Divers save humpback whale

Written by Jo Mattock Friday, 18 November 2011 15:38

The 12m-long whale, which got into difficulties off the coast of Dunbar, Scotland, became stuck in the lines that were anchored to the seabed.

The whale had been surfacing in order to breathe and then diving beneath the water again, though its movements were hampered by the weight of the ropes and an estimated 30 lobster pots. As the tide rose, the whale was in danger of drowning.

Volunteers from the BDMLR and the RNLI worked to untangle the whale.   

'We identified which line was coming from the whale and used six buoys to mark it,' said Ali Jack, national organiser of BDMLR for Scotland.
'We managed to cut the line and at first the whale took off with the six buoys attached to it. It was like a scene from Jaws if you can imagine. We chased him for a bit in the lobster boat and cut the line with the buoys away.'

'There were some wounds on the body as you could expect after the struggle. It might be a bit sore for a while but there was nothing we would consider as life-threatening.'

The rescue was captured by TV cameras. To watch the video, click here.