Passing Gibraltar: How to navigate the Orca Alley
Preparing Ambra for our sailing adventure from the Azores back to the Mediterranean involved meticulous planning, especially considering the recent rise in orca whale attacks on sailing vessels. Our primary concern was ensuring the safety of our crew and vessel, so we decided to equip Ambra with the Whale-PAL, a cutting-edge deterrent device designed to protect against orca encounters. Installation and Setup The Whale-PAL is a torpedo-shaped device that emits a range of acoustic signals to deter orcas. We attached it to the stern of Ambra using a 10-meter steel line and an otter board (included when you buy the device) to maintain a depth of about 2 meters. This setup ensures that the device remains effective without being affected by the boat's speed or sea conditions. Benefits and Effectiveness The Whale-PAL significantly reduces the probability of orca damage from 11% to just 1.8%, an 85% reduction. It emits signals every four seconds, including random secondary sounds to prevent orcas from becoming accustomed to the noise. This increases the likelihood of safely navigating through orca-prone areas to 98.2%. Practical Experience During our voyage, the Whale-PAL provided a noticeable sense of security. The crew felt more at ease knowing that we had a scientifically-backed deterrent in place. This psychological benefit cannot be overstated, as a calm crew is better able to handle unexpected situations. We did not see any Orcas during our passage through Gibraltar. This could be of course luck or may be the PAL protected us. The Whale-PAL does not prevent dolphins from approaching, we saw in fact quite a lot of dolphins passing Gibraltar and they came very close to the boat. Overall, it appears to be a promising solution to help protect boats and crews from [...]