Rescue Attempt Of Huge Whale Stranded On Caribbean Beach Captured On Film

A huge whale, around 60 ft long, has been rescued from a Caribbean beach after coming into trouble in shallow waters and becoming grounded.

The whale had become stranded close to a busy beach, and shocked onlookers recorded the events that unfolded as over 40 people came together to try and get the massive marine mammal back to safety.

The whale had washed up on Faro beach on the spectacular Isla Contoy natural park in Mexico's southeastern state of Quintana Roo.

The long finback whale, one of the largest animals in the world, had been spotted by members of the Marine Secretariat who immediately alerted the park authorities. It was struggling to get out of the shallow waters and appeared to be bleeding.

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Head Park Ranger Henry Madaron took up supervision of the rescue attempt from on board the Columba as the other rescuers - including specialists in handling marine mammals, local fishermen and members of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas - tended to the whale.

Local media also reported that a local tourist company called Caribbean Connection provided four of its ships to assist in the rescue efforts.

The video shows divers trying to help the whale which is clearly stuck in the shallow waters with its dorsal fin poking high out of the surface of the water.

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The divers look to be trying to tie a rope around the whale to tow it out to deeper waters.

According to local reports, the rescue attempt was successful and the 18-metre whale was safely returned to the depths.

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Maria del Carmen Garcia Rivas, the director of the Isla Contoy natural park, said the incident confirmed that finback whales were present in Caribbean waters.

While previous sightings of the huge mammals had been reported, they had only been officially identified off the Pacific coast of California.

The finback, second only in size to the blue whale, can grow up to 90 ft long (longer than two double decker buses) and can weigh over 70 tonnes. And they can really shift as well - their recorded speeds of almost 30mph have earned them the nickname 'the greyhounds of the sea'.

Topics: World News, Whale, Animals

Nathan Standley

Nathan Standley is a freelance journalist and LADBible contributor. He graduated from Durham University with a degree in Anthropology before going on to do a Master’s degree in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He also writes articles for The Versed and is the Cultural Editor of The Common Sense Network.