A baby humpback whale is back in deep water after beaching itself on the Gold Coast and then getting tangled in a shark net.

The whale was rescued after stranding itself on Surfers Paradise beach on the Gold Coast, only to become entangled in the net just off shore as it attempted to swim out to sea.

But the snag didn't stop its efforts to get back to the deep and find its mother.

Trevor Long, Director of marine Sciences at Sea World, says his team cut the net away and the calf swam off unharmed.

"It probably took half an hour to cut it free but it's back in deep water and about 500 metres on the other side of the shark net now," he told AAP.