Spanish divers free whale entangled in fishing net - video

In the waters of the Balearic Sea, near Mallorca, Spanish divers have freed a whale entangled in a fishing net.

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Last Friday, 20 May, Spanish divers freed a 12-metre humpback whale that was in mortal danger. The animal had become entangled in a drifting fishing net and, had it not been for the help of people, would certainly have died soon.

A weakened marine mammal in distress about 5km off the east coast of Majorca was spotted by the crew of a passing ship. People who came to help noticed that the animal was completely entangled in a red net. The humpback whale was restrained to the extent that it could not even open its mouth.

Spanish divers come to the rescue

Unfortunately, the boat crew’s attempt to free the whale was unsuccessful. Therefore, a group of divers arrived on the scene, whose task was to cut out the entangled humpback whale. Divers from local diving centres Albatros Diving and Skualo Porto Cristo efficiently and quickly freed the gentle colossus. The whole operation lasted about 45 minutes, after which the whale enjoyed freedom again. Interestingly, this was only the third confirmed sighting of a humpback whale near the Balearic Islands.

He was a little nervous for the first ten seconds. Then, I don’t know, call me crazy, but I think he knew we were there to help him and he relaxed. We started working from the side of his muzzle, going along his torso to his tail – said Gigi Torras, owner of Albatros Diving centre.

The tired whale stayed for a while in the company of the four divers to recover before continuing on its way. Dive participants also said that before it swam away, it made what looked like a small sign of thanks.

Stripped ghost nets are a serious problem and a deadly danger to marine wildlife. Entangled animals face a slow, agonising death. In such cases, the only salvation is the help of humans, who, as in this case, can cut out the trapped creatures.

Photo: Pedro Riera Llompart, Pedro Sub

If you want to get to know these wonderful creatures better, you have to read the article by Małgorzata Sobońska. Her text about Humbacks can be found in the 17th issue the DIVERS24 quarterly magazine! The digital version of the magazine is available free of charge, while the printed version you can buy in our online shop.