VIDEO: Divers Spot Humpback Whale Trapped in Driftnet, Cut Her Free — and Then She Says ‘Thank You’

VIDEO: Divers Spot Humpback Whale Trapped in Driftnet, Cut Her Free — and Then She Says ‘Thank You’
Sharkmed/Agustí Torres / NGO Xaloc/Héctor Gago / Pedro Riera via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-meter-long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca.

One of the divers, 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras, said the May 20 rescue and a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal were also a birthday present for her — the “best ever,” in her words.

“It was like out of this world, it was incredible, just incredible,” she told Reuters the following Tuesday. It was only the third time that a humpback had been seen around the Balearic Islands.

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The weakened whale had been spotted by a ship about three miles (4.83 km) off the eastern coast of Mallorca, prompting Palma de Mallorca’s Aquarium marine rescue center into action.

A 12-meter-long humpback whale is seen entangled in a drift net near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. (Reuters/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago)
A 12-meter-long humpback whale is seen entangled in a drift net near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. Reuters/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago
Spanish divers try to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. (Reuters/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago)
Spanish divers try to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. Reuters/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago
Spanish divers seen from underwater, trying to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. (Reuters/Pedrosub)
Spanish divers seen from underwater, trying to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. Reuters/Pedrosub

They discovered the whale completely trapped in the red fishnet, so it could not even open its mouth.

After initial attempts to cut the net from a boat failed, divers from Albatros and Skualo diving centers joined the effort and plunged into the sea to remove the mesh with their knives in a daring 45-minute operation.

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“The first 10 seconds she got a bit nervous, you know, like bubbles everywhere, but then I don’t know, call me crazy but I think she knew we were there to help her and she just relaxed and we started working from the front of her mouth backwards,” said Albatros owner Torras.

“We kept cutting and cutting and she kind of gave a little wiggle to get herself out of it,” Torras said, adding that the mammal then stayed for a bit to regain her strength in the company of the four divers and even gave what looked like “a little thank-you sign” before swimming off.

Nicknamed “walls of death” for the quantity of other sea life they catch in addition to the fish they are set for, drift nets were banned by the United Nations 30 years ago.

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(Sharkmed/Agustí Torres / NGO Xaloc/Héctor Gago / Pedro Riera via Reuters)
Spanish divers attempt to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. (Reuters/Pedrosub)
Spanish divers attempt to cut a drift net off a 12-meter-long humpback whale that got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on May 20, 2022. Reuters/Pedrosub
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