HUMPBACK WHALE FREED FROM SEA FLOOR IN DRAMATIC OCEAN RESCUE
WITH VID AND PIX
BY SAM PRINGLE
A juvenile Humpback Whale entangled in a heavy chain was freed in a heroic rescue by whale guides.
At 11am, a whale-watching boat reported a distressed whale thrashing at the surface in Ha’apai, Tonga. The young female was caught in a float line, with a chain pulling tightly around her tail and anchoring her to the sea floor 70 metres below.
A rescue boat was quickly launched from the nearby resort, carrying four experienced whale guides - Dickie, Aaron, and Toby Goddard from Cornwall, UK, and Australian guide Miesa Grobbelaar - along with resort owner Darren Rice from Sussex, UK.
Darren said: “Using cutting tools, the team entered the water and found the whale stressed but surprisingly calm.
“After a tense operation, they managed to sever the chain and release her from the entanglement.
“In a moving moment, the whale circled the divers slowly before swimming away into deeper waters - free and unharmed.”
Viewers were stunned with one commenting: “Amazing! Well done and thank you for saving her with urgency and care!”
With a second watcher adding: “Legends! I just love how they know they are being helped. She’ll be a regular now for sure, popping in to see those who saved her!”
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