The ocean, which is the natural habitat for all aquatic animals has become an increasingly dangerous place for them. Human carelessness has caused the body of water to be infiltrated with pollution. It’s no wonder we are constantly hearing stories about whales and sea turtles entangled in nets.
While our hearts are touched by stories of successful animal rescues, those missions were not an easy feat. An animal who finds itself in danger would follow it’s own protective instinct and consider other species a threat. That’s what makes animal rescue missions challenging and difficult. It could easily become life-threatening to both the animal and the rescuer.
What exactly prompted a fisherman to dive into the water with a thrashing humpback whale?
During the summer months, humpback whales swim the coast of California to Alaska. Then, they migrate to the warm waters of Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Japan during the breeding season. These creatures could weigh up to 40 tons and can grow up to 50 feet long.
It’s no wonder when whales get entangled in fishing lines or nets used for maritime activities, the fishermen who find them would call the authorities to handle the rescue mission. A swipe from a thrashing whale could easily overturn a fishing boat.
However, when Nicholas Taron and Sam Synstelien found a humpback whale tangled in the rope attached to a buoy, they couldn’t just stay and watch.
Morro Bay is a known area for whale watching. From mid or late December through April, grey whales could be seen swimming in these waters. Humpback whales float along the coast from April or May through October or November, sometimes, as late as December. Seeing a humpback swimming in these waters isn’t unusual but something caught the attention of some fishermen.
Nicholas and Sam are commercial eel fishermen who were coming in from a day of fishing. They were in Morro Bay when they spotted a humpback whale struggling in the water. “It was just swimming in counter-clockwise, circles,” Nicholas, Sam’s crewman who shot the infamous video, said. That behaviour could only mean one thing.
Being fishermen, Nicholas and Sam are used to seeing similar sea creatures in their natural habitat. Immediately, they knew there was something unusual with this humpback whale. It was dragging a white buoy that was wrapped around its tail. The huge animal was splashing on the surface of the water trying to get free from the rope it was trapped in.
The animal continuously splashed on the surface of the water trying to break free. From the way it was circling around the same area, it became obvious that something was holding it to the bottom. Not used to being restricted in the water, the whale grew stressed as its situation.
The Coast Guard received their report and informed them they would send a rescue team to help the whale. After informing the authorities of the situation, the two fishermen couldn’t wait around any longer. They decided to help the animal by cutting the buoy from the rope. The task took them an hour and a half to accomplish.
Still, the Coast Guard hadn’t shown up.
Two hours passed and there was still no sign of the Coast Guard. Cutting the buoy did not help the whale escape as the rope remained tangled around its back.
“That one rope was still holding him down to the ocean floor,” explained Nicholas, “and the whole time he was swimming in very tight counter-clockwise circles because all that rope was still attached to the bottom of the ocean.”
The Coast Guard contacted the fishermen and informed them there’s nothing more they could do. However, leaving the animal struggling for its freedom didn’t sit right with them. They decided to take matters into their own hands.
After learning that it would take hours before the whale could be rescued, time the fishermen believed the animal didn’t have. They decided to help the whale on their own. They figured the whale wouldn’t take the idea of humans jumping into the water from their boat positively, they decided to communicate with it. Nicholas increased the volume on their radio and began to speak to the animal.
In an interview to the Washington Post, Taron recounted how he communicated with the whale. He yelled, “We’re your only hope. No one is coming here. You’re either going to let Sam jump on you or you’re on your own.”
The two fishermen understood that simply jumping into the water with a stressed animal like the entangled whale would be dangerous. After all, they weren’t trained to perform rescue operations. Despite that, they also knew that they couldn’t just leave the poor animal that way until the Coast Guards arrived.
They didn’t know if talking to the animal would actually do anything, but they did it anyway. Somehow, the whale understood and stopped splashing around. Although it continued squirming, it was still enough to give Sam a chance to come closer and cut the rope around it.
When it was obvious that the Coast Guard wouldn’t be arriving soon, Nicholas said, “That’s when we decided to get Sam in the water.” It was probably not the best decision”, but together they concluded that it was the best way to help free the animal. So, when the whale settled a bit, Sam prepared to jump on the whale.
Sam tried two times to jump on the whale but failed. The whale kept diving under the water whenever he saw Sam jumping. Nicholas started filming the whole ordeal after Sam’s third attempt. This time, he managed to leap on its back.
As Sam tried for the third time to get on the whale’s back, Nicholas whipped out his phone to record his friend’s heroics. “Get it! Get it before she dives!” he shouted as Sam wrestled to gain his balance back.
Sam was crawling up on the whale’s back when the animal shook its tail. It almost crashed into the boat. “He jumped in, was able to crawl up its back, and right then, the whale intensely shook its tail. Almost hit the phone out of my hand,” Nicholas narrated.
It took a few attempts, but finally, Sam was successfully settled on the back of the whale.
The whale whipped its tail trying to dislodge him from its back. Luckily, the whale finally calmed down after sensing that Sam meant no harm. This allowed the fisherman to cut the rope with his knife.
“And that’s when all the rest of the line fell back in the water and the whale swam free,” said Nicholas. Sam raised his arms in triumph while the knife was held between his teeth.
After more than three hours of waiting and struggling, the whale was finally free. It went for a deep dive, leaving behind the cheering rescuers.
It was a courageous act, and although the authorities were extremely grateful that the whale was saved, they were a little upset. According to officials, that was not the right way to deal with the situation. Dealing with a massive animal is never safe or easy. Dealing with a massive animal that is stressed out and feeling threatened could be very dangerous.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Fisheries, it could have tuned out really bad for the fishermen.
Justin Veizbicke, the spokesperson of Pacific Fisheries, stated in a press release, “We’ve had people die trying to get in the water, and just last year, we lost one of our responders.”
Seeing an animal trapped in nets or fishing lines is heartbreaking to watch. Protocol suggests that you radio the authorities to report the situation and leave it to them to perform the rescue mission. It is normal for a person witnessing such a scene to have the urge to help.
According to NOAA, “Even though it seems like it’s a very stressful situation, we usually have days, weeks, sometimes even months to find these animals and get the gear off.” The agency explained that while they were relieved that neither fishermen were harmed, they have a message for the public.
The video of Sam’s courageous act of saving the whale became viral, catching the attention of the media. In response, NOAA released a press statement saying, “We fear this video is a very dangerous example and may encourage others to attempt such a response in the future.”
The press release also stated that trained rescuers have died during similar missions, even though they used the best methods and equipment. It was in reference to the death of a fisherman who had been rescuing whales for fifteen years. He died moments after rescuing a whale.
Although Sam and Nicholas were successful in their action to save the humpback whale, they were not properly trained and may not have handled it in the best way. The NOAA shared the best practice of performing rescue missions.
“The best practice for dealing with an entangled whale is to never get into the water with it, as these animals are very powerful and dangerous in close proximity. In addition, every entangled whale is not necessarily in imminent danger, meaning that there is time to wait for the authorized responders and not requiring these types of emergency actions,” the agency also stated in the press release. “And cutting just the visible lines may not totally free the animal, making it harder for responders to help.”
Nonetheless, the video became viral and the two brave fishermen became known.
When the video of Sam Synstelien and Nicholas Taron went viral after it was posted on social media, it caught the eye of the producers on The Ellen Show. The two fishermen were invited by Ellen to be on her show.
During their interview, the two recalled the story of their rescue mission. The video captured by Nicholas while Sam was in the water was also shown on the show. Ellen asked questions about them as well as their experience while saving the whale. It was clear that they had a blast being on the show and sharing their experience.
Sam and Nicholas shared that they have known each other for a long time. They were classmates in college at the California Maritime Academy. Both have a marine transportation license and are used to encountering whales and other sea animals, although none were ever in a situation like this one.
Despite knowing the waters of California, the two were untrained when it came to saving the whale. Nevertheless, the two were just happy to see the whale free. They knew they would be exposing themselves to danger, but they couldn’t leave the whale in that situation. They had to at least attempt to save it. Fortunately, they were successful and got to be on the Ellen show.
Usually, when a guest is invited to The Ellen Show, they go home laden with gifts from her surprises. Sam and Nicholas’ experience was not different. After sharing their story to the audience, Ellen gave them gifts in appreciation for saving the humpback whale.
She said, “So, hopefully, you don’t ever have to do that again. But just in case you do, we got you these to wear.” Then, she gave each of them a vest that says: “Stay calm. We speak whale.” Seeing the gift, Sam gave a hearty “Yeah!”
But the surprises didn’t end there.
While Sam and Nicholas were already grateful for being a guest on the show and receiving a gift, Ellen had another surprise in store for the two men. Shutterfly, Inc., an American internet-based company that specializes in image publishing service, prepared a gift for the two California natives in recognition of their good deed.
According to Ellen, the company loves people who save whales. So, through the show, it wanted to show its appreciation to Sam and Nicholas for their act of kindness and bravery. They were given a check of $10,000 each for taking the risk to help an animal in need.