A Fisheries and Oceans Canada crew caught a whale of a tale Thursday when they sped off the coast of Cape Breton to rescue a young humpback.

A whale-watching company spotted the big animal in big trouble. A rope sawed around its tail, slicing the black skin red and white, and pulled it down into the deep water.

The tourism operation called the DFO and the Coast Guard. Officer Philippe Chiasson took the call at 11:15 a.m.

“I said, well, if there’s a need for us to go out and assess the situation, I’ll go out right away,” he said Friday.

His crew sailed out of Pleasant Bay and soon found the 10-metre whale fighting for its life. The young animal struggled to breathe and to move, as an unseen object at the end of the algae-covered rope anchored it.

“We believe it had been like that for a few days,” he said.

It's not like in the movies. The whale won't stay there waving at you. - Philippe Chiasson

Chiasson steered his boat near the animal and struggled to keep next to the slowly swimming whale, as the ocean swelled and the boat rocked.

The rescue attempt stretched on past 7 p.m., when increasing darkness and deteriorating weather threatened the mission.

Other officers threw a hook toward the tail, hoping to catch the rope and pull it off. On the sixth try, they got the rope and freed the whale.

“It’s not like in the movies. The whale won’t stay there waving at you. If you cut them free, they’re gone,” he said.

The whale vanished into the deep and the exhausted crew sailed home. They never saw what was at the end of the rope.

“It felt great,” Chiasson said. “It’s a huge animal and you don’t want to put anyone else in danger .. but you want to help.”

The rescue was no fluke. This is the second whale Chiasson has rescued.