Whales are some of the most incredible animals on planet Earth.
These animals are truly gigantic in a way that’s hard for us humans to fathom. They also are able to communicate with each other simply by using sounds. Plus, according to Owlcation, humpback whales sing complex songs that are precise, and every humpback whale has their own unique song.
What would you do if you saw a giant humpback whale swimming towards you while you were underwater? Even though most people know that whales are gentle, it’s still a bit disconcerting to see such a gigantic animal going toward you.
These gentle giants can grow to be around 50 feet in length and 80,000 pounds in weight, yet their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish.
You may think that because humpback whales are so big, they would never need the help of a human. According to the following story, however, that may not be particularly true…
James Moskito is a professional diver and volunteer that was in charge of a massive effort in order to free a trapped humpback whale off the coast of San Francisco, California. Moskito recalls,
“I was the first diver in the water, and my heart sank when I saw all the lines wrapped around it.”
The humpback whale was trapped in a massive tangle of rope, and it was up to Moskito and other volunteers to save this poor whale.
“Some of the individual ropes went into the blubber two or three inches deep. I put my hand on the whale and I told the whale, ‘OK. This is gonna hurt.’ The whale was so cooperative, it would open its mouth and a guy would put his hand up inside of it and pull pieces of rope out of the baleen, one by one.”
After a rescue that took over five hours, the whale was finally free from the ropes that were equivalent to a 3,000-pound trap.
What did the whale do in response to these volunteers’ heroic efforts? According to Moskito, the whale swam next to the volunteers and rubbed up against them. Then the whale dove underwater, came back up to the surface, and approached Moskito and rubbed up against him as a show of affection! Moskito says:
“Out of the 26 years I spent in the military doing high-risk and other rescues, there’s been nothing more gratifying than this rescue. Nothing.”
The video quickly went viral, garnering over 6 million views.
Many people took to the YouTube comments to share their love for the video. One commenter wrote:
It’s amazing to see how this whale thanks the rescuer, and we’re so glad the whale is okay.
Check out the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family!
Source: White Shark Video, Owlcation
