‘Skittish’ sea creature caught in rope and buoys takes 6 days to rescue off California

Whale watchers spotted a humpback whale in a strange predicament off California — then its rescue took six days.

Boats of people noticed that yards of pale blue rope lined the massive creature’s tail as it dragged two buoys behind itself on July 13 off Orange County, according to a July 22 news release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Large whales entangled in gear may be injured and/or impaired, which could affect the ability of individuals to survive and a population’s ability to recover,” NOAA said.

An expert search began that day to locate the whale and free it as quickly as possible.

The process, however, was not swift at all, rescuers said.

Response teams set out looking for the whale, equipped with a drone to scan the surface of that water.

On July 15, they found the whale and got close enough to it to almost set it free. But the humpback was jumping out of the water — a regular activity for the species — and it was far too dangerous for the rescuers to approach the ensnared giant, according to the release.

Teams tried again the next day, and the day after that. No success.

On July 18, the crew nearly reached the whale, getting within proximity to take photos of the entanglement, but the creature avoided them, staying fully submerged underwater and thwarting their attempts to free it that day as well.

“The whale was evasive and skittish,” NOAA said, recounting the ongoing challenges of the mission.

Finally, on July 19, rescuers were at last able to approach the whale. They had brought with them a special knife whose handle was a long, carbon fiber pole. While they were extremely close to the whale, they didn’t have to be on top of it to begin working on the rope.

With extreme care, the team cut the blue rope gripping the whale’s fluke. Finally, it was free. A photo shared by NOAA shows red indentations in the whale’s skin where the rope was.

“This event required a large amount of patience and collaboration,” NOAA said.

Experts ask that if you ever see an entangled marine mammal, report it to the Entanglement Reporting Hotline at 1-877-767-9425 and the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16.

This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 3:58 PM with the headline "‘Skittish’ sea creature caught in rope and buoys takes 6 days to rescue off California."