Footage shows terrifying moment yacht is sunk by a pod of orcas

Footage has shown the terrifying moment a yacht sinks off the coast of Portugal after having a run-in with a pod of orcas.

Also known as 'killer whales', the sea creatures may look intimidating, but they almost never mean any harm towards humans.

The reality is though, that orcas have the size and features to cause damage, even if they don't intend to.

We may never know what their true intentions were, but a pod of these orcas repeatedly rammed the hull of the vessel off the coast of Fonte de Telha beach in Portugal.

Footage uploaded to social media shows one orca continuously striking the sailboat, which belonged to the Nautic Squad Club.

As the blows continued, the yacht can be seen going from side to side in the viral footage before tilting and submerging and finally sinking into the sea.

Luckily, all five on board the boat were rescued, while some nearby boats tried, and failed, to tow it to safety.

According to the Maritime Authority, the first alert was sounded at 12.30pm on 13 September, with Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre receiving the call.

Lifeguards were dispatched straight away to provide assistance, as the orcas kept ramming the hull of the vessel.

Unfortunately, those on board the tourist yacht weren't the only ones in danger, as four people from a second yacht, which was further north off Cascais, needed help as the same orcas also attacked them.

Orcas may be able to eerily mimic humans, but they could also easily end the lives of humans.

All nine people on board the vessels in question were soon rescued by other tourist boats nearby before lifeguards made it.

It was reported that everyone was in a healthy condition and didn't need any medical assistance, in what was a rare case of an orca 'attack'.

In the comments below the video, people were mindful of the boats likely being on the orcas' water or territory, with one writing: "They're on their territory, I believe this boat is safe and the best part is people were saved," in a comment translated from Portuguese.

Another pointed out that we may not understand what the wild orcas are doing, saying that 'it's not intentional or for bad' in their opinion.

The occurrence draws similarities to another pod of killer whales that attacked a different pair of boats off the Spanish coast, with crew members labelling the experience as 'very scary'.

These attacks took place off Galicia, northwest Spain, with many experts spotting several pods in the area in recent weeks.