A humpback whale has been rescued after it got trapped in a fishing net off the coast of Mexico.

A diver involved in the rescue, Oscar Ortiz said it appeared the whale had been caught for some time, possibly up to two months judging by the way the net had cut into the flesh of its tail.

He said that when divers arrived to help free the animal, it grew agitated and anxious: "It was turning from one side to the other, and it complained and cried in desperation."

Gradually divers were able to get closer to the whale as it calmed down he said, allowing them to free it from the tangled up fishing net.