A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her -- a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.
She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you, and all those you love, be so fortunate...to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.
9 comments:
No WAY. Wow, what an experience! I always say that every kindness, no matter how small, will always come back to you tenfold. I've seen it come true over and over, but this story is just amazing. I love it!
Thanks Sylvia, that really makes me wish I could have been there to experience it.
My brother sent me this story a while back. I saved it because I thought it was one of the most beautiful interactions between humans and another species of animal. Thanks for reminding me.
What a beautiful story. I think we underestimate the intelligence of living creatures whether they are fish, fowl or of the animal kingdom. Love and kindness can be found in all living things.
This brought tears to my eyes - god bless those rescuers. Like Darlene stated, I think people underestimate a creature such as a whale and the intelligence and awareness that they do possess. What a beautiful moment.
I read this once before, someone emailed it to me, and it's wonderful reading it again - good thing I keep kleenex handy.
I wish also to have been there to witness this . Sometimes all you need is a leg up or in this case a release from the ties that bound. man vs nature..I love it!
Thanks for sharing this amazing event with us ... and sharing the loving blessing as well.
Hugs and blessings,
Wonderful, amazing story.
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