Bearing witness to any living thing fighting for its life is awful to watch. I’m no fan of potato bugs but even seeing that little guy on its back with its tiny legs squirming is enough to make me bring it outside or end its misery. Even spiders!
Now, these are pretty small time creatures – they basically weigh nothing, they occupy no space, and there’s not that much trouble they can get into. Magnify that panic moment into the form of a humpback whale in the middle of the ocean, and you’ve got a really big issue on your hands!
Sam Synstelien and Nicholas Taron are two commercial eel fishermen for Native Pacific Fisheries. They were out as per usual when they noticed a humpback whale caught in a fishing net. The massive animal was up close to the boat, in fact, it was so close that Sam and Nicholas took this as their cue to step in and do something about it, especially after the Coast Guard informed them they wouldn’t be able to get out that far for a few hours.
The men had to think quick. They made the snap decision to see if they could free the whale themselves, even though they knew the fatal risks involved. The mere strength of the animal’s thrashing tail is enough to cause serious injury, potentially death. Plus, the fact that the whale is stressed out and scared only adds to the danger and impact of the situation.
With Nicholas steering the boat and acting as cameraman and coach, Sam climbs the rail and leaps onto the whale’s back. There’s a moment of struggle on his part as he tries to get a secure grip and find out where the netting is caught. Meanwhile, Nicholas is keeping the morale up, and cheering on his fearless buddy who is literally straddling a 66,000 lb wild animal with his bare hands.
Seconds later, it appears as though Sam’s secured a good position, and Nicholas yells, “Did you get it?!” Sam raises his arms in victory as if to say, “Oh heck yes, I did!” and Nicholas lets out a huge, “YYYYEEEEEAHHHH!” The guys took a massive risk that could have resulted in a terrible incident but ended up being a dramatic triumph. After the big event, Sam says, “I’ve never been that close to a whale! It was like jumping out of a plane skydiving, it was like what am I doing right now? That is a big whale!” And it’s all caught on camera! These guys are heroes.
Click on the video below to watch the extraordinary footage.
