A juvenile humpback whale that had become stranded in shallow water in La Paz Bay was rescued Sunday by authorities and citizens who used a rope and boats to pull the cetacean into deeper water.

According to Octavo Dia, the rescue effort lasted two-plus hours and the whale seemed to swim freely away despite the long and very dramatic ordeal.

(The accompanying Cabovision video shows part of the rescue effort, including the whale being pulled from the shoal. It does not show the whale swimming to freedom.)

"The effort followed the protocol for marine mammal rescue," Octavo Dia reported. "The struggle to save the whale lasted over two hours, but the successful results incited elated uproar in the concerned witnesses."

The whale had become stranded beyond El Coromuel Beach during low tide. El Coromuel is north of La Paz, which is the capital of Baja California Sur. Among those assisting in the rescue effort were members of a local stranding network.





Jonathan Roldan, who runs the Tailhunter International sportfishing business in La Paz, posted this statement along with four photos on its Facebook page:



"Hope you got to see this yesterday. It was incredible. About 30 pangas and launches out there trying to help this stranded whale right off the beach on one of the shoals. Folks were lined up in the streets with cameras and binoculars."

--Photo is courtesy of Octavo Dia