According to Martinez’s partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, Martinez had expressed concerns about the behavior of the killer whales in the weeks leading up to the attack. She mentioned that he had noticed the whales becoming more disobedient, disruptive, and aggressive.
Keto, the orca responsible for Martinez’s death, was a 6,600-pound male killer whale born in captivity at SeaWorld in 1995. At the time of the attack, Keto was on loan to Loro Parque from SeaWorld and had never seen the ocean.
The tragedy unfolded when Martinez attempted to perform a stand-on spy hop, a trick where the trainer balances on the orca as it rises out of the water. However, Keto leaned to one side, and according to another trainer, the orca appeared to intentionally position himself
