These men were out for a relaxing day of fishing when the unthinkable happened. Approached by a huge whale, they needed to think quickly to make it through the situation. The whale continued to approach them and the men quickly realized why, and it was unbelievable!
23. Sailing
Image: Dailystar.co.uk
Ivan Iskenderian and Michael Riggio were out on their usual fishing trip. The two were making their way back home through Middle Harbor in Sydney, Australia. Their fishing day had been unsuccessful and they were ready to call it quits. Until this happened…
22. Being Watched
Image: Scribol
The two were directing the boat back home and were going through the harbor’s Roseville boat ramp. However, the two began to grow suspicious that someone or something was following them and they weren’t the only ones to notice…
21. Whale Sighting
Image: National Geographic
All of the boats in the vicinity quickly realized what it was: a whale. A whale had been spotted in the area a few days ago and now it was up and close to Iskenderian’s boat. The whale was a few inches away, but something was wrong…
20. Recollection
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“He was just hanging around, bringing his eye out of the water and looking directly at us,” Iskenderian told The Sydney Morning Herald. The two men were so close to the whale that they could hear it breathing in the water. It was an astonishing sight!
19. Loud
Image: Scribol
When describing the sound of the whale, Iskenderian was quoted saying it was, “immensely loud.” The whale was acting unusually and the men noticed that it kept popping its head in and out of the water. The men then realized that the whale was in need of help.
18. Help Needed
Image: Scribol
“He came up to the boat a couple of times, putting his head out of the water,” Iskenderian explained to the paper. It was clear that something was wrong, but they just couldn’t understand what. Until they got a closer look!
17. Something Was Wrong
Image: Daily Mail
Even though whales in that area are pretty accustomed to people, it was very weird that the animal got so close to the boat. It was very unlikely that the whale just wanted to say ‘hi’. Something was wrong and they had to find out what!
16. Taking A Closer Look
Image: Daily Mail
One of the men decided that he wanted to help the poor animal in any way possible so he got closer. When he took a closer look, he finally understood what the whale wanted!
15. It Was In Pain
Image: Imgur
“There was a plastic bag and fishing line sitting on the side of his mouth. It seemed like he wanted it taken off.” The man reached his hand and when he touched it…
14. Helping Out
Image: mb.ntd.tv
“So I dropped my phone, reached over and just grabbed it,” Iskenderian said. The fishermen were naturally nervous but couldn’t leave without helping out. “It was a bit daunting,” Iskenderian confessed. “But the whale was very calm.” And then, something amazing happened!
13. Success
Image: Scribol
Iskenderian was able to successfully remove the plastic bag from the whale and the whale was certainly grateful. The whale began to slap his fin across the surface of the water to show his gratitude. “Apparently, that’s what they do when they’re relaxed,” Iskenderian said.
12. A Thank You
Image: Daily Mail
“It seemed quite happy; it could have been a kind of thank you,” Iskenderian recounted. While not much is known about the whale they were able to figure out the type of whale. It was certainly a southern right whale due to its white growths on its head.
11. Southern Right Whale
Image: Daily Express
The reason southern right whales have white callosities is because of the shrimp that stay on their body. This whale species is quite passive and friendly and will often approach boats out of curiosity.
10. Too Friendly
Image: Daily Mail
Since the southern right whales are known for being so friendly it has also made them a target for whalers. The poor whale’s population has been depleting since the 19th century. Fortunately, laws were put in place to protect the remaining whales.
9. A Ban
Image: Scribol
A ban was placed on the hunting of southern right whales. While the law did manage to decrease the number of whalers hunting out the species, it didn’t stop it all together. The news was received that both the Soviet Union and Japan were still killing off the whales.
8. Small Numbers
Image: Scribol
According to National Geographic, there are only 10,000 southern right whales left in the waters today. With such few whales left in the waters, it is amazing that the two fishermen got to be so up close to one…
7. Communication
Image: Daily Mail
So did the whale actually come for help? Whale specialist Geoff Ross has stated, “It is bizarre, really unique behavior for a wild animal, particularly for its size. But they are quite intelligent.”
6. Sea Cows
Image: Scribol
“I liken them to cows, because they’re quite calm and happy most of the time,” Ross explained. “But they will respond in a very aggressive fashion if they feel threatened.”
5. Be Respectful
Image: Scribol
“Just be respectful,” Ross told everyone. “We don’t want to see this animal harmed, and we don’t want to see anyone injured. Respect the approach distances, and enjoy the spectacle of having this beautiful animal in our harbor.”
4. Fishermen’s Delight
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As for the two men they were pretty happy to have had contact with such a majestic creature. “I was pretty stoked I actually [helped] it,” Iskenderian said. “It was pretty good. A couple of people were clapping… that’s my good deed done for the day.”
3. Photo Time
Image: Scribol
The whale was so grateful that it hung around for a bit of time. The other fisherman, Riggio, took this as the perfect opportunity to take a photo. He snapped a perfect selfie with the whale in the background.
2. Selfie
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“It wasn’t fazed by us being there at all,” Riggio said. “I took a selfie when it popped up. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I never thought I’d be that close to a whale.”
1. Good Deed
Image: Horizon Weekly
It was amazing that these two fishermen were able to figure out a way to help this poor whale that needed it. Hopefully, more humans will continue to treat these wonderful whales in the best way possible so that they can continue to reproduce and grow bigger as a species once more.