On the Valentine’s Day of 2011, Michael Fishbach, the co-founder of The Great Whale Conservancy (GWC) with his family and friends were cruising the Sea of Cortez. The group spotted a humpback whale that was floating in the ocean. The whale appeared dead.
After some time, the whale raised his head and forcefully exhaled. Michael realized the humpback’s pectoral fins were entangled in a fisherman’s net and it had difficulty breathing.
The giant humpback whale was tangled up in the nets of local fishermen. The gentle giant wasn’t able to swim because its fins and tail were completely caught in the netting.
The team called for help and found out it would be at least an hour before assistance could arrive.They knew they had to act fast if they were going to rescue the whale.
They carefully positioned their boat and began their rescue plan. At one point, the whale attempted to swim and the crew was pulled over a half mile before the whale tired and stopped to let them continue working on the net.
The whale was named Valentina, and finally, with perseverance, the team was able to free her. As a token of appreciation, Valentina took the group for a ride for several miles.
After tasting the spark of freedom, the rescued whale swam away. Valentina lifted her head, breathed easily and appeared to do a happy dance. The group followed her for about four miles before bidding her goodbye.
Check out the video below of Valentina’s marvelous rescue. You won’t want to miss the end when she gives them a thank you wave.
