Fisherman jumps on entangled whale's back, cuts it free

These commercial fisherman spend most of their days trapping sea creatures, not freeing them.

But when Nicholas Taron and Sam Synstelien were headed back into Morro Bay after a day of work, they noticed something unusual: a humpback whale in distress, tangled in rope attached to a buoy.

"[The whale] was just swimming in counter-clockwise circles," Taron told KNTV. "You could tell he was stressed and being held to the bottom."

They reported the entangled whale to the U.S. Coast Guard, who told them they wouldn't be able to respond for hours.

So Taron and Synstelien took matters into their own hands.

ALSO: This woman called 911 on some humpback whales in the water. No, seriously.

Synstelien leapt onto the massive whale's back as it struggled, spouting and even slamming its tail against the boat. Taron caught the whole rescue on camera, as he shouted at Synstelien to free the humpback before it dove too deep for them to do anything.

In the end, they were victorious. You can hear the two celebrating after Synstelien successfully cut the rope and the humpback takes a deep dive.

ALSO: Blue whale sightings spike off California coast

But things could have ended up a lot worse, for both the rescuers and the whale.

Sam Synstelien jumped on the entangled humpack's back and cut the rope. Sam Synstelien jumped on the entangled humpack's back and cut the rope. Photo: Screenshot / @fv_persistence On Instagram Photo: Screenshot / @fv_persistence On Instagram Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Fisherman jumps on entangled whale's back, cuts it free 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

"Although we appreciate and share the concern of the fishermen, we want to discourage this kind of response from the public. Safety of life at sea is our top priority and this incident could have gone in a completely different direction. We highly encourage the maritime community to observe and report these cases to professionals who are properly trained and equipped to respond to distressed marine wildlife," the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement to SFGATE.

Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agreed.

"While we are relieved the fishermen were not harmed and the whale may have been freed, we fear this video is a very dangerous example, and may encourage others to attempt such a response in the future," the agency said in a statement. "Even authorized, trained responders have been killed while attempting to disentangle whales using the best techniques and specialized equipment.

"Best practice for dealing with an entangled whale is to never get into the water with it, as these animals are very powerful and dangerous in close proximity. In addition, every entangled whale is not necessarily in imminent danger, meaning that there is time to wait for the authorized responders and not requiring these types of emergency actions. And cutting just the visible lines may not totally free the animal, making it harder for responders to help."

If you see an entangled whale, you should immediately call (877) SOS-WHALE (877–767–9425) or contact the Coast Guard on VHF CH-16.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.

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