After Rescuing A Humpback Whale From Nearly Drowning A Group Is Blown Away By Her Gratitude
Oct 07, 2020 by apost team
Did you ever want to go for a ride with a whale? Can you imagine how exciting it would feel to have a whale tow your boat? Or how about an hour-long show of breaching and tail slapping from a humpback?
In this video from 2011, a group that freed a young whale from fishing nets that threatened to drown her were treated by the whale to a one-of-a-kind show.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video :-)
On Valentine’s day, Michael Fishach and his team set sail on the Sea of Cortez for whale watching. They soon encountered a young humpback that seemed lifeless at first, reported Michael's wife Heather in Earth Island Journal. Minutes passed before the whale turned to its side to expel water through its blowhole.
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Realizing that the whale still lived, but remained in danger, Michael decided to take a closer look. Co-founder of the Great Whale Observatory, Michael understood the dangers of approaching a wild animal, especially one in distress. He approached slowly and carefully.
He quickly determined that fishing nets weighed down the whale’s fins. He calmly approached the whale to let her know that he would help and then return to the boat.
The team knew that help would not arrive in time to save the whale. Either they could free the whale, or it would drown. The crew set to cutting the net as quickly as possible, understanding that the whale’s life hung in the balance. Soon, they freed the first fin from the net!
When they did, the whale took off. The crew named the whale Valentina and enjoyed a half-mile tow through the Sea of Cortez from a happy Valentina. However, the work remained. When Valentina finally grew tired, the team started removing the remainder of the net. Before long, they freed Valentina from the net!
A joyous Valentina swam 500 feet from the boat and performed a full breach for the team. For the next hour and over several miles of water, Valentina performed breaches, fin slaps, and several other beautiful maneuvers for her rescuers.
The crew basked in Valentina’s happy, and possibly grateful, performance. As you can see in the video, Valentina held them spellbound while she frolicked through the water. At last, the crew had to return to shore, and they bid Valentina good-bye.
None of them will ever forget the day they saved the life of a humpback whale. They certainly will never tire of retelling the story of Valentina’s joy when released from the net.
Please let us know what you think of the team’s bravery and Valentina’s thank you performance in the comments below. Let all of your friends know where they can watch the amazing story of the team that freed a whale, receiving a ride and a brilliant show for their work!