Watch Rescuers Free Humpback Whale Caught in Ship’s Anchor

Gripping video shows a team of rescuers freeing a humpback whale tangled in a ship’s anchor.

Researchers from the Sea World Foundation, a non-profit devoted to marine conservation, accomplished the daring feat last week off Australia's Gold Coast. The team described the rescue to Storyful (via WNCT) as a “challenging operation,” but ultimately a successful one. They had to pace the whale as it traveled around 10 mph in the choppy current.

The video begins with them speeding along in a boat, charting the humpback. The whale is still moving freely, but is clearly encumbered with a weight around its tail. One of the rescuers tosses a line in an attempt to dislodge the anchor from the whale’s tail fluke. They’re able to hook the creature, and for a while it pulls the boat along.

A while later, the crew attaches a large buoy to the trailing rope in the hopes that it will dislodge the weight. It does the trick, and the scientists are able to get close enough to remove a massive metal anchor attached to the cord of rope, which had wrapped around the whale’s tail.

The team tracks the whale for a while to make sure it is indeed free and clear. An underwater shot shows the animal swimming contentedly beneath the boat. As a means of thanks, the humpback dives out of the water, showing off the tail it’s now able to lift.