasonic navigation.  We also keep an eye on reports of Orca attacks and sightings.



It was of interest, therefore, to learn that on July 31st, an Orca had been spotted near the head of Ria Arousa, and on August 1st another sighting was reported on the route we were taking.  Therefore, we readied our pinger and kept a better look-out.



If you spot any Orcas in our pictures, please let us know.



Muros is a charming little town with stone buildings, narrow streets, endless places to eat and drink and a well-equipped friendly harbour.  We’ll tell you more later.

Comments

  1. BrettAugust 15, 2024 at 1:41 AM

    There is a very large dolphin in one of your pictures…. I think you Orca check it out?

    ReplyDelete

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