A group of young Norwegian women found themselves living a real-life “Jaws” moment when a pair of massive killer whales attacked their tourist yacht off the coast of Lisbon — and the bizarre way they tried to fend them off is straight out of TikTok.
Elise Wurschmidt, 20, was sailing with three friends aboard the Nova Vida on September 13 when the orcas suddenly started ramming their vessel, spinning the steering wheel out of control and threatening to sink them.
“We saw this huge orca right by the side of the boat — its size was unreal,” Elise told reporters. “When it hit the rudder, everything stopped working. We were just spinning around, completely helpless.”
With the boat circling aimlessly and waves slamming against the hull, the terrified friends resorted to a desperate folk remedy they’d heard about online — pouring vinegar into the ocean to scare the whales away.
“We honestly don’t think it did anything,” Elise admitted. “But when you’re terrified, you’ll try anything. At least it felt better than doing nothing!”
For a few tense minutes, the orcas kept ramming the yacht before finally backing off — possibly startled when the crew reversed the engine. “The propeller might’ve freaked them out,” Elise said. “We just wanted to survive.”
Nearby, another boat named Oceanview wasn’t as lucky. According to witnesses, a pod of five or six orcas sank that vessel just 500 yards away. Thankfully, everyone aboard was rescued.
The shaken tourists were eventually able to steer their damaged boat back to shore in Cascais after rigging a temporary rudder. “We’re just grateful to be alive,” Elise said. “It’s something I’ll never forget — or want to repeat.”
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