A sailor whose boats have been attacked by orcas twice claims the mammals are learning to be faster and more organised.

Ship captain Dan Kriz was first ambushed in 2020 and when he was targeted again by the same pod earlier this year – he noticed marked differences in how they behaved.

It comes a amid a rise in orca attacks on boats along the Strait of Gibraltar.

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Delivery skipper Dan, who has over 20 years of experience at sea, recalled his first brush with the killer whales in 2020.

He told Newsweek: "I was sailing with my delivery crew through the Strait of Gibraltar delivering a yacht when I was surrounded with a pack of eight orcas, pushing the boat around for about an hour.

"We were one of the first boats experiencing this very unusual orcas' behaviour."

The orcas caused significant damage to the ship's rudder and Dan and his crew had to be towed to the nearest marina in Barbate, Spain.

Three years later, the orcas reappeared.

Dan said: "While delivering a catamaran…the same pack of orcas appeared out of nowhere."

Dan said he advised his crew to stay calm and noticed the orcas had refined their strategy since their first encounter.

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"First time, we could hear them communicating under the boat," the captain said. "This time, they were quiet, and it didn't take them that long to destroy both rudders.

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

Dan added: "After about 15 minutes, they left, and we started motoring in the direction to Barbate.

"Suddenly, one big adult orca started chasing us. In a couple of minutes, she was under the boat, and that was when we realised there was still a little piece of fiberglass left and she wanted to finish the job. After that, we didn't see them anymore."

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