You see quite a lot of videos on the Internet of divers rescuing fish and sea mammals from painful, sometimes life-threatening circumstances. But those divers are usually professionals in full gear, with swim fins to help them keep up with the animals and oxygen tanks to allow them to stay underwater. Earlier this year, an incredibly brave diver took it upon himself to help a whale in need, without any of the usual diving necessities.
The fin whale in the video below, which was spotted near the island of Fuerteventura, Spain, had a long fishing line wrapped around its body, starting in its mouth and going all the way to its tail. Cesar Espino, who saw the animal from a nearby boat, immediately decided to dive to the rescue. "Each movement the whale made was harming it," Espino said according to the Daily Mail. "I entered the water with a knife and I positioned myself in front of the whale so it could see me; she - it was female - looked at me as if asking for help."
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Through multiple trips back and forth between the whale and the surface, Espino was able to cut the whale free with nothing more than a tiny knife, a pair of goggles and a snorkel. Espino and his friend, who filmed most of the scene, were even able to get the hooks out of the creature's mouth, the Daily Mail reports. Though the video summarizing the event is only a minute long, the rescue apparently took an entire hour. But what an incredible hour it must have been.
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