Peter Wiley wrote:
..... AFAIK, tho,
there's never been a *proven* attack by a killer whale on a human,
which means either they don't do it or they're smart enough to not get
caught. Leopard seals have attacked & killed humans. More territorial
than food, I suspect, never really looked into it.


Y'know, what would it take for an orca attack on a human to be "proven?"
A lot of folks with no incentive to lie have reported attacks by orcas.


Overproof will probably see the ocean in May. That clip provided by Ganz on
another post was very entertaining.... it's amazing to see a vessel
flounder in such a mild wave. It's indicative of the lack of talent and
ability of sailors in his area.


My my... one guy sails into the surf and all of a sudden nobody in the
whole area is a good sailor?

BTW I didn't think that such a "mild" wave for a 22 foot boat. Looked
like approx 1/2 it's LOA, very steep, and most of it was breaking.

Double the size of the wave and you have the Gull Rocks at the mouth of my
bay with breaking seas..... my double ender surfs that with no problem.


Different boat, different conditions. And you have a real scary knife, too.


Yeah, but you have a real sailboat. Ever read Tilman's account of
sailing to Bylot Island? Worth it if you appreciate cold, remote
places.


No but thanks for the ref. Have you read 'Castaway on Cae Breton' by
Prenties (1780) and Burrows (1823)? A very interesting pair of
narratives, including a lot of rough weather small boat sailing.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

In article , DSK
wrote:

Peter Wiley wrote:
..... AFAIK, tho,
there's never been a *proven* attack by a killer whale on a human,
which means either they don't do it or they're smart enough to not get
caught. Leopard seals have attacked & killed humans. More territorial
than food, I suspect, never really looked into it.


Y'know, what would it take for an orca attack on a human to be "proven?"
A lot of folks with no incentive to lie have reported attacks by orcas.

What sort of attacks? I've read the accounts of Scott's party in
Antarctica where they thought killers were trying to get at them on the
ice - they had horses (ponies) with them at the time. Killers certainly
are curious, smart and well equipped. I'm not aware of any attacks by
killers on humans, tho, and not any where the people were in the water.
OTOH there are a lot of cases where great white sharks have taken
people for food, ditto leopard seal attacks on people in Antarctica.

No but thanks for the ref. Have you read 'Castaway on Cae Breton' by
Prenties (1780) and Burrows (1823)? A very interesting pair of
narratives, including a lot of rough weather small boat sailing.

No, haven't seen them. Might need to add them to the search list.

I'm off to dry dock this afternoon, see you guys in a week or 2. Have
fun ignoring the flonkies.

PDW

Y'know, what would it take for an orca attack on a human to be "proven?"
A lot of folks with no incentive to lie have reported attacks by orcas.


Peter Wiley wrote:
What sort of attacks? I've read the accounts of Scott's party in
Antarctica where they thought killers were trying to get at them on the
ice - they had horses (ponies) with them at the time.

Yep. Almost every polar expedition reports similar, horses/ponies or
not. Old time whalers reported a fair number of the same, although in
some cases it's not clear if they were talking about orcas or sharks. I
have in mind an incident occurring sometime in the mid-1850s with one of
the first New England whalers in the Bering Sea... an orca (positively
identified by the reported physical characteristics) deliberately
stalking & sinking whaleboat, and eating some of the crew. A couple were
survivors rescued out of the water by a companion whaleboat.

There are many reported similar episodes, but the one that stands out in
my mind and one that includes a very clear description of a killer
whale. Is this "documented"? I'm not claiming so, but I'm not dismissing
it lightly either.


... Killers certainly
are curious, smart and well equipped.

Yep. IMHO orcas & dolphins... probably a number of cetaceans... are as
smart as we are (well, some of us).


....I'm not aware of any attacks by
killers on humans, tho, and not any where the people were in the water.

Well, it depends on how much & what type of reading you do, and whether
you believe the stories. IMHO even if you dismiss a large percent of
stories of killer whales eating people, there's a large enough body of
evidence to say that it's probably happened once or twice.

OTOH there are a lot of cases where great white sharks have taken
people for food, ditto leopard seal attacks on people in Antarctica.


Oh yeah. Leapard seals are mean critters.


I'm off to dry dock this afternoon, see you guys in a week or 2. Have
fun ignoring the flonkies.


What's a "flonkie"? Are they like a horvath, only not as well trained?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King