One year ago a Humpback whale was saved from drowning after being entangled in a fishing net. The Humpack was spotted in a whale watching tour by Arctic Sea Tours in Dalvik, North Iceland.
Rescue mission was planned on the way back as Freyr Antonsson owner of Arctic Sea Tours whale watching and four members of the Rescue team in Dalvik hurried to the scene. After monitoring the situation they began cutting and working towards freeing this giant whale.
“We had been out in a whale watching tour in the morning and it was very clear to us straight away that something was wrong. The Humpback was always in the same place, not diving, not lying still, always agitated, when we came closer we saw a buoyancy and the net was visible arround the fluke, across the body and inside the mouth” says Freyr.
With a guidance from the members of Emergency response team on whales in danger in Iceland, the team began freeing the Humpback. Slowly they got closer and closer getting a grip of the net and step by step cutting one meter away.
“The 10 years experience of working in the whale watching helped me and the team. We were on a 7 meters boat but the whale was 13 meters, so easily the whale could have capsized us. But as we got closer you could feel that the whale was calm and as work progressed it was clear to us that the whale was helping by turning when needed and in these moments you could feel the connection. All the time as we were almost on top of this gentle giant, just once the whale touched the boat. As seen in the video the whale was very careful when raising its head or fluke arround us” says Freyr.
The Humpback whale was spotted at 10:30 in the morning and then it was free from entanglement at 14:30. Great team effort and still it gives warmth in the heart to being able to save one of our dearest Humpback whale.
Video of the humpback getting saved
Special thanks and warm regards to the brave rescue team members
Kristján Guðmundsson, Arinbjörn Ingi Guðmundsson, Sólrún Anna Óskarsdóttir and Haukur Arnar Gunnarsson.