When I go out to the sea, one of the things I hope to see but rarely do is a whale. These animals have marveled me for a long time. The fact that they can be so huge and friendly at the same time is unique. Now, catching a glimpse of a surfacing humpback whale is truly a rare experience. It is also a beautiful one to behold. These giant mammals of the sea swim to the surface for air for just a couple of seconds before returning to deep waters.
A professional diver by the name of James Moskito is diving one day when he notices a humpback whale on the surface. There is something about what he sees that seems wrong to him. Moskito is working off the coast of San Francisco. He is with a group of volunteers when they all spot the whale. They get really excited initially because of the rare sight. This excitement quickly turns to anxiety. “I remember it like it was just a few minutes ago,” Moskito recalls.
Humpback whales usually surface to the water for a moment or two before returning to deep sea. This one is spending too much time on the surface — Moskito thinks something is wrong and that the animal might be in danger.
“The whale came up on a breath, came up, put its eye above the surface and looked at me, I could tell it was looking at me, and it just stayed there,” James says. James swims out to the whale. He puts his hand on its eye and tells her, “I’m here to help you, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Moskito is sure there is something wrong by now but has no idea what it is. He starts swimming around the whale to see if he can detect the source of the problem. When he goes around, he is stunned at what he discovers. He is surprised the animal is still alive.
He finds a 3,000 lbs. anchor wrapped around the whale’s tail and body. He knows he must do everything he can to free this whale. Some of the rope has gone into the blubber a few inches deep. He can sense that the whale needs help and is desperately trying to find someone to help her from the sad and exhausted look in the whale’s eyes. He is working on it but nothing seems to be helping him free the animal. Will he be able to free this whale before it’s too late?