Divers in the Revillagigedo Islands west of Mexico came across a whale shark earlier this month that they quickly realized was in distress. As the divers examined the whale shark they could see that it had a rope tightly caught around its pectoral fin area that had created deep cuts on its body. They knew the whale shark had much slimmer chances of surviving with the rope constricting it and when they happened upon the same whale shark on their second dive that day they were prepared. The dive guide and two other divers approached the whale shark and cut the rope, which was two inches thick, from the whale shark. The whale shark swam off free and although it had big gashes from the rope, it now has much better chances of surviving longer than it would have otherwise. The divers also filmed the rescue with an underwater camera and the video has been getting a lot of attention on the internet. This incident highlights the importance of divers’ vital role in protecting and preserving the ocean and its animals because we are the ones who best see and understand the ocean and how to conserve this place we appreciate so much.
Here is the video:
